Product Overview
Cox signal conditioners are the electronics that sit between a Cox turbine meter and the device that reads it. A meter’s raw pickoff signal is often too low-level to read directly, to carry over a long cable, or to survive the electrical noise around motors and pumps — so a signal conditioning amplifier (SCA) boosts it to a stable 0–10 V pulse, or a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) scales it to a current or voltage an analog input can read. Both RF (radio-frequency) carrier and magnetic (MAG) pickoffs are covered: the SCA preamplifiers (SCA-243 / SCA-249 for RF, SCA-242 / SCA-248 for MAG) deliver the pulse; the DAC converters (DAC-253 / DAC-252-NP for RF, DAC-251 / DAC-250-NP for MAG) give 4–20 mA or 10–50 mA, or 0–5 V or 0–10 V DC, set by non-interacting ZERO and SPAN adjustments. Each is available as an MS-type unit that clips to the pickoff, a board-level module, an enclosed assembly, or a remote NEMA-4 box with its own power supply; the Y / Y-3 enclosures add a Class I, II and III explosion-proof rating for hazardous-area service. They work with any Cox turbine meter — the single-rotor CPT and LoFlo and the dual-rotor Exact.
Key Features & Benefits
- RF and MAG coverage — matched preamplifiers and converters for both Cox pickoff types — carrier or magnetic
- Pulse preamplifiers — the SCA series boosts a low-level pickoff signal to a stable 0–10 V pulse a counter or PLC reads cleanly
- Pulse-to-analog conversion — the DAC series turns the meter pulse into a scaled analog output — 4–20 mA / 10–50 mA current or 0–5 V / 0–10 V DC — for a control system or PLC analog input
- Holds signal over distance — a conditioned signal carries farther between meter and receiver and resists noise from motors, pumps and other plant equipment
- Choice of form factor — fit it to the install — clip an MS-type unit onto the existing pickoff, drop in a board-level module, or specify an enclosed assembly, including a remote NEMA-4 box with its own internal power supply
- Explosion-proof option — the Y / Y-3 enclosure assemblies carry a Class I, II and III hazardous-location rating for area service
Specifications
- Function
- Condition the meter’s raw pickoff pulse for the receiving device — preamplify it to a stable 0–10 V pulse, or convert it to a scaled analog signal — so a counter, PLC or DCS reads it, and so it carries cleanly over a long cable run
- Pickoff types served
- RF (radio-frequency) carrier and magnetic (MAG) pickoffs
- Pulse preamplifiers
- RF — SCA-243 (MS-type, 3-pin out, meter-mount) and SCA-249 (module); MAG — SCA-242 (MS-type, meter-mount) and SCA-248 (module). All output a stable 0–10 V pulse
- Analog (D/A) converters
- MAG — DAC-251 (puck/module) and DAC-250-NP (explosion-proof Y-3 enclosure); RF — DAC-253 (puck/module) and DAC-252-NP (explosion-proof Y-3 enclosure). Non-interacting ZERO and SPAN adjustments calibrate the output to the flow range
- Output
- Preamplifiers — a stable 0–10 V pulse. Converters — a scaled analog output: 4–20 mA or 10–50 mA, or 0–5 V or 0–10 V DC
- Available forms
- Meter-mount (MS-type), board-level module, integral or Y-enclosure assembly, or a remote NEMA-4 assembly with an internal power supply. The explosion-proof Y / Y-3 enclosure assemblies (SCA-245-NP RF, SCA-244-NP MAG, and the DAC Y-3 converters) are rated for Class I Groups C and D, Class II Groups E, F and G, and Class III hazardous locations — confirm the certified configuration with Badger for the area classification
- Meter compatibility
- Cox turbine meters — the single-rotor CPT and LoFlo, and the dual-rotor Exact
Common Applications
- Drive a counter, PLC or DCS from a Cox meter pulse
- Convert a pulse to a 4–20 mA or 0–5 V analog input on a control system
- Hold the pickoff signal over a long cable run between meter and receiver
- Protect the pulse from electrical noise on a plant floor full of motors and pumps
- Hazardous-area installs using the explosion-proof Y / Y-3 enclosure assembly
To size & select the right Signal Conditioners & D/A Converters:
Use the input form to send your Cox meter, its pickoff type (RF or MAG), and the signal your receiver needs — a pulse or a 4–20 mA / voltage analog input — and we’ll match the right preamplifier or converter and enclosure.
Flow Meter Application Sheet ›Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com
Specifications compiled by Prater Technical Partners from Badger Meter Cox precision turbine product literature.