Pressure Transmitter Range & Scaling Calculator

The Pressure Transmitter Range & Scaling Calculator helps you quickly convert between:

• Transmitter range (LRV/URV in bar, kPa, psi, etc.)

• Analog signal (4–20 mA or 0–10 V)

• PLC/DCS raw counts (e.g., 0–4095, 0–16383, 0–32767)

This tool is ideal for instrumentation engineers, technicians, and PLC programmers who need to configure analog input scaling correctly, avoid range mismatches, and verify transmitter calibration.

Introduction

1. Enter the Lower Range Value (LRV) of the pressure transmitter in engineering units (e.g., 0 bar, 1 bar, 0 psi, etc.).

2. Enter the Upper Range Value (URV) in engineering units (e.g., 10 bar, 25 bar, 100 psi, etc.).

3. Select the Signal Type: 4–20 mA or 0–10 V.

4. Enter the PLC/DCS Raw Min and Max counts (e.g., 0 and 16383, or 0 and 4095, etc.).

5. Optionally, enter the Live Signal Value (current mA or V reading) to see the live engineering value and PLC raw count.

6. Click “Calculate Scaling & Live Value”.

7. The result box will show span, scaling formulas (Raw → EU and EU → Raw), and optionally live engineering value and percent of span.

🧭 How to Use

1. Example setup:

   • LRV = 0 bar

   • URV = 10 bar

   • Signal Type = 4–20 mA

   • PLC/DCS Raw Min = 0

   • PLC/DCS Raw Max = 16383

   • Live Signal Value = 12.0 mA

   Manual check:

   • Span (engineering): 10 − 0 = 10 bar

   • Raw span: 16383 − 0 = 16383 counts

   • Signal span: 20 − 4 = 16 mA

   • Live percent of span: (12 − 4) / 16 = 8 / 16 = 0.5 = 50 %

   • Live EU: 0 + 0.5 × 10 = 5 bar

   • Equivalent PLC raw: 0 + 0.5 × 16383 ≈ 8191.5 ≈ 8192 counts

   In the tool you should see:

   • Span (Engineering Units): 10.000

   • Raw Span (Counts): 16383

   • Scaling Formula (Raw → EU):
     EU = 0.000 + ((Raw − 0) / 16383) × 10.000

   • Live Engineering Value (from 12.00 mA): 5.000

   • Equivalent PLC/DCS Raw Count: 8192

   • Percent of Span: 50.0 %

Example

If this Pressure Transmitter Range & Scaling Calculator helped you, explore more of our useful instrumentation tools:

• Loop Power & Voltage Drop Calculator

• 4–20 mA to Engineering Units Converter

• Control Valve Sizing Estimator

• PID Tuning Calculator

• RTD & Thermocouple Simulator

• Pressure/Flow/Level Converter

• Signal Splitter or Isolator Load Calculator

⭐ Next Steps

👉 Check out our practical ebooks and online courses designed for technicians, maintenance engineers, and students.

Looking for recommended hardware like signal isolators, splitters, loop indicators, and transmitters?

👉 Explore top-rated products on Amazon (Click here).

Stay tuned for more tools to make your instrumentation work faster, easier, and error-free!

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FAQ

Q1. What is LRV and URV in a pressure transmitter?

LRV (Lower Range Value) is the engineering value at the minimum signal (4 mA or 0 V). URV (Upper Range Value) is the engineering value at the maximum signal (20 mA or 10 V).

Q2. Why do I need PLC scaling values?

PLC/DCS analog input cards read raw counts (e.g., 0–16383). Scaling converts these counts into real engineering values like bar, psi, kPa, etc., for control logic and display.

Q3. Can I use this tool for level and flow transmitters?

As long as the transmitter uses a linear 4–20 mA or 0–10 V signal, this scaling method works for pressure, level, flow, temperature, and other linear ranges.

Q4. What if my PLC card has a different raw range?

Just enter your actual raw min and max (e.g., 3200–27648) from the module datasheet. The calculator will adjust the formula automatically.