PCB Piezotronics announces the launch of their new Probe Microphone for aerospace engineers who need to measure sound pressure in high temperature or small confined areas. The Probe Microphone (Model 377B26) is comprised of four components: microphone, preamplifier, housing and several probe tips of different lengths. The system has a maximum operating temperature of 800C, orders of magnitude greater than traditional test & measurement microphones. This new design now allows for sound pressure and resonance frequencies to be quantified for exhaust noise and engine analysis, via a non-contact sensor, on the aircraft.

The probe tip diameter is extremely small measuring 0.050" (1.3mm) which allows test engineers to make measurements in small confined difficult to access areas where they could not before, due to the size of traditional microphones. The small size of the probe tip also allows near field measurements with minimal disturbance of the sound field. This enables more accurate test results. "We are very excited about the new probe microphone. The combination of the elevated temperature range and small form factor of the probe tip, allows this unique microphone design to be used in a plethora of applications where traditional microphones would not be applicable" states Mark Valentino, Product Marketing manager for the acoustics division at PCB®.

Total system cost is reduced with the prepolarized design powered by ICP® or any 2-20 mA constant current supply. This allows engineers to use existing 2-20mA low-cost power supplies and coaxial cables which are less costly than 200V power supplies required for externally polarized microphones. An additional benefit is interchangeability with existing ICP® accelerometers, force and pressure sensor set-ups.