Getting Started with Load Cells
Introduction
Have you ever wanted to know the weight of something? How about
knowing the change in weight over time? Do you want your project to sense
the presence of something by measuring strain or a load on some surface.
If so, you’re in the right place. This tutorial is here to help you get started in
the world of load cells and their variants.
One of many kinds of load cells.
Suggested readings:
Before jumping into load cells and all of their awesomeness, we suggest
you familiarize yourself with some basic concepts if you haven’t already:
• Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm’s Law
• Series and Parallel Circuits
• Resistors
• Voltage Dividers
• How to Read a Schematic
Load Cell Basics
Types of Load Cells
A load cell is a physical element (or transducer if you want to be technical)
that can translate pressure (force) into an electrical signal.
So what does that mean? There are three main ways a load cell can
translate an applied force into a measurable reading.
Hydraulic Load Cells
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