The two most common analog signal types in modern industrial automation are 4-20mA and 0-10V. Let’s take a look at the difference between the two and which one you should choose.
A 0-10V (or in some cases, 0-5V) analog signal uses voltage to represent a variable signal. It’s a simple method of analog signal transmission most commonly used in HVAC applications, but has some inherent disadvantages, including:
The 4-20mA current signal is becoming much more common for analog signal transmission in a lot of applications. A current signal offers some real world advantages, such as:
In addition, for many applications there is now a much wider range of 4-20mA instruments available than 0-10V. We recommend 0-10V should only be used where the automation equipment used is incapable of handling a 4-20mA signal.