ECHOTEL Model 910 switches utilize ultrasonic energy to detect the presence or absence of liquid in a single point, tip-sensitive transducer. Ultrasonic contact level technology uses high frequency sound waves that are easily transmitted across a transducer gap in the presence of a liquid media, but are attenuated when the gap is dry.

Model 910 switches use an ultrasonic frequency of 3 MHz to perform this liquid level measurement in a wide variety of process media and application conditions.

The transducer uses a pair of piezoelectric crystals that are encapsulated in epoxy at the tip of the transducer. The crystals are made of a ceramic material that vibrates at a given frequency when subjected to an applied voltage. The transmit crystal converts the applied voltage from the electronics into an ultrasonic signal. When liquid is present in the gap, the receive crystal senses the ultrasonic signal from the transmit crystal and converts it back to an electrical signal. This signal is sent to the electronics to indicate the presence of liquid in the transducer gap. When there is no liquid present, the ultrasonic signal is attenuated and is not detected by the receive crystal.