Altronic, Inc. has released the Detonation Sensing Monitors (DET-1600 and DET-1620), 24 Vdc-powered, 32-bit microprocessor-based electronic instruments designed for use on natural gas-fueled engines to detect detonation and misfire and avoid consequential engine damage. Industry-standard, low-cost, piezoelectric vibration sensors are mounted directly on the engine and are used to transform the vibrations caused by combustion into electrical signals, which are then evaluated by the DET device. These values - generated for every cylinder on a cycle-by-cycle basis - are then measured against misfire and detonation set points configured by the user for the monitored engine. The monitor accepts up to 16 detonation sensors that are wired to pluggable Phoenix-type connectors; the recommended configuration is one sensor per cylinder.
