Voltage Detector and Its Technology

The name itself speaks about the function of Voltage Detector and that is to detect the voltage. In the more explanative way it detects the voltage that goes down below a set value or any change that has occurred between the two voltages.

The detector gives the fast response when it senses the deviation in the instantaneous voltage rather than its average or RMS voltage. It is capable of finding out large error quickly but becomes slower in case of smaller errors. Also, it can detect any kind of change in the voltage monitored, whether it is a positive change or a negative change.

Detector works as a safety tool to alert the user of dangerous voltages. This safety tool is an electrical voltage detector. It detects and warns of potentially hazardous voltage levels on conductors such as power cables and metallic objects. The detector is accomplished through capacitive coupling which charges the capacitive leaf sensor, when brought near a conductor. The charge is converted into a voltage signal that is low passed filtered and notch filtered to eradicate the extraneous and telephone ringing signals. Further, the filtered voltage signal is converted to DC and drives a ten element LED bar graph display to show the appropriate level of voltage of the conductor and the hazardous voltage is indicated by a buzzer alarm. All the workmen must be aware of such dangerous voltages before they start work on the conductors. Now, if the voltage is less than or about 150V RMS, then the voltmeter can be safer to use otherwise it is highly undesirable. For this purpose, the voltage detectors were designed to read the presence of a voltage on a conductor without actually contacting the conductor.

A voltage detector can be compared to another device called Reset which does the same function. A voltage detector indicate a voltage that is above or below a specific value but doesn’t provide any time delays whereas Reset not only detects the voltage but has the facility of delaying the reset signal to allow the voltage to arrive at its nominal value.

A Voltage Detector can be used in various kinds of applications. It is used as a combination with LED flash light to detect the presence of electric field under the influence of which produced a flash when placed against the electric field. In the projects of electrical infrastructure, it helps to detect voltages without coming close to the live wires or other metallic objects with the objective to prevent any kind of injury. For example, cities like New York etc. have a tremendous electrical infrastructure where metallic objects get electrified easily by power lines. Voltage detector is also used to detect stray voltages, a low level of voltage, which animals normally encounter in their daily life.

Stray voltages are produced when the animals comes in contact between the surfaces with a voltage difference and a small electrical current flow through the animal. Stray voltages have a severe effect on the animal’s behavior and even their productivity of milk and livestock.In another application, a specially design AC Voltage Detector by Hotstick USA, can be used to read the presence of exposed and dangerous wires or voltage carrying surfaces by finding out the electrostatic field from a safe distance. For example, a 7500 V distributed line can be detected from 200 feet away. Hence, the market prospect of Voltage Detector is very good in the future due to the increase in demand of this device. The increase in the utility of electronic items by the developed nations like North America and Europe who have started exporting their products to other developing nation like that of Asian countries, increased in the awareness of electronic designs and their related products. Consequently, Voltage Detectors are in high demand and will contribute heavily in the growth of nation’s economy.


Author: Gary Jones (Component Engr.)
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