PCB®’s Charge Output accelerometers utilize piezo-ceramic sensing elements to directly output an electrostatic charge signal that is proportional to applied acceleration.

Charge Output accelerometers do not contain built-in signal conditioning electronics. As a result, external signal conditioning is required to interface their generated measurement signals to readout or recording instruments. The sensor’s charge output signals can be conditioned with either a laboratory style, adjustable charge amplifier or, for an economical approach, with an in-line, fixed charge converter.

Since there are no electronics built into Charge Output accelerometers, they can operate and survive exposure to very high temperatures (up to +1200 °F/+649 °C for some models). In addition, Charge Output accelerometers are used for thermal cycling requirements or to take advantage of existing charge amplifier signal conditioning equipment.

It is important to note that measurement resolution and low-frequency response for charge output, acceleration sensing systems are dependent upon the noise floor and discharge time constant characteristics of the signal conditioning and readout devices used.