Long-term tests of some inexpensive barometers and results of pressure cycling of an AIR-DB-1A
1994
Payne, Richard E.
For approximately 1.5 year, daily observations of barometrc pressure were made with a varety of sensors and compared toreadings from a Paroscientific Model 760-16B while all sensors were maintained at a temperature of 20°C±2°C. The results of twosamples from each of three inexpensive (strain gauge integral to a silicon chip) pressure sensors are reported on. The SenSymModel SCXI5AN, Nova PI and the Microswitch Model 134PC15A1 had standard deviations of 0.2, 2.6, and 5.6 mb, respectively.The SenSym and Nova sensors had drift rates of 0.5 and 0.9 mb per year, respectively. A fourth sensor, the Microswitch, hadoutput that was too noisy for a meaningful computation of drift rate. Neither of the Omega Model PX93-015GV samples operatedproperly. The excellent results indicate that strain gauge sensors are worth considering for measuring barometrc pressure insituations where the highest accuracy is not required. Temperature effects, which can be substantial in strain gauge sensors, werenot investigated.Pressure cycling tests of an AIR Model DB-1A show that cycles of 3-10 psi above ambient pressure do not affect the accuracyof the sensor, even after millions of cycles. Therefore, rough weather conditions at sea, i.e., waves washing over the barometerport on a drifting buoy, are unlikely to cause inaccuracy in an AIR sensor.
Show more [+] Less [-]Funding was provided by the National Science Foundationunder Grant No. OCE-91-15000.
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