Electrical – Non contact (contactless) AC or DC detection

current-sourcedetectiondetectorproximity-sensorvoltage-detector

I'd like to detect AC or DC current (not the current level just nothing or something => ON/OFF) in a wire with a (DIY) sensor just in contact (glued) with the wire plastic insulator.
At the end the goal is to detect if the wire transport current or not (conduction is ON or OFF) with an arduino input. The voltage could be between 5V to 24V and current around 10mA to 20A.

Is there solution like hall effect or transistors in serial with antenna?
Non invasive current loop/sensor only work with AC current!

Best Answer

buy a high permeability toroid..cut a slit in it and put a Hall sensor there:

  • insulation
  • very high sensitivity ( can be boosted by wrapping the current line multiple times through the toroid)
  • DC and AC
  • insensitive to homogeneous surrounding magnetic fields.

This is essentially a Clampmeter, yes. You can also buy a commercial one and boost its sensitivity by wrapping the current line many times. The clampmeter gives you an analog reading, but if you use a Hall switch in your custom toroid, you can also obtain an on/off output.

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