The Advantages of Hall Effect Sensors

Hall Effect sensors are a type of non-contacting position sensor. They can be either rotary or linear and because they are non-contacting, they are wear free and have virtually infinite life.

Hall Effect sensors are a type of non-contacting position sensor. They can be either rotary or linear and because they are non-contacting, they are wear free and have virtually infinite life.

In simple terms, hall effect sensors work whereby a magnet is centrally aligned with the hall sensor electronics. When the magnet is rotated the magnetic field changes and the electronics convert this into a relative positional output. In the case of a linear hall, the stroke is restricted due to this principle but the function is basically the same.

Hall Effect sensors are available with either an analogue or digital outputs depending on the application they are required for.

Advantages of Hall Effect sensors

Although Hall Effect sensors are often seen as more expensive than standard linear or rotary sensors this is not always necessarily the case and they are frequently selected because of their advantages;

They are suitable for harsh environments with high IP ratings to IP68/69K.

Hall Effect sensors do not wear so have a long life and in case of two-part technology, meaning they have a virtually unlimited life.

• They are highly reliable.
• Offer pre-programmable electrical angles and outputs.
• Offer high-speed operation.
• The ability to work in a wide temperature range.

Something to take into consideration when selecting a Hall Effect sensor is the surrounding area of the application as these sensors can be affected by external factors interfering with the magnetic field.

Applications for Hall Effect sensors

Hall Effect sensors have a wide range of applications. They are used in many industries, we see a high demand for them in the Motorsport industry where they are used on sequential gearboxes, throttle measurement where the non-contacting, wear free principle, is very prominent. Some other applications for Hall Effect sensors include;

• Automation equipment
• Mobile vehicle
• Marine
• Handling equipment
• Agricultural machinery
• Process and packaging machines
• Slitting & rewinding machines

To find out more about Hall Effect sensors – take a look at our previous blog post “what is hall effect”.

If you would like more information on the advantages of Hall Effect sensors or on our sensor range in general then please contact us; 01327 351004 or sales@variohm.com