—The SR50A Sonic Ranging Sensor measures the distance from the sensor to a target. The most common applications are measuring snow depths and water levels. The ultrasonic sensor is based on a 50 kHz?electrostatic transducer. The SR50A determines the distance to a target by sending out ultrasonic pulses and listening for the returning echoes that are reflected from the target. The time from transmissions to return of an echo is the basis for obtaining the distance measurement. Since the speed of sound in air varies with temperature, an independent temperature measurement is required to compensate the distance reading. A simple calculation is applied to initial readings for this purpose.

The SR50A is capable of picking up small targets or targets that are highly absorptive to sound--such as low density snow. The SR50 can measure multiple targets and it makes use of a unique echo processing algorithm to help ensure measurement reliability. If desired, the SR50A can also output a data value indicative of measurement quality (not available for pulse train output).

The SR50A was designed to meet the stringent requirements of snow depth measurement, which makes it well suited for a variety of other applications. The rugged aluminium housing is built to withstand harsh environments and offers several mounting options.