[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":247},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-en-/en/blog/4-20ma-or-0-10v-comparison-of-transmitter-output-signals":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"description":232,"extension":233,"meta":234,"navigation":242,"path":243,"seo":244,"stem":245,"__hash__":246},"en_blog/en/blog/4-20ma-or-0-10v-comparison-of-transmitter-output-signals.md","4-20mA or 0-10V? Comparison of Transmitter Output Signals",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":216},"minimark",[9,14,18,22,25,30,53,57,60,63,83,87,95,99,166,170,173,194,198,209],[10,11,13],"h2",{"id":12},"introduction","Introduction",[15,16,17],"p",{},"In the analog world, communication between transmitters and PLCs takes place basically in two languages: Current (4-20mA) or Voltage (0-10V/0-5V). Both signal types have their own strengths and weak points. So, which one should you choose for your project? In this article, we compare the 4-20mA and 0-10V worlds technically.",[10,19,21],{"id":20},"_4-20ma-the-industry-standard","4-20mA: The Industry Standard",[15,23,24],{},"The 4-20mA current loop is the most preferred signal type in industrial environments.",[26,27,29],"h3",{"id":28},"advantages","Advantages:",[31,32,33,41,47],"ul",{},[34,35,36,40],"li",{},[37,38,39],"strong",{},"Noise Immunity",": The current signal is affected by electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the environment much less than the voltage signal.",[34,42,43,46],{},[37,44,45],{},"Cable Break Detection",": Since the signal base is 4mA, when the value drops to 0mA, the system immediately understands that the cable is broken.",[34,48,49,52],{},[37,50,51],{},"Distance",": Losses caused by line resistance in long cable distances do not change the current, which preserves the accuracy of the data.",[10,54,56],{"id":55},"_0-10v-simple-and-economical","0-10V: Simple and Economical",[15,58,59],{},"Voltage signals are generally preferred in shorter distance and less noisy environments.",[26,61,29],{"id":62},"advantages-1",[31,64,65,71,77],{},[34,66,67,70],{},[37,68,69],{},"Easy Measurement",": It is very easy to check the signal with a multimeter.",[34,72,73,76],{},[37,74,75],{},"Low Power Consumption",": It consumes less energy than a current loop.",[34,78,79,82],{},[37,80,81],{},"Compatibility",": Many hobby electronics and simple automation devices have a direct 0-10V input.",[26,84,86],{"id":85},"disadvantages","Disadvantages:",[31,88,89,92],{},[34,90,91],{},"Data is transmitted incorrectly on long cables due to voltage drop.",[34,93,94],{},"0V can mean both \"zero value\" and \"cable broken,\" which makes diagnostic difficult.",[10,96,98],{"id":97},"comparison-table","Comparison Table",[100,101,102,119],"table",{},[103,104,105],"thead",{},[106,107,108,113,116],"tr",{},[109,110,112],"th",{"align":111},"left","Feature",[109,114,115],{"align":111},"4-20 mA",[109,117,118],{"align":111},"0-10 V",[120,121,122,134,145,156],"tbody",{},[106,123,124,128,131],{},[125,126,127],"td",{"align":111},"Noise Resistance",[125,129,130],{"align":111},"Very High",[125,132,133],{"align":111},"Low",[106,135,136,139,142],{},[125,137,138],{"align":111},"Transmission Distance",[125,140,141],{"align":111},"Long (>1000m)",[125,143,144],{"align":111},"Short (\u003C10m)",[106,146,147,150,153],{},[125,148,149],{"align":111},"Diagnostics",[125,151,152],{"align":111},"Cable break recognized",[125,154,155],{"align":111},"Not recognized",[106,157,158,161,164],{},[125,159,160],{"align":111},"Cost",[125,162,163],{"align":111},"Medium",[125,165,133],{"align":111},[10,167,169],{"id":168},"master-both-worlds-with-amazeng","Master Both Worlds with Amazeng",[15,171,172],{},"Whatever your application, Amazeng solutions support both signal types:",[31,174,175,185],{},[34,176,177,184],{},[37,178,179],{},[180,181,183],"a",{"href":182},"/en/products/gdt-digital-transmitter","GDT Digital Transmitter",": Accepts both 4-20mA and 0-10V inputs as factory default and combines the best features of both worlds by converting them to digital Modbus data.",[34,186,187,193],{},[37,188,189],{},[180,190,192],{"href":191},"/en/products/zma-data-acquisition","ZMA Data Acquisition",": With its multi-channel structure, it can read 4-20mA from one channel and 0-10V from the other, collecting all data on a single screen.",[10,195,197],{"id":196},"conclusion","Conclusion",[15,199,200,201,204,205,208],{},"The rule is simple: If the distance is long and there are noise sources such as motor drives in the environment, ",[37,202,203],{},"4-20mA","; if the distance is very short and the budget is limited, ",[37,206,207],{},"0-10V"," can be preferred. However, if you want to completely secure your data, converting these analog signals to digital with a transmitter is the most guaranteed way.",[15,210,211,215],{},[180,212,214],{"href":213},"/en/contact","Consult our technical team"," for technical questions and our signal conversion solutions.",{"title":217,"searchDepth":218,"depth":218,"links":219},"",2,[220,221,225,229,230,231],{"id":12,"depth":218,"text":13},{"id":20,"depth":218,"text":21,"children":222},[223],{"id":28,"depth":224,"text":29},3,{"id":55,"depth":218,"text":56,"children":226},[227,228],{"id":62,"depth":224,"text":29},{"id":85,"depth":224,"text":86},{"id":97,"depth":218,"text":98},{"id":168,"depth":218,"text":169},{"id":196,"depth":218,"text":197},"Differences, advantages, and correct selection criteria between 4-20mA and 0-10V, the most commonly used analog output signals in industrial transmitters.","md",{"date":235,"author":236,"readTime":237,"tags":238},"2025-12-12","Amazeng Technical Team",6,[203,207,239,240,241],"Analog Signal","Transmitter Output","Industrial Automation",true,"/en/blog/4-20ma-or-0-10v-comparison-of-transmitter-output-signals",{"title":5,"description":232},"en/blog/4-20ma-or-0-10v-comparison-of-transmitter-output-signals","GZ-Jm1QLRBFxPs_2ymKbWjxzhpRGuNhL32G2TbuJihU",1778229658849]