Burr-Brown Corporation announced the XTR106, a monolithic, two-wire current-loop transmitter with on-board sensor excitation and linearization designed for use in measuring pressure and temperature in industrial processes.

A 4-20mA current-loop transmitter is used to monitor physical parameters in sensor signal acquisition, industrial process control, test and measurement, and medical instrumentation systems. In these systems, the XTR106 amplifies a tiny sensor signal and transmits an accurate current-mode signal to remotely located measurement equipment without loss of integrity in harsh electrical conditions (i.e. voltage loss in long lines, induced noise from power lines).

The XTR106's superior performance and features simplify design, reduce size, and lower cost compared to complex discrete circuitry.

"The XTR106 extends our family of 4-20mA transmitters for industrial sensor applications to include a complete solution for bridge and strain gage sensor excitation," said John Brown, strategic marketing engineer at Burr-Brown. "With this family of complete, monolithic transmitters in compact packages, a system designer will be challenged to achieve competitive performance and functionality at such a low cost using discrete, 'build your own' components."

According to estimates from Burr-Brown, the overall pressure sensor market will grow at a 12% CAGR over the next ten years to $120 million.

This is a thoroughly nice product which is designed to take the problems out of remote sensing and bridge measurements; it is really taking a previously difficult measurement system and turning it into a 4-20 mA current-loop application. Although Burr-Brown mention copper losses and power line induction noise as problems, probably the greatest interference factor today for the designer is the enormous number of RF sources that are around. In the urban environment they are everywhere, from the legal, licensed, cell phones, garage door openers and the like to the unlicensed taxicabs and eclectic government frequencies. All the numbers being specified for this part are either good or extremely good and at least match the best that a standalone designer could achieve with discrete parts, which has been the general way of approaching the problem up to now.

This is a great solution for a major head-scratching problem in many measurement environments and it will make the company a lot of money. I love, in particular, the wide supply range that the part allows, dramatically increasing the scope of industries who might look at the part as a solution. And once again Burr-Brown shows a new lead in instrumentation.

The XTR106 is in 14-pin DIP or SO-14 and is priced at $3.75 in 1000-piece lots. It is in production.