Integrated SoC Shrinks the Size of the 4-20 mA Smart Transmitter

The 4-20 mA current loop offers a common technique for transmitting sensor information such as temperature and pressure in industrial process-monitoring applications. Current loops are particularly useful when the information must travel a long distance to a remote location since signals are relatively insensitive to noise, and power can be derived from a remotely supplied voltage. This article will briefly introduce a 4-20 mA system, its evolution, and a chipset to shrink the size of the overall solution and improve reliability by minimizing the number of external components.