Relays & Sensors Magnets

Relays & Sensors Magnets can be used for magnetic sensors includes reed switches, reed sensors, Hall Effect sensors, and reed relays, as well as bare and packaged magnetic actuators.

The reed switch is an electrical switch operated by an applied magnetic field. In its simplest and most common form, it consists of a pair of ferromagnetic flexible metal reeds contacts in a hermetically sealed glass envelope. The contacts are usually normally open, closing when a magnetic field is present, or they may be normally closed and open when a magnetic field is applied. The switch may be actuated by an electromagnetic coil, making a reed relay, or by bringing a permanent magnet near the switch. When the magnetic field is removed, the reeds in the reed switch return to their original position.

An example of a reed switch application is to detect the opening of a door, when used as a proximity switch for a security alarm.

Reed sensors when paired with permanent magnets present an ideal method of sensing and detecting movement, proximity, metal detection, and liquid level and flow measurement. Reed sensors open and close their reed switch contacts in the presence of a magnetic field. Typically a permanent magnet is the moving member in the magnetic system. This can be a piston, a float, a rotating disk, and much more.

A Hall effect sensor is a device that is used to measure the magnitude of a magnetic field. Its output voltage is directly proportional to the magnetic field strength through it. Hall effect sensors are used for proximity sensing, positioning, speed detection, and current sensing applications.