Transducers can be classified in several ways:
- Active transducers generate their own power to produce an output signal proportional to the input, like piezoelectric transducers, while passive transducers require an external power source.
- Primary transducers convert a physical input directly into motion, then secondary transducers convert that motion into an electrical signal.
- Transducers can also be categorized by their transduction principle, such as capacitive, electromagnetic, inductive, piezoelectric, photovoltaic, and photoconductive.
- Analog transducers produce a continuous output signal, versus digital transducers which produce a pulse-based 0s and 1s