Which device documents industrial and commercial process data as analog output?

• A. Recorders
• B. Controllers
• C. Sensors
• D. Actuators

Answer: (A)

Documenting industrial process data as an analog output means capturing measurements over time and presenting them as a continuous analog signal for recording or display. A recorder is designed for this purpose: it logs measurements from sensors and outputs an analog signal or prints a chart that shows how the process variable changes, preserving the history of the data.

Sensors provide the raw measurement signals but don’t inherently document or archive long-term data. Controllers convert sensor inputs into calculated control actions to regulate a process, and their outputs (which can be analog) are used to drive actuators, not primarily to document data. Actuators perform physical actions in response to control signals and don’t document process measurements.

So, the device that documents industrial process data as analog output is the recorder.