Understanding Pressure Sensor Specifications

Absolute Pressure:  Pressure measured relative to a “perfect” vacuum.
Barometric Pressure Transducer:  An absolute pressure transducer measuring the local ambient (absolute) pressure
Differential Pressure: The pressure difference measured between two pressure sources.  When one source is a perfect vacuum, the pressure difference is called absolute pressure. When one source is the local ambient, the pressure is called gage pressure.
Gage Pressure: Pressure measured relative to ambient pressure.

Understanding Absolute Gage and Differential Pressure

Most people are typically accustomed to dealing in gage pressure, that is, pressure relative to the normal atmospheric pressure which surrounds us. As such. “absolute” pressure and absolute pressure sensor which measure pressure relative to a perfect can be somewhat confusing.  Also, because zero absolute pressure (a perfect vacuum) is impossible to achieve, it is much harder to measure and calibrate absolute pressure sensors.This application will discuss what absolute pressure is, how it is best measured and how to calibrate absolute pressure sensors.

Understanding Temperature Compensation Using Constant Current and Voltage

Low cost solid state pressure sensor elements have attracted a great deal of attention lately. Although for the bulk of applica­tions it is more economical to use a device which is calibrated by the sensor manufacture, for some very high volume OEM applications a basic sensor element, such as the CCT-4 and CCT-6 can be used. It is when using these uncompensated elements that one needs to be able to understand the various methods for span temperature compensation.

Understanding how to Interface to 14 Bit Digital Pressure Sensors

The I2C interface is a simple 8-bit protocol needing only two lines to communicate between a master and slave unit. The two wires, serial data (SDA) and serial clock (SCL), carry information between the devices connected to the bus. Each device is recognized by a unique address and can operate as either a transmitter or receiver, depending on the function of the device. In addition to transmitters and receivers, devices can also be considered as masters or slaves when performing data transfers.

14 Bit Code Examples for I2C and SPI Protocols

In the realm of digital pressure sensing, efficient communication protocols are indispensable for seamless integration into various applications. The Inter-Integrated Circuit (I2C) and Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocols stand out as two widely adopted standards, offering flexible and reliable means of interfacing with digital pressure sensors. However, despite their prevalence, navigating the intricacies of these protocols can pose challenges for developers, especially those new to the field.

Changing I2C Address for 14 Bit Digital Sensors

Moreover, changing the I2C address provides the flexibility to configure sensor networks as per the specific needs of a project, optimizing resource utilization and enabling more sophisticated and scalable sensor deployments. Therefore, the ability to modify I2C addresses on pressure sensors is a valuable feature that enhances the adaptability and versatility of sensor networks in diverse applications; this application note address this need.

Signal Conditioning Circuit, Popular Output AN 001

This application note details a practical analog signal conditioning circuit designed for temperature-compensated
piezoresistive pressure sensors (see Figure 1). The circuit architecture allows for precise, non-interacting zero and
span calibration using a single power supply. It supports both three-wire voltage output and two-wire current loop
output configurations.

Understanding Temperature Compensation AN-002

This application note outlines a method for compensating temperature-related performance shifts in piezoresistive pressure sensors. It provides a practical overview of hardware-level compensation techniques. In addition to the approach described herein, AVSensors also offers factory-calibrated and thermally compensated sensor models designed to meet application-specific requirements.

Understanding how to Interface to 16 Bit Digtal Pressure Sensors

This 16 bit mixed-signal ASIC engineered to handle the entire signal chain for resistive bridge pressure sensors, eliminating much of the external circuitry engineers would otherwise need to design. It integrates dual 16-bit ADCs for simultaneous pressure and temperature acquisition, a programmable analog front end with adjustable gain and offset cancellation, and a DSP capable of up to third-order polynomial correction to linearize sensor output.

16 Bit Code Examples for I2C

This application note provides practical I²C code examples for developers integrating AVSensors' 16-bit digital pressure sensors into embedded systems. Designed to complement the broader MCT Digital Series documentation, it focuses on facilitating quick and reliable communication using the I²C protocol. Engineers will find annotated sample functions for multi-byte reads, as well as full routines for acquiring pressure and temperature data, scaling raw outputs into engineering units, and triggering alarms based on calibrated thresholds. Ideal for embedded developers and firmware teams, this note bridges theory and practice—helping you move from data sheets to deployable code with confidence.