Board Recommendations for new project

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1

Hi,

We have new project where we want to create some wireless weighing scales. We are going to be using a loadcell and then take this sensor information and wirelessly send to a head unit which will display the values from the four scales, and allow the user to perform some functions against the scale data (ie weight distribution left to right etc).

This is going to be a industrial application so needs to be hard wearing etc. I was after some suggestions as to which is the best board / boards to use?

Was thinking something along the lines of a Raspberry Pi PICO and a bluetooth or WIFI module in each scale which is speaking to an RPI self hosting a wifi network / bluetooth host to receive the data and display it.

Was there any suggestions on the best boards to use in the scales, and in the head unit (this will need a display, something like a 7")

Edit: Something like this for the scales? BT and WIFI onboard; FireBeetle ESP32 IOT Microcontroller - RobotShop

Thanks in advance.

2

Hello @devvitltd and welcome to the RobotShop forum!

Nice project!

Was thinking something along the lines of a Raspberry Pi PICO and a bluetooth or WIFI module in each scale which is speaking to an RPI self hosting a wifi network / bluetooth host to receive the data and display it.

A Raspberry Pi Pico is an amazing board, however as you need wireless connection it would be best if you select a board that already has RF/Bluetooth/WiFi capabilities, for example a ESP32, but you can find other great options in the Data Telemetry section of the store. However it might be a bit difficult to find a display that size that works with the ESP, maybe something like this:

But if you want a color display or a touchscreen you might have to switch to a Raspberry Pi, or check if something like this could work:

Regarding the load cells the choice will depend on the requirements for your project but you can find different options here. And for the amplifier here are some options:

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/load-cell-amplifier-hx711-breakout-hookup-guide

Or you might be interested in a kit like this:

I hope that helps!

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3

Hi,

Thanks for all the help!

We are going to be using 800KG load cells, these are supposedly coming pre-calibrated. In terms of the Amplifiers you specified above, do you know if they will be accurate on a 800kg load cell, and how those amplifiers calibrated for 0, I couldn’t see a way on the HX711 board?

4

In terms of the Amplifiers you specified above, do you know if they will be accurate on a 800kg load cell

That will depend on the ADC you are using, if you need high resolution it would be great if you use a precision ADC shield/HAT. For example, if you use a Raspberry Pi, you could use:

If you need more information about this topic I recommend reading the * Strain Gauge / Load Cell Shield Documentation to get a better idea of how it all works

how those amplifiers calibrated for 0, I couldn’t see a way on the HX711 board?

Here’s an example of how you can calibrate the scale with the HX711 board

5

In terms of the Amplifiers you specified above, do you know if they will be accurate on a 800kg load cell

That will depend on the ADC you are using, if you need high resolution it would be great if you use a precision ADC shield/HAT. For example, if you use a Raspberry Pi, you could use:

If you need more information about this topic I recommend reading the * Strain Gauge / Load Cell Shield Documentation to get a better idea of how it all works

how those amplifiers calibrated for 0, I couldn’t see a way on the HX711 board?

Here’s an example of how you can calibrate the scale with the HX711 board