Hello,
I am trying to figure out what is the most inexpensive method for detecting if current is flowing in a 120VAC or 240VAC PCB trace.
I came across the ACS730, however this gives me the exact current that is flowing, and they are expensive. A simple yes or no would be preferable and I would assume less expensive?
The PCB trace will generally be flowing around 10-15 amps, but it can go up to as much as 30 amps. If I had to put a threshold on it, I would say anything less than 100mA and we could say no current is flowing... anything above 100mA and we could say yes current is flowing.
Eventually I need to get this signal back to a microcontroller pin, which is 0-3.3V. Because of this, I'm assuming the circuit would contain an optocoupler.
Can u guys advise me on how to go about this? Can this be accomplished with a low ohm resistor somehow? Or is there some inexpensive hall effect sensor that I could locate near the trace? Like I mentioned earlier, I don't need to know an exact current value, just a yes or no.
Thanks and any help/advice is greatly appreciated!
I am trying to figure out what is the most inexpensive method for detecting if current is flowing in a 120VAC or 240VAC PCB trace.
I came across the ACS730, however this gives me the exact current that is flowing, and they are expensive. A simple yes or no would be preferable and I would assume less expensive?
The PCB trace will generally be flowing around 10-15 amps, but it can go up to as much as 30 amps. If I had to put a threshold on it, I would say anything less than 100mA and we could say no current is flowing... anything above 100mA and we could say yes current is flowing.
Eventually I need to get this signal back to a microcontroller pin, which is 0-3.3V. Because of this, I'm assuming the circuit would contain an optocoupler.
Can u guys advise me on how to go about this? Can this be accomplished with a low ohm resistor somehow? Or is there some inexpensive hall effect sensor that I could locate near the trace? Like I mentioned earlier, I don't need to know an exact current value, just a yes or no.
Thanks and any help/advice is greatly appreciated!