A capacitive load cell works on the principle of change of capacitance in response to applied forces. When a force is applied, it changes the gap between two capacitive plates. This change is transduced into a change in frequency of the output signal. Instead of minute changes in voltage, one can get change in frequency and conver this into a measure of force.

A resisitive load cell is built using strain gauges arranged in a wheatstone bridge network. A strain gauge is basically a resistive element that is piezo resistive i.e. it changes resistance in response to changes in strain (change in length over original length). Applied forces lead to induced stresses that lead to displacement and strain. The change in strain leads to a change in resistance. So with an applied inout voltage one can measure tiny changes in voltage and use this to infer the applied force.

A resistive load cell offers excellent accuarcy and temperature compensation but are analog output devices with a millivolt output change in response to applied loads. They need external interfaces to get USB, UART or other digital outputs. Capacitive load cells like the iLoad, iLoad TR and iLoad Pro are integrated digital force sensors. They offer rugged single body solution for moderate accuracy controlled room temperature applications.

The iLoad, iLoad TR and iLoad Pro do not need external signal conditioners. The iLoad Mini and Mini pro would need a DQ-1000U or DQ-4000U or DS-4000U to outout via USB and display, log and plot data on a PC/Mac/Linux. Or simply connect to our touch screen LCD display to show values on a simple physical display like our DS-3000-Pro-1 single channel display or the DS-3000-Pro-4 four channel display.

We offer free LoadVUE Lite software to display force/weight on a Windows 8/10 PC/Tablet. The LoadVUE Pro software allows you to display, log & plot force/weight data, recalibrate sensors and get remote support. SensorVUE extends support to an unlimited number of sensors as well as all types of sensors we offer. ControlVUE software extends the functionality offered by SensorVUE and adds the ability to control external devices based on sensor values through a USB Relay with one to eight channel. Our sensors and interfaces allow you to write your own code as well! We also offer customization and custom softrware development services to meet your specific needs!

Yes. We offer calibration service on new sensor purchases as well as recalibration service for previously purchased sensors. We use NIST traceable reference standards to perform and validate the calibration and provide a free calibration certificate as part of the service. We are NOT ISO certified.

You can register on our website, login and see all prices, download spec sheets and solid models. You can also send us an email with your contact information and shipping address and we will be happy to send you a formal quote.

We give you a 30 day guiarantee for you purchase. You can exchange or return your purchased products for a refund of the purchase price of the product. Any calibration service fees, shipping and payment fees cannot be refunded. Feel free to try out our products risk free and see for yourself how easy we make it for you!

We need between one and two weeks usually to ship your order for items in stock. This is because we have to make your sensor, interface and calibrate them together, make sure the quality meets all specs and then pack and ship it to you. We offer expedited processing options if you are in a rush and need to get sensors sooner. If out of stock or if sensors are needed in volume, we could take 4-6 weeks or longer. Please contact us to get an estimate of price and lead time for your particular needs.

We believe teaching young kids and encouraging R&D is crucial to make this world a better place. We support teaching and research activities in educational institutions with a 10% education discount on purchased products in exchange for sharing write ups, pictures, video clips and other material we can use in our marketing materials on and off line.