Q. What is the difference between a platinum wire wound RTD and a thin film RTD?
A. The main difference is the construction. Wire wound is platinum wire wrapped around a ceramic bobbin to achieve the resistance of the sensor (100ohm or 1000ohm). Thin film is a small film of platinum on a ceramic substrate like a PC board. Both have equal performance when used with today's transmitters. Another difference is in cost. Wire wound sensors use a lot of expensive platinum wire, whereas thin film uses a minute amount of the precious metal.