MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

Can anyone explain what does the electronic piston sensor do and is that all the pieces?

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

Idk :yikes:

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

If I'm right, it simply detects whether a piston is next to it when attached to the outside of a pneumatic cylinder. This would of course be dependent on whether said piston (not cylinder) was compatible with the sensor.

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

Compatible pneumatic pistons have a magnet that rides on the piston. When the magnet is next to the sensor it connect the two wires (I believe it is normally open but I might be wrong). By placing two of them on a compatible pneumatic cylinder (I think the FIRST ones that are compatible have an M in the part number) you can detect if the piston is extended or retracted.

And Yes I believe that is all the parts. The metal strap wraps around the cylinder and holds the sensor in place.

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

How can you power the sensor if the wires are connected and what wires are being connected when the magnet reaches the sensor or wires?

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

That's how a switch works. The magnet causes the switch to close, allowing current to flow. The current or the voltage can be read by the cRIO or other sensing device.

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

So all the sensor does is sense if the piston is retracted or not?

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

If that's where it's placed, yes.

A better way to put it: it senses if the piston is in the same place the sensor is. This can be useful if you have rigged a 3-position cylinder using a pair of solenoids (yes, it is possible).

Re: MRS-.087-B-04(electronic piston sensor)
 

It can also be useful to sense if the piston has fully extended or retracted in order to move on to the next action in a sequence or to control a related process.

Our Breakaway bot last year used an FP winch to assist a 2"x24" piston to lift hang from the tower. We used one of these magnetic sensors at the bottom of the piston to shut off the winch when the lift was complete.