IOThrifty Blog

Explore the origins of pressure units like psi, bar, and Pascal, and learn how to convert between English and metric systems. This article explains why pressure units differ globally, how the Pascal became the SI standard, and how units like psi, bar, and kg/cm² relate. Includes a free pressure conversion spreadsheet to help convert between psi and bar for 4–20 mA transmitters and industrial instrumentation setups. Ideal for engineers, technicians, and anyone working with pressure sensors or transmitters.

Struggling to get accurate temperature readings with infrared sensors on shiny metals or reflective surfaces? This article explains the impact of emissivity on IR temperature measurements and why low-emissivity materials like polished aluminum or stainless steel can be tricky to measure. Learn how emissivity varies by material, surface finish, and wavelength, and discover practical solutions including wavelength selection, emissivity adjustments, and specialized IR sensors for metals.

Measuring temperature with an infrared sensor through a window can be tricky. This article explores how IR transmission, reflection, and absorption impact accuracy, and explains which window materials—like sapphire, quartz, or ZnSe—are best suited for IR temperature readings. Learn how to match your sensor’s spectral range to the right IR window material and discover IOThrifty’s low-wavelength infrared sensors designed for furnace and industrial applications.

For any application that requires precise temperature measurement over an extended period of time (i.e. months or years), calibration is criticall...

Pressure transducers are essential for measuring gas and liquid pressure in industrial systems ranging from hydraulic equipment and process air to barometric and vacuum applications. This guide explains the types of pressure—gauge, absolute, and sealed gauge—as well as key considerations when selecting a pressure transducer, including input/output specs, wetted parts, temperature compensation, overpressure limits, and compatibility with hazardous or specialty gases like oxygen and helium. Learn the differences between sensors, transducers, and transmitters, and how modern strain gauge technology has replaced traditional Bourdon tubes for accurate, rugged pressure measurement.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 Corona virus pandemic one of the more common application questions we receive is “Can an infrared temperature sensor be used for body temperature measurement?”  This blog discusses some of the considerations infrared temperature sensors normally designed for industrial and laboratory use for this body temperature measurement.

This blog includes the formulas to convert back and forth between relative humidity to dew point temperature.  It also includes an Excel spreadsheet to perform the calculation.

Need to calculate thermocouple temperature without a digital thermometer? This guide explains how thermocouples work, how to apply thermocouple laws, and how to convert millivolts to temperature manually. Learn about hot and cold junctions, voltage reference tables, and download a free spreadsheet that calculates temperature from thermocouple voltage for types K, J, T, E, N, R, S, and B. Ideal for labs, engineers, and anyone working with thermocouples in the field.

Once used for only the most demanding applications, the advancement in technology and decrease in price has made Infrared temperature sensors a commonly used temperature measurement sensor.  This article describes their theory of operation, common applications and the different types of infrared temperature sensors.

In this post we will  provide a a basic understanding thermocouples including theory of operation, the different types and styles of thermocouples and which thermocouple configurations are best suited for different application environments.

This blog provides and overview of the most common sensors used for industrial temperature measurement.

This article discusses instrumentation to measure dew point and humidity in an industrial environment.  The two most common types of instruments, capacitance based sensors and chilled mirror hygrometers are covered in detail.  The benefits and disadvantages of each type of instrument is discussed well as applications for which they are best suited.