Getting Started with Load Cells

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Contributors: Sarah Al-Mutlaq
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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.

SparkFun bar load cell

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

Learn about Ohm's Law, one of the most fundamental equations in all electrical engineering.

Voltage Dividers

Turn a large voltage into a smaller one with voltage dividers. This tutorial covers: what a voltage divider circuit looks like and how it is used in the real world.

Resistors

A tutorial on all things resistors. What is a resistor, how do they behave in parallel/series, decoding the resistor color codes, and resistor applications.

Series and Parallel Circuits

An introduction into series and parallel circuits.

How to Read a Schematic

An overview of component circuit symbols, and tips and tricks for better schematic reading. Click here, and become schematic-literate today!