PASCO CI-6520A Magnetic Field Sensor - Manual (Page 2)

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M a g n e t i c F i e l d S e n s o r CI-6520A
2
Equipment
(*See the PASCO catalog or web site at www.pasco.com for more information.)
Operation
Set up the Equipment
Connect the Magnetic Field Sensor to an analog channel on the Universal Interface 850 or the ScienceWorkshop Interface 750
using the DIN plug cable, or plug the sensor directly into the interface. (For a PASPORT Interface or SPARK Science Learning
System (SLS), connect the sensor to a PS-2158 Analog Adapter and then connect the adapter to the interface or SLS.)
Choose Radial or Axial
Move the RADIAL/AXIAL slide switch on the top of the sensor to either the radial (perpen-
dicular) or axial (parallel) orientation. The position of the axial sensor is at the front end of
the probe and the position of the radial sensor is on the side of the probe very near to the
front end of the probe.
Zero the Sensor
Hold the sensor away from any magnetic source (other than the earth’s field) and press the
TARE button on the top of the sensor. To zero the sensor more completely, especially when
using the 100X (±10 gauss) range to record very small magnetic fields, place the probe of the
sensor into a Zero Gauss Chamber (such as the EM-8652) and press the TARE button.
NOTE: The sensor needs to be zeroed after each change of the RADIAL/AXIAL switch.
Achieve Thermal Equilibrium
The Hall Effect sensing elements used in the sensor are temperature compensated. However,
when measuring very small magnetic fields (100X (±10 gauss)), some temperature depen-
dent variation may be observed in the sensor output. The variation is on the order of a few
gauss. For the best results with the 100X range, the sensor should be connected to the inter-
face or datalogger for five to fifteen minutes before data are collected. This will allow the
sensing elements to come to thermal equilibrium and will yield more stable results.
Select Range
The sensor has three switch selectable ranges: 1X, 10X, and 100 X. When using an interface, set the data acquisition software so
that it matches the range selected and the units of measure desired.
Included Included Included
Magnetic Field Sensor CI-6520A DIN plug cable Sensor Mounting Stud
Additional Required* Additional Required*
PASCO interface or datalogger PASCO data acquisition software
Recommended
Zero Gauss Chamber EM-8652
TARE
RANGE
SELECT
RADIAL/
AXIAL
10X
100X
1X
RADIAL/AXIAL
select switch
TARE (“zero”)
button
RANGE SELECT
switch
probe
DIN
connector