Hello,
I am interested in finding a simple solution to have a digital signal to toggle when current is flowing or not in a wire
- The wire is conducting 230VAC
- The current will be around 90mA, but I'd like to widen the ranges of detection as much as possible
- The detection circuit must sit "on the safe side", meaning galvanic isolation
There are lots of specialized hall effect or CT based ICs to measure the amount of current for an analog reading. Yes I can put this analog reading into a comparator, but looking for a simpler and cheaper solution.
1. How much inductance would I need from a series inductor to create a magnetic field to be picked up by close by digital ouput hall effect sensor?
2. Can I drop some voltage over a series resistor, and have the voltage drop power an AC photocoupler with digital output? I don't like putting series resistor, because I'm afraid of short circuit events.
3. Those "wireless" voltage detectors that electricians use, how do they work? Must current be flowing for it to work?
Thank you for chiming in with your thoughts!