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It’s hard to imagine a world without joysticks or rocker switches. Used to control various machines such as aircraft, cranes, trucks, wheelchairs, these control components are vital for their successful operation. Invented in 1926, by C.B. Mirick at the United States Naval Research Lab, they have even been regularly used as part of the NASA Apollo missions to control the lunar lander test models. How Does a Rocker Switch Work? A joystick is a control column that directs movement …

Linear variable differential transformers (LVDT) are used to measure displacement, and operate on the principle of a transformer. LVDT linear position sensors can measure movements as small as a few millionths of an inch up to ±30 inches. This type of electromechanical transducer is common and can change the rectilinear motion of an object, that it’s coupled to mechanically, to a corresponding electrical signal. Linear Displacement Measurement Explained To put it simply, linear …

Flow control valves help regulate the pressure of a flow of fluid in a pneumatic system. If your current flow controls are allowing air to leak out of the pneumatic system or experiencing other problems, then your system can’t operate at full potential. In some cases, such issues could mean you’re operating an unsafe system that could malfunction at any time. While this could cause huge losses for manufacturers that rely on pneumatic systems for mixing and measuring purposes, the tru …

Industrial trucks, such as forklifts rely on intelligent sensors to accurately measure position, angle, speed, tilt, and lifting weight. These rotary angle and position sensors are designed to help save time in industrial operations, reduce human error during machine control, improve productivity, and above all else, ensure an increased level of safety. One of the most important sensors in industrial machine control today is the hall effect angle sensor for position measurement and operator inp …

When it comes to position sensors, there are many options available. You’ll never want to sacrifice quality, so how do you determine which potentiometer is the most durable and cost-effective for your application? Here we highlight the key characteristics of nine of the most popular potentiometers available to give you a better idea of what works in your environment. Single Turn Conductive Plastic Potentiometers Single turn conductive plastic potentiometers are high-resolution types of po …