Since much of the telecommunications infrastructure is located outdoors, these devices will often be exposed to severe weather conditions, so the threat of rain intrusion is something that telecommunications companies must guard against, as the resulting damage can have dire consequences, such as prolonged service outages and costly repairs. In addition, when it is necessary to conduct a comprehensive communication system inspection, it is difficult, not only requires a lot of human resources, but also more equipment is located in remote places. So in order to solve this problem, SST Sensing now has a series of leak detection sensors, which are also based on its proprietary Optomax technology.

These compact, high-performance level switch devices, with built-in microcontroller functionality, do not have any moving parts. Instead, they utilize a more convenient, reliable, and less expensive infrared (IR) sensing mechanism. The principle is simple, but very effective-if a liquid touches the tip of the sensor, it will change the properties of the optical device and disperse the previously internally reflected light. Therefore, less light is incident on the phototransistor of the device, resulting in a change in the output voltage. In this way, the telco/operator can quickly alert if a water leak condition has occurred in its optical fiber cabinet, base station, pico unit, etc.

Although the chassis is full of cables and electronics and the available space is limited, the small size of the Optomax devices (which can support the M10 package and is only 22.7mm long) makes them ideal for this type of application. In addition to allowing an operating temperature range of -25°C to 80°C, these powerful components can also cope with severe fluctuations in environmental conditions and maintain long-term operation. Coupled with an IR-based working mechanism, they can provide higher sensitivity. This means that there is no delay in the response of the level switch, and valuable instruments will not be threatened by leakage.

"The impact of a leak on network equipment can be significant, and the resulting downtime can damage the reputation of the telco and disappoint users," explains Paddy Shannon, technical director at SST Sensing." "Our Optomax devices are becoming more and more popular in this situation. With a low investment in zui, the continued functional integrity of the vital telecommunications hardware can be guaranteed."

After zui, let's look at a lower-cost liquid level switch provided by SST in the UK, modelLLC200A3SH。

The main features of this model:

(1) fast response speed;

(2)10mA drive current, phototransistor switch output;

(3) Working temperature:-20~85 degrees, M12 thread;

(4) The lead is 250mm 24AWG,8mm tin plated.

Original SST production of liquid level switch typical applications:

Hot spring pool, leakage detection, automatic vending beverage machine, food and beverage machine, medical, compressor, printer, water pump, household appliances, oil level monitoring, HVAC, machine tools, high and low level switch, water level control and automotive electronics, etc.