JAJSMG0C june 2021 – december 2022 HDC3020 , HDC3021 , HDC3022
PRODUCTION DATA
The HDC302x includes an integrated heating element that can be switched on to prevent or remove any condensation that may develop when the ambient environment approaches its dew point temperature. Additionally, the heater can be used to verify functionally of the integrated temperature sensor.
If the dew point of an application is continuously calculated and tracked, and the application firmware is written such that it can detect a potential condensing situation (or a period of it), a software subroutine can be run, as a precautionary measure, to activate the onboard heater as an attempt to remove the condensate. The device shall continue to measure and track the %RH level after the heater is activated. Once the %RH reading goes to zero % (or near it), the heater can be subsequently turned off to allow the device to cool down. Cooling of the device can take several minutes, but the temperature measurement will continue to run to ensure the device goes back to normal operating condition before restarting the device for normal service.
Note that when the heater activates, the operating temperature of the device shall be limited based on the Recommended Operating Conditions THEATER limits.
It is important to recognize that if using an open cavity sensor the integrated heater evaporates condensate that forms on top of the humidity sensor, but does not remove any dissolved contaminants. Any contaminant residue, if present, may impact the accuracy of the humidity sensor. Refer to HDC3x Silicon User's Guide for more details on condensation removal.