New low-cost draw wire sensors for high-volume OEM applications

Micro-Epsilon's new wireSENSOR MK88 draw wire (string pot) sensors are an extension of the company's existing MK Series. The MK88 weighs just 400g (including cable) and has a very compact sensor housing that measures 88x90x90mm. The sensors are available in three measuring ranges of 2300mm, 3500mm and 5000mm, each with output options of potentiometric (P), 0-10V (U) or 4-20mA (I). The MK88 sensors come with an integrated cable, but this can be changed to a connector in OEM applications if required. The sensors can also be supplied as mechanical-only units for mounting to the user's own encoder. In this case a universal encoder mounting plate is used to mount the sensor to the encoder.

Chris Jones, the Managing Director at Micro-Epsilon UK, comments: "For OEMs, the MK88 offers the most attractive combination of compact size, robustness and a large measuring range currently available on the market. To my knowledge, there is no other draw wire sensor that offers this level of performance at such a low cost. The compactness of the sensor also means it can be easily retrofitted to existing installations or can be mounted to small design envelopes where available space is tight."

The MK Series of draw wire sensors all benefit from a PA-coated stainless steel wire and a high-strength, glass fibre-reinforced plastic housing. This results in an extremely robust sensor that is suitable for all outdoor applications, with a maximum protection class of IP65. Operating temperature is from -20 to +80degC, or a special version can be requested for operating at temperatures as low as -40degC.

Jones adds: "The MK88 currently uses an aluminium protection cap but, from the beginning of 2012, this will be replaced by a plastic cap as standard. However, the aluminium cap will still be available as an option."

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