Selection Guide

KMC Controls, 19476 Industrial Drive, New Paris, IN 46553 / 877-444-5622 / Fax: [phone] / www.kmccontrols.com
Sensor and Thermostat
Selection Guide
Contents
KMC Sensors and Thermostats ......................................................1
Thermostats (Integrated Room Temperature Sensor Plus Controller) ... 2
Temperature Sensors (Room) ........................................................3
Temperature Sensors (Other) ........................................................ 3
Humidity Sensors ........................................................................4
CO, CO
2
, and Smoke Sensors .........................................................4
Flow and Pressure Sensors ........................................................... 5
Refrigerant Monitor ..................................................................... 5
Miscellaneous ............................................................................5
Digital/Electronic Handling Precautions ..........................................6
Important Notices .......................................................................6
Support .....................................................................................6
KMC Sensors and Thermostats
KMC Controls manufactures a variety of pneumatic, analog electronic,
and digital sensors and thermostats. Some sense only one variable (e.g.,
temperature), while others sense multiple variables (e.g., humidity and CO
2
).
“Sensors” are used in diverse HVAC and Building Automation System (BAS)
applications and are closely related to several other types of devices:
• Sensors measure a physical characteristic of an environment and provide
a signal corresponding to those properties. Sensors may be stand-alone or
integrated within a control device (e.g., a thermostat).
• Transmitters are also sensors, but take a relatively small (and passive)
sensor signal (e.g., the resistance of a thermistor in response to a
temperature) and convert it into an active voltage (e.g., 0–5 VDC) or active
current (e.g., 4–20 mA). Boosting the signal allows greater distance
between the sensor and the controller.
• Transducers convert one kind of energy into another. The physics may
be different, but they can function as sensors. In building automation,
transducers may convert pressure into voltage or current (or vice versa) or
voltage signals into current signals (or vice versa).
• In HVAC and BAS applications, many sensors, transmitters, and transducers
perform essentially the same function, sensing a physical characteristic
and providing a signal to an external control device. Thermostats, on the
other hand, contain a sensor integrated with a control device. Thermostat
technology ranges from simple bimetallic switches to sophisticated digital
devices.
See also the Sensor and Thermostat Selection Fundamentals white paper. For
details about the various models in this document, see the product data sheets
and other documentation on the KMC Controls web site.