I have done a similar project but I had to design the whole sensor thing by myself. I designed a toroid with proper parameters and using a 16f84a I could print the current in the wire to lcd. My investigations have revealed that the > B-field ( magnetic field ) around a wire is > approximately B =3D ( N I =B5 )/L . > N =3D number of turns which in this case is one. > I =3D current which for my purposes is a > minimum of one amp. > =B5 =3D permeability which is ~ [10 > minus 6] for copper or aluminium. > I am guessing that L is .005 for a > wire one cm in diameter. > almost complete except that you need to calculate the phase difference caused from the impedance mismatch of your materials. This was also a parameter at my project but if you use a fabricated sensor this may vary. > > Using those values I get a B field of > [2 x ten minus 4 ] Tesla or 2 Gauss. > > If I did the calculations correctly, it seems > that an Allegro A1323 linear hall effect sensor > ( HES ) (1) should work. This part has an output of > 2.5 mv / G. I am planning to measure a range > of 1 amp to 200 amps. Should I make the > HES part of a magnetic ring around the > wire ? The ring would consist of two "C" sections > married to each other sandwiching the HES. > Would steel be a suitable material > given I am measuring DC to 120 Hz ? Does the > steel have to be laminated ? Or would a ferrite > ring be necessary ? you can't measure DC since it will not induce a magnetic field. Also notice that you need to have very precise equipment in order to get accurate results at VLF. > After single point calibration , I would like to > see an accuracy of .1% . > totaly achievable, excluding EMI of course. I can send you complete report of my project, drop me an email. -- = http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist