Pacific Sensor Tech supplies fixed-mount wind sensors for permanent outdoor installation – cup anemometers for wind speed, wind vanes for wind direction, and combined and ultrasonic units that measure both. Every sensor is designed to be pole or flange mounted and wired directly into a PLC, SCADA system, RTU or data logger, with a choice of 4-20mA, 0-5V, RS485 Modbus or pulse output.
These are industrial instruments rather than portable meters. If you need a hand-held device to spot-check wind speed or air velocity in the field, see our handheld anemometers and Kestrel wind meters instead.
Pacific Sensor Tech supplies fixed-mount wind sensors for permanent outdoor installation – cup...
Wind speed sensor for use with the RFPulse2000A o…
A cup anemometer uses three rotating cups on a vertical shaft to measure wind speed. It is the long-established standard for permanent outdoor installations: mechanically simple, inexpensive, and accurate across a wide range. The trade-off is moving parts, which wear and need occasional replacement.
An ultrasonic anemometer has no moving parts at all. It measures wind speed and direction from the transit time of high-frequency sound pulses between fixed transducers, so there is nothing to wear out, no starting threshold, and one unit reports both speed and direction. Ultrasonic sensors cost more up front and suit sites where maintenance access is difficult or icing is a concern.
4-20mA is the default choice for industrial installations and long cable runs. The current loop is immune to voltage drop and electrical noise, and a reading of 0 mA is unambiguously a fault rather than a valid zero.
0-5V suits short runs into an analogue input where a voltage signal is simpler to wire. Note this is 0-5V, not 0-10V – check your input range before ordering.
RS485 Modbus lets several sensors share one twisted pair and report digitally, which is the practical option for a multi-point wind monitoring system.
Pulse output produces a frequency proportional to wind speed and is designed for counter inputs on data loggers, including the MadgeTech RFPulse2000A and Pulse101A.
Wind speed alone is enough for threshold alarms – crane and lifting shutdowns, awning retraction, spray drift cut-offs and site safety limits.
Wind direction alone is rarely specified on its own; it is normally paired with speed for dispersion modelling, odour and dust tracking, or agricultural spraying.
Combined sensors put both measurements in a single housing on a single mast fitting. For most weather-monitoring and environmental-compliance installations a combined unit is cheaper and faster to install than two separate sensors.
The sensors on this page are permanently installed and produce a continuous signal for another system to read, log or act on. They have no display and no battery.
If you need to walk up to a duct, vent or open site and take a reading on the spot, you want a handheld instrument instead – see our anemometers and Kestrel wind meters, which includes vane, hot-wire and heat-stress models.
A cup anemometer measures wind speed using three hemispherical cups mounted on a vertical shaft.
Wind pushes the cups around, and the rotation rate is directly proportional to wind speed. A sensor in the
body converts that rotation into a 4-20mA, 0-5V, RS485 or pulse signal. Because the cups respond to
wind from any direction, no alignment is needed at installation.
A cup anemometer has rotating parts and measures wind speed only, so it needs a separate wind vane
for direction. An ultrasonic anemometer has no moving parts and measures both speed and direction in
one unit, using the transit time of sound pulses. Cup sensors cost less; ultrasonic sensors need less
maintenance and have no starting threshold.
Choose 4-20mA for long cable runs and noisy industrial environments. Choose 0-5V for short runs into an
analogue input, checking first that your input accepts 0-5V rather than 0-10V. Choose RS485 Modbus
when several sensors share one cable or you need digital values. Choose pulse when connecting to a
counter input on a data logger such as the MadgeTech RFPulse2000A or Pulse101A.
Yes. Every sensor in this range is designed to wire directly into a PLC, SCADA system, RTU or data
logger. The 4-20mA and 0-5V models connect to standard analogue inputs, RS485 Modbus models to a
serial port or gateway, and pulse models to a counter input.
The sensors on this page are fixed-mount instruments with no display, intended for permanent installation
and continuous monitoring by another system. A handheld anemometer is a portable battery-powered
meter with its own screen, used for spot checks. Pacific Sensor Tech stocks both.
