Calibration of a DI-1000U to a load cell using a Serial Port Terminal Program

The following calibation procedures do not apply to the DI-1000HS-1K sensor interface.

Device Setup

Installing Drivers

If you have purchased LoadVUE Pro, install LoadVUE Pro. This will also install the drivers needed.

If you did not buy or do not have LoadVUE Pro, see Drivers and Serial Port Terminal Programs to download and install the drivers.

You will need to download and install a terminal program (Putty or HyperTerminal) before you can proceed further.

Connecting the Load Cell to the DI-1000

Connect the load cell wires to the DI-1000U unit to make sure the connections are correct and make sure the terminal block is inserted into the DI-1000 tightly.

Powering the DI-1000

The DI-1000U is powered by the USB and does not need external power. If you have a DI-1000Z or DI-1000ZP, then connect the power supply first.

Then connect the provided XBee USB Adapter to the computer’s USB port.

Once the DI-1000 is connected to the USB port of the PC and the drivers are properly installed, it will add a USB Serial Port entry to the Device Manager.

Connecting via Putty

The default parameters are: 9600 (or 230400 for DI-1000UHS/DI-1000UHS-1K), N,8,1,No hardware flow control.

Once connected, Press Enter in the terminal window and you should get a response ‘A’ that shows connection was successful. Now you can proceed with the rest of the procedure.

mVolt Calibration

To calibrate a load cell in pounds using mVolt/V type the following commands in sequence in the terminal window. Commands are not case sensitive. For example, to calibrate a 250 lb load cell with a 3.02 mVolt/V rating:

UNITS LB
LC 250
CAL m
MVOLT 3.02 (This number will be available from the load cell calibration/specification certificate.)
TARE (this zeros out the load)
WC (this will continuously output the load in lb. Change the load and ensure that the output changes).

To calibrate a load cell in kg using mVolt/V type the following commands in sequence in the terminal window. Commands are not case sensitive. For example, to calibrate a 250 kg load cell with a 3.02 mVolt/V rating:

UNITS KG
LC 250
CAL m
MVOLT 3.02 (This number will be available from the load cell calibration/specification certificate.)
TARE (this zeros out the load)
WC (this will continuously output the load in kg. Change the load and ensure that the output changes).

2-Point Calibration

To calibrate a load cell in pounds using a known weight type the following commands in sequence. Commands are not case sensitive. For example, to calibrate a 250 lb load cell using a known load of 100 lb, remove all load from load cell and type:

UNITS LB
LC 250
CAL 2
2PCAL 100

Apply Point 1 Load of 0 LB Press C when ready or Q to quit C
Apply Point 2 Load of 100 LB Press C when ready or Q to quit Apply 100 lb, then type C

TARE (this zeros out the load)
WC (this will continuously output the load in lb. Change the load and ensure that the output changes).

To calibrate a load cell in kg using a known weight type the following commands in sequence. Commands are not case sensitive. For example, to calibrate a 250 kg load cell using a known load of 100 kg, remove all load from load cell and type:

UNITS KG
LC 250
CAL 2
2PCAL 100

Apply Point 1 Load of 0 KG Press C when ready or Q to quit C
Apply Point 2 Load of 100 KG Press C when ready or Q to quit Apply 100 kg, then type C

TARE (this zeros out the load)
WC (this will continuously output the load in kg. Change the load and ensure that the output changes).

To calibrate a load cell in Newtons, use UNITS N in the procedures above.

Only in some versions of the DI-1000 you can calibrate in one units (say lb) and then read the output in a different units (say Newtons) - i.e the DI-1000U performs the desired unit conversion. We recommend against doing this. Use our LoadVUE software to read the values in a different units if necessary, or, if you are writing your own software, read the values in the calibrated units and perform the unit conversion yourself.

TEST article

How to Use the Calibration Tool within LoadVUE Pro/SensorVUE/ControlVUE Software

Click on Tools…Calibrate Sensor in LoadVUE/SensorVUE.

The calibration program will start up, detect the attached sensors and show the main window.

(This software can be used to calibrate load cell, torque sensors, pressure sensors and displacement sensors just be selecting appropriate units.)

Select the COM port (We suggest to disconnect all other sensors except the sensor under calibration to avoid the risk of accidentally calibrating the wrong sensor)

The ID, calibration units and sensor capacity should be automatically detected. If not enter the correct values.

Click Select Load Direction…

The load direction window will be shown.

Select Compression Only or Tension Only if you are doing the calibration in one direction only. If you are doing the calibration in both directions you will have to do each direction one after the other.

If you have accurate weights (preferably) going up to the full capacity of the load cell you can perform

A 2-point calibration, at 0 and full load
If you have weights that cover intermediate points you can perform a multi-point calibration (recommended)
If you don’t have any weights but have the calibration certificate from the manufacturer specifying the mVolt/V of the load cell, you can just enter the number in the mVolt calibration tab.

mVolt Calibration

Click on the mVolt Calibration tab and enter the value provided by the manufacturer and click Burn mVolts.

Calibration is finished! You can click on the verify tab to verify this calibration.

2 Point Calibration

If you have only one weight you can perform a 2 point calibration

Remove all load from the load cell, enter 0 as the first load (Step A) and then click Read.

Then place a known load (preferably full load) on the load cell, enter the value in Step B and click Read.

Then click on Burn 2-Point Calibration

The calibration factors will be computed and burnt into the load cell interface.

3 Point Calibration

If you have more than 1 weight (totaling up to full load) you can perform a multi-point calibration. A minimum of 3 weights (4 points, zero load and 3 known load points) is required for this operation.

In the Multi-Point calibration tab enter the 3 load points and click Read after placing each load. Then click Burn Multi-Point Calibration to burn the calibration into the device.

You can click on the Verify tab and click

Tare to zero the load cell

Start/Stop to read the load cell and verify the calibration.

Note:

Similar calibration procedure can be followed for Torque and Displacement sensors but just selecting the appropriate units.

Note:

1 Torque Sensors should have IDs starting with “TQ-“

2 Displacement Sensors should have IDs starting with “DISP-“

3 Pressure Sensors should have IDs starting with “PR-“

If you have sensor connectivity or software issues, in many cases it is easier for Loadstar Sensors to assist you if we are able remotely view your computer screen. This can be done through the use of screen sharing software.

If you need technical support, please download and run from this link: Teamviewer screen sharing software

There is no need to 'install' the software and in most cases you will not need administrative privileges on your computer. You can also choose to save this on your computer for later use. The downloaded software will display this icon ->

A window similar to the following will come up showing an ID and password. Please call us with the ID and password information and we will be able to look at your screen.

There is no danger of unauthorized access to your computer since the software must be running. In addition, the password will change every time you run the program.

Another option is to use Google Chrome Remote Desktop .

Note: Access to your computer may have been disabled by your company. If this is the case remote support via screen sharing is not possible.