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Difference between Indicating and Recording Instruments
A device that is used for indicating and measuring various electrical quantities like current, voltage, energy, power, etc. is called a measuring instrument.
Based on the functionality, the instruments can be classified in several types like indicating instruments, integrating instruments, recording instruments, etc.
In this article, we will highlight all the differences between indicating instruments and recording instruments. Let's start with a basic overview of these two types of instruments.
What is an Indicating Instrument?
The measuring instruments which indicate the magnitude of the electrical quantity at the time when the quantity is being measured are known as indicating instruments.
A typical indicating instrument consists of a pointer which moves on a calibrated scale to show the reading of the measured quantity. The examples of indicating instruments include ammeters, voltmeters, power factor meters, etc.
Therefore, the primary function of an indicating instrument is the supplying of information about the magnitude of the variable quantity under measurement.
What is a Recording Instrument?
A type of electrical measuring instrument which measures and records the continuous changes of the value of an electrical quantity for a particular period of time is called a recording instrument.
Recording instruments are used in such situations where measurements are used for future reference or computational work. The common examples recording instruments are energy meters, thermoscope, ECG machine, etc. The recording instrument records the measured value on graph paper or in a digital recording system.
Difference between Indicating and Recording Instruments
The following table highlights the major differences between an indicating instrument and a recording instrument −
| Basis of Difference | Indicating Instruments | Recording Instruments |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A measuring instrument that indicates the value of electrical quantity being measured is called an instrument. | A measuring instrument which record the value of quantity being measured on a graph paper is called recording instrument. |
| Measuring mechanism | Indicating instruments measure the electrical quantity with the help of a pointer and calibrated scale. | Recording instruments use an ink pen continuously rotated on the drum to record the readings on a graph paper. |
| Need of observer | Indicating instruments require an observer to monitor the changes in the quantity under measurement. | Recording instruments record the reading on a graph paper, hence no need of observer. |
| Power consumption | Indicating instruments consume less power. | Recording instruments consume comparatively more power. |
| Need of zero adjustment | Indicating instruments require zero adjustment. | Recording instruments do not require zero adjustment. |
| Parallax error | In case of indicating instruments, there may be parallax error. | Recording instruments are free from parallax error. |
| Shows waveform | Indicating instruments cannot show a waveform of the measured quantity. | Recording instruments can show the waveform of the measured quantity. |
| Losses | Indicating instruments offer less losses. | The losses in the recording instruments are more. |
| Construction | Indicating instruments have simple construction. | The construction of recording instruments is relatively complex. |
| Damping | Indicating instruments use normal damping. | Recording instruments require extra damping. |
| Size and weight | Indicating instruments are smaller in size and light in weight. | Recording instruments are comparatively larger and heavy. |
| Extraexpenditure | There is no extra expenditure in the indicating instruments. | Recording instruments need extra expenditure on pen ink and graph paper. |
| Moving system | Indicating instruments use light weight moving system. | The moving system of recording instruments is heavy due to extra components like pen, paper drum, etc. |
| Operating torque required | Indicating instruments require less operating torque. | The operating torque required is greater in case of recording instruments. |
| Effect atmospheric conditions | Indicating instruments gets affected by the atmospheric conditions easily. | Recording instruments do not affected by the atmospheric conditions easily. |
| Examples | Voltmeter, ammeter, galvanometer, wattmeter, etc. are the examples of indicating instruments. | The energy meter, ECG machine,thermoscope, graphical temperature meter, etc. are the examples of recording instruments. |
| Cost | Indicating instruments are less expensive. | Recording instruments are comparatively more expensive. |
Conclusion
An indicating instrument shows the readings when the quantity being measured, hence there is no record for future reference. A recording instrument, on the other hand, records the measured values on a paper for a particular period that can be used for future reference.
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