Resistive Sensor Interfaces
Sensors generally are analog devices with an electrical output. Resistive sensors operate on the principle of change of resistance. When a parameter such as force or torque or displacement is applied there is a change in resistance that leads to a change in the output signal. The output is usually a change in voltage (mV/V), or current. When a user wants to connect a sensor to a PC, PLC, Tablet, SmartPhone or an LED/LCD display, a sensor interface device or signal conditioner is needed.
Loadstar Sensors provides a variety of interfaces that can connect to your ressitive load cell or other resistive sensor and offer either Analog outputs (0-5 VDC) to connect to a PLC or Digital Outputs (USART/UART, USB, XBee (802.15.4), WiFi or Bluetooth) to connect to a PC/Tablet/Smart Phone. We even offer devices that can get data from your sensor and transport it to the Cloud for easy access through a web browser anytime, anywhere on any Internet connected device!
If you are Ordering an Interface Only
The Interface needs to be mated and calibrated with the sensor. Once calibrated, these need to be used as a pair. You can not use the interface(s) interchangeably with other sensors.
If you are buying a new sensor with an interface, please add the appropriate Calibration Service for that sensor. For example, if you are buying a load cell then, add Compression, Tension, or Universal (both Compression and Tension) calibration, as needed for your application.
If you already have a sensor that you want to use with the new interface, you will need to send your sensor to us. Add the Calibration Service option to your order. We will calibrate the sensor with the new interface and send the calibrated pair back to you.
In case you would like to calibrate the sensor with the interface yourself, please ensure that you have the reference weights or reference equipment required for calibration and the calibration utility to compute and burn calibration coefficients. Our software LoadVUE Pro (LV-1000), SensorVUE (SV-1000), and ControlVUE (CV-1000) have the calibration utility built-in. Make sure you have the latest version of the software.
Digital and Analog Interface Devices
Interface devices we provide offer clean regulated power, amplify the low level signal and digitize the signal before applying calibrations. Choose from a variety of digital USB, wireless or analog outputs. Single or Multiple Channel. With or without LCD displays. We have the perfect interface device for your needs!
Single Channel Digital Load Cell Interface with UART or USB Output
When your application requires a resistive load cell to be connected to a PC or Tablet via USB, use the DI-100U low cost, moderate accuracy digital load cell interface. The DI-100U comes with a Serial to USB dongle which converts the base UART signal into a USB output. You can connect the load cell to an arduino or other microcontroller via UART without the S2U USB Dongle. We offer the HX-100 adapter to provide easy access to the Tx, Rx pins of UART without chopping off the miniB connector of your output cable.
16-Bit UART/USB Single Channel Load Cell Interface
The DI-100U Digital Load Cell Interface modules provide a simple, convenient method to convert existing milli-volt (mV/V) output load cells into PC friendly USB Load Cells. Or connect the load cells digitally with a micro-controller such as an Arduino. Key highlights of the DI-100U are:
- Works with most 4-wire 0-3 mV/V load cells (wires with E+, E-, S+, S-)
- Offers 16-bit resolution & provides accuracies to +/- 0.1% of full scale
- Appears as a Virtual COM port on a Windows PC
- Each load cell or sensor needs a DI-100 to be connected to it and calibrated together. For multiple sensors, see DI-400 below.
- Native UART output can be accessed from miniB USB connector by removing the S2U Serial to USB dongle that converts signal into USB
- UART Output provides a way to connect to microcontrollers at a low level to build your own embedded applications
- ASCII command set to allow users to get calibrated data into their own software applications
- Works with LoadVUE, SensorVUE or ControlVUE software to display, log or plot data
- The DI-100U offers anout 40 Hz max data output rate; the DI-100UHS offers 250 Hz max data output rate
For higher resolution and accuracy or for faster data rates, take a look at DI-1000U, DI-1000UHS and DI-1000UHS-1K interface devices
24-Bit USB Single Channel Load Cell Interface
- 24-bit resolution & provides accuracies to +/- 0.02% of full scale
- Configurable gain to optimize resolution for full span of signal (-2V to +2V)
- Works with most 4-wire and 6-wire load cells 0-4 mV/V load cells
- Has an external terminal block for easy connectivity with your sensor
- Appears as a Virtual COM port on a Windows PC
- ASCII command set to allow users to write their own software applications
- One load cell or sensor connected to one DI-1000 and calibrated together
- Works with LoadVUE, SensorVUE or ControlVUE software to display, log or plot data
- Optional data update rates up to 500 Hz (DI-1000UHS) or 1 KHz (DI-1000UHS-1K)
DI-1000U-5V and DI-1000UHS-5V and DI-1000UHS-1K-5V supports a 0-5 V DC device like an LVDT or String Pot Displacement sensor.
-2 to +2 V Output Interfaces
DI-1000UHS
The DI-1000UHS offers about 500 Hz max data output rate
+/- 0.02% accuracy of full scale
Single Channel
DI-1000UHS-10K
The DI-1000UHS-10K offers a max 50 KHz max data output rate
+/- 0.1% accuracy of full scale
Single Channel
24-Bit USB Single Channel Interface with 0-5 V Input
Everyone of the above DI-1000U models are available in a "-5V" model that can accept input signals in the 0-5V range like those you get from LVDTs and String Pot displacement sensors. The same convenience and ease of use of getting load cell data on a PC or Tablet can now be obtained for other types of sensors with 0-5V DC output.
Four Channel Load Cell Interfaces
Thie DI-400U USB Load Cell Interface is essentially a four channel version of the DI-100U. It enables a user to quickly connect up to four 4-wire load cells to this interface, digitally calibrate each one to a port and then obtain calibrated force/load/weight values from all four connected load cells via a single USB output.
By using this device, you can save time, money and a lot of headache of using a junction box and performing an analog summation from multiple load cells since each load cell is digitally calibrated and calculated weights/forces are summed digitally!
This device offers the easiest way to build a scale with four independent measurements at the four corners of a frame/platform. Use SensorVUE to read, display and log and plot data from all four connected load cells and ControlVUE to control external devices based on sensor values. SensorVUE and ControlVUE are compatible with Microsoft Windows 8/10 on a PC or Tablet.
DI-400U
The DI-400U offers about 40 Hz max per channel
+/- 0.1% Accuracy of full scale
Four Channels
DI-400UHS
The DI-400U offers about 250 Hz max per channel
+/- 0.1% Accuracy of full scale
Four Channels
Wireless Sensor Interfaces
The DI-1000U USB device can be upgraded into a wireless device by adding wireless modules to make them output Xbee (802.15.4), WiFi or BLE protocols. These wireless devices offer both USB (wired) and wireless connectivity and come with a rechargeable battery that offers cordless operation for 1-2 hours with a full charge.
These devices offer the following features similar to the DI-1000U and DI-1000U-5V units:
- 24-bit ADC for finer resolution
- Configurable gain to optimize resolution for full span of signal (-2V to +2V)
- Works with 4-wire or 6-wire load cells or other sensors with voltage outputs
- Has an external terminal block for easy connectivity with your sensor
- One load cell interface per sensor and calibrated together
- DI-1000ZP-5V, DI-1000WiFi-5V and DI-1000BLE-5V supports a 0-5 V DC device
- Works with LoadVUE, SensorVUE or ControlVUE software to display, log & plot data
Wireless Load Cell Interface Options
DI-1000ZP
DI-1000ZP offers XBee 802.15.4 connectivity in addition to USB. Range is ~ 300 m or 1000 feet. This offers the most reliable, industrial strength wireless connectivity of all the devices we offer.
DI-1000BLE
DI-1000BLE offers BLE connectivity in addition to USB. Range is about 3 m or 10 feet. This device offers the best option for conneting a load cell to an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad. But range is limited.
DI-1000WiFi
DI-1000WiFi offers WiFi connectivity in addition to USB. Range is about 100 m or 300 feet. The advantage of Wifi is that all phones, tablets and PCs offer WiFi Connectivity. But it is the least reliable of all wireless options we offer.
Analog Load Cell Interfaces
Many applications require force or weight information to be input into a PLC in order to turn on/off a valve or set off an alarm etc. The AI-1000 Signal Conditioner is a single channel interface designed to provide a 0 to 5 V DC output proportional to applied loads into a PLC or into a Data Acquisition System to capture and record data for an experiment.
Key Features of the AI-1000 Analog Load Cell Interface:
- Works with 4-wire load cells with E+, E-, S+, S- pins
- Comes with a power supply
- Amplifies tiny millivolt signals such as those from strain gauges arranged in a Wheatstone bridge configuration
- Outputs as large a span as possible in the (0.5 to 4.5 VDC) range using potentiometers to adjust the offset and scale
- Typical noise level is +/- 1 mV with a span of around 4V (4000 mV)
- Has an external terminal block to easily attach a mV/V device like a load cell or torque sensor
- 1 Khz noise filter cuts off higher frequencies. This can be adjusted upon request.
Analog Load Cell Interace Options
Touch Screen Displays
Many times instead of connecting a sensor to a PC or to a PLC, one simply needs to show the values on a LCD display. For those instances, we offer these easy to use touch screen LCD displays with one or four channels. The displays are capable of being used wit USB or wireles BLE load cell+interface pairs.
Works with iLoad, iLoad TR, iLoad Mini + DQ-1000U or any load cell mated and calibrated with a DI-100U, DI-1000U or DI-1000BLE interface devices.
Key Features include:
- Tare and Read Capabilities
- Change Units as needed
- Comes with a Power Supply that provides 5 VDC via a micro USB connector
- Comes with a swivel stand that can be placed on a flat surface and whose angle of display can be adjusted manually
DS-3000-Pro-4 Channel
Load Cells Only
Tare, Read, Change Units,
Peak & Low Values
Sensor to Cloud Interfaces (IoT Gateways)
These devices allow a user to connect a sensor via USB to the Cloud via WiFi or other wireless protocols.
Node
The Node is an IoT Gateway that connects to a sensor or scale with USB Output and transmits the data periodically to the SensorVUE or StockVUE Cloud. Works with any of our digital USB sensors or sensors with USB Interfaces (DI-100U, DI-1000U, DI-1000U-5V, DI-400U) or with sensors that are connected wirelessly via DI-1000ZP. Has a small form factor.
- Small device size (3.5 x 2.5 x 1.25 inches)
- Connects to SensorVUE or StockVUE Cloud via WiFi
- Perforated case for efficient thermal heat transfer
- Comes with 5V power adapter with micro USB connector
Node +
The Node+ identical to the Node device but has a touch screen display that can be used to view information locally. Connect a keyboard and mouse to have a complete desktop compouter! Works with any of our digital USB sensors or sensors with USB Interfaces (DI-100U, DI-1000U, DI-1000U-5V, DI-400U) or with sensors that are connected wirelessly via DI-1000ZP.
Device size (8.75 x 4.5 x 4 inches)
Connects to SensorVUE or StockVUE Cloud via WiFi
Perforated case for efficient heat transfer
Comes with 5V power adapter with micro USB connector
SC-1200Z
The SC-1200Z wireless sensor router is a 12 port device that connects to our digital sensors and uploads the data wirelessly to SensorVUE or StockVUE Client on a PC/Tablet. It also works with our Node & Node+ IoT Gateways seamlessly to upload data to StockVUE or SensorVUE Cloud.
- Device size (9.18 in. x 5.25 in. x 1.5 in.)
- Each port has a MiniB USB Connector
- Compatible with iLoad, iLoad TR, iLoad Pro and any resistive load cell or scale with UART outoput via MiniB connector
- Provides power to each connected sensor and communicates with it via UART
- Comes with a 9V/12V power supply
