Chapter 10 - Development Tools

This chapter discusses the tools that are useful for designing magnetic sensors. Some of these tools are common to well-equipped electronics laboratories while others are unique to the magnetic world. For the sensor development projects, a well-equipped electronics lab makes the development easier, faster, and straightforward. Development of the Hall-effect sensor assemblies requires power supplies for purposes such as: powering sensors and related circuits, providing precision voltage and current references, and driving coils to generate magnetic fields. The power supplies also serve the purpose of driving coils or electromagnets to produce magnetic fields. These applications require significant amounts of current (>10A) at moderate voltages (50V). The exact requirements are dependent on the magnet or coil to be driven. Driving an electromagnet with a constant current as opposed to a constant voltage reduces the resultant magnetic field's temperature dependence as the coil resistance increases from heating. This chapter discusses voltmeters, oscilloscope, frequency counter, clamp-on current probes, and solderless breadboard.