Finding a sensitive weight/force sensor

[Mezentine]

Hey all, new to this forum and looking for help finding something. I'm trying to locate a weight or force sensor that is sensitive enough to operate in the 0-10 gram range.
Looking around at all the usual outlets for sensors and components I'm able to find a lot of stuff in the 100g to 1kg and even 1kg to 25kg range, but nothing as sensitive as what I require, and I'm not even sure what search terminology would actually turn up results, so I thought I would just ask other people if they knew of anything.

If anyone could point me in a useful direction I'd be super grateful

 

[jpanhalt]

Look for "load cell." Here a pdf that describes some of the terms. Sensitivity may be given in mV/V, which has raised questions on forums in the past.

http://www.aandd.jp/products/weighing/loadcell/introduction/pdf/6-1.pdf

John

 

[Mezentine]

Yeah the problem I'm running into is finding one designed to operate in the 0-5 gram range, everything seems to have a lower bound of like 100g, for both load cells and more generic "force sensors"

 

[jpanhalt]

You might find it difficult to find a device with that exact full-scale range. Searched Google for "very sensitive load cell," and this was the second hit: http://www.smdsensors.com/Products/redirector.asp?documentID=32&whereFrom=Product_View

It's 10g full scale, You have not said what precision you need. If you want sub-milligram precision and accuracy, it may be costly.

John

 

[Mezentine]

Thanks, I'll look into that. It doesn't have to cut off at exactly 5 grams or anything, it just needs to be able to provide tenths place accuracy in that range, for a kitchen gadget I'm cobbling together

 

[jpanhalt]

100 mg is no problem. I got a Scout from Ohaus several years ago. It gives 10 mg precision up to 200 g FS. Here is a more modern version: http://www.ebay.com/itm/OHAUS-SP202...200g-capacity-0-01g-readability-/271417632594

That might be the cheapest way to get a load cell int he range you need.

If you are in the US, buying a sensitive scale can present a few hurdles related to our "war on drugs." eBay may be a different story.

John

 

[Jibby]

Use strain gauge with a microcontroller circuit or visit www.edgefxkits.com for model number 185

 

[KJ6EAD]

These can measure your pulse while you're standing on them.

http://www.pasco.com/products/probeware/sensors/pasport/index.cfm