Industrial Sensors output 20 volt to digital 5 volt, how?

[twintriode]

Hi All -

This is my first post on this forum.

I have a surplus of SICK WT150-p162 proximity sensors / switches for use on automation / process control type industrial stuff. Hooked one up to an old laptop power supply at 20 volts and tested the output, getting 20 volts on detection and 0 volts normal. I want to use these sensors on a digital port of a picobotics servio board. Thing is up until now I have only had sensors etc that output 5v high, and I assume it is not healthy to put the digital port high with 20 volts, so the question is, can I use the SICK sensors, using the output voltage from the switch to turn the digital input on the servio high? If so how do I get that 20 volts down to 5 volt? I have thought about a voltage divider or a voltage regulator. Given that it is low current stuff would a 5v voltage regulator do the trick, and if I have 8 of them do I need to regulate each one or can I run all sensors from one regulator?

Thanks

[airman00]

use a relay , thats the easiest

[izua]

You said the sensor outputs 20v at 20v supply. Have you tried supplying the sesnor with +5V and see its output?

[twintriode]

The sensors operational voltage range is 10-30V so I didn't try direct 5 volt powering the sensor.

I did however find a few 24v contactors in the shed and it works very nicely, even if they are a little large. Thanks airman00!