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Force sensor

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Admin:

--- Quote ---Force is probably going to be around 200N max
Accuracy - not much needed.
Budget - around $200
--- End quote ---
Oh thats easy then! Call up a few companies and ask what their cheapest item is that can handle those specs.

How do you plan to measure the sensor value?

I had to develop an amp circuit and ran that to a microcontroller ADC. My microcontroller then uploaded data by serial to hyperterminal to process in excel. You can also use LABview.

potentially useful for you:
http://www.societyofrobots.com/programming_data_logging.shtml
http://www.societyofrobots.com/sensors_interpret.shtml

hazzer123:
Yeah thats what i'm planning to do - the ADC on the MCU.

But there are different types of force sensor, which would you recommend? Like are the peizoelectric ones good? or will it be strain gauge based?

Also, any good (preferably UK based) companies?

Thanks

Admin:
I just remembered that the other force sensor I used is from Cooper Instruments.


--- Quote ---But there are different types of force sensor, which would you recommend?
--- End quote ---
Your application is ultra simple, so Id just go with 'your cheapest load cell.' They will ask what your application is and choose for you, anyways.

hazzer123:
I just rang a company called Omega and they pointed me to their cheapest load cell - http://www.omega.co.uk/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=LCM302&Nav=pref03

This is nearly $400. Cooper instruments doesnt seem much cheaper... Any ideas for more sources of load cells?

Also, how would i be able to use this with a microcontroller? Are the voltage outputs large enough? Will an op-amp circuit raise the voltage enough?  The rating on the site is 2mV/V. What does this unit mean?

Soeren:
Hi,


--- Quote from: hazzer123 on July 12, 2007, 06:41:11 AM ---[...] Its goal is to measure how far[...]
--- End quote ---
So, now you want to measure distance ??   ;)

If you could make a loose drawing or two of what you are planning, I think something much easier might pop up.

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