Description
The SparkFun Load Sensor Combinator is a bare PCB that combines four load sensors into a standard four-wire Wheatstone bridge configuration. If you open up an electronic bathroom scale, you’ll find a large rat’s nest of wires. The Load Sensor Combinator was created to combine the 12 wires found in a bathroom scale into the standard four-wire Wheatstone bridge configuration.
In addition to Load Sensors, a Load Cell Amplifier will also be required to generate a useable reading for your microcontroller or single board computer.
If your amplifier and supporting electronics are more than a few inches away from the scale, an RJ45 footprint is provided. The four Wheatstone pins (E+/E-/S+/S-) as well as the shield pin are connected to twisted pairs within a standard cheap Ethernet cable. This allows the amplifier board to be placed many feet away from the scale itself.
The combinator board also includes a footprint for the DS18B20 one-wire temperature sensor. This allows the user to gather the temperature of the scale in case there is a large variance between the scale and the amplifier. These three pins are accessed through the RJ45 connection as well, allowing remote temperature readings to be gathered over one twisted pair Ethernet cable.
Features
- Combines four load sensors into a standard four-wire Wheatstone bridge configuration
- Includes a footprint for the DS18B20 one-wire temperature sensor
Resources
Tutorials:
Load Cell Hookup Guide: https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/load-cell-amplifier-hx711-breakout-hookup-guide