
Heaters
A heater is driven much the same as a solenoid, usually using a transistor. Most
heaters have negligible inductance, so the clamping diodes are not necessary. In
most cases, heaters are controlled by a feedback loop, with a temperature sensor
mounted somewhere to measure the temperature. Figure 6.4 shows a typical
temperature control loop using a microprocessor. The heater is mounted on
whatever is to be heated, along with some kind of temperature sensor. The
microprocessor turns the heater on and off to control the temperature.
Open Heater
What happens if the heater opens up? You get no heat. How do you detect it?
Figure 6.5 shows a means to ...