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TDC1000-C2000EVM: The number of ultrasonic transistors (transducers) can be connected and send data to single module.

Part Number: TDC1000-C2000EVM
Other Parts Discussed in Thread: TDC1000, PGA460, TDC1000-Q1, TUSS4440, TUSS4470

I am working on TDC1000-C7200EVM module with Steminic's ultrasonic sensors.

How many transducers can single module get the data from?

In other words, I want to know how many transducers can be connected and send data to one single module.

The specific model of the transistor is SMD10T2R111 - Piezo Ceramic Disc 10x2mm, R, 1 MHz.

If it is written in any of your user guide then you might send and locate in the file.

Best regards, Minrak Kim

  • Minrak,

    The TDC1000 is a two channel ultrasonic driver and receiver IC, so you can connect a total of two independently controlled and monitored transducers to a single TDC1000 at the TX1/RX1 (for sensor 1) and TX2/RX2 (for sensor 2) pins. This two channel configuration is typically used in systems that require both liquid level measurements and concentration level measurements. In the liquid level measurement, the ultrasonic sensor captures a vertical time of flight to determine the height in distance. In concentration measurement, the ultrasonic sensor captures a horizontal time of flight to monitor changes in the speed of sound to calculate concentration. You can use the two channels however you like.

    If you need more than two sensors, consider the use of multiplexer, similarly to what is described for the PGA460 here: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023/t/603257. This option enables 4, 8, or 16 sensors to be multiplexed.

  • Thank you very much for your reply. 

    I found the new modules for evaluating the ultrasonic sensors were released. 

    I want to integrate as many transducers as possible. Is there any module which can connect more than two channels?

    And can you please which advantages the new modules can provide? 

  • Minrak,

    Only the TDC1000-Q1 is a multi/two-channel ultrasonic IC. All other ultrasonic ICs are single-channel.

    I recommend you select the IC based on the application requirements first, rather than the number of channels supported. For example, even though the PGA460 is a single channel IC, it performs much better for air coupled long range applications. In this case, you could use the aforementioned multiplexing solution or multiple PGA460 devices to enable a multi transducer solution. A comparison of our ultrasonic ICs is available in the ultrasonic E2E FAQ: https://e2e.ti.com/support/sensors/f/1023

    I suspect the "new modules" you are referring to are the TUSS4440 and TUSS4470 devices. The primary advantage of using these newer devices is that they are the first ultrasonic ICs to have an integrated log amp front end. You can think of the feature as automatic gain control, which helps to optimize and scale the return echo's peak amplitude for both large and small objects. More on the ultrasonic log amp can be found in the Logarithmic Amplifier for Ultrasonic Sensor Signal Conditioning app report.