Servo scales can be built by using a servo motor whose current draw corresponds to applied weight. A PWM signal controls the servo position, while the current drawn is measured to indicate weight. With a 10cm arm, such scales can accurately measure up to 5kg by calibrating the current for known weights. The voltage across a sense resistor can also be used to give a digital readout after compensation for the motor's quiescent current offset.
Servo scales can be built by using a servo motor whose current draw corresponds to applied weight. A PWM signal controls the servo position, while the current drawn is measured to indicate weight. With a 10cm arm, such scales can accurately measure up to 5kg by calibrating the current for known weights. The voltage across a sense resistor can also be used to give a digital readout after compensation for the motor's quiescent current offset.
Servo scales can be built by using a servo motor whose current draw corresponds to applied weight. A PWM signal controls the servo position, while the current drawn is measured to indicate weight. With a 10cm arm, such scales can accurately measure up to 5kg by calibrating the current for known weights. The voltage across a sense resistor can also be used to give a digital readout after compensation for the motor's quiescent current offset.
Servo scales can be built by using a servo motor whose current draw corresponds to applied weight. A PWM signal controls the servo position, while the current drawn is measured to indicate weight. With a 10cm arm, such scales can accurately measure up to 5kg by calibrating the current for known weights. The voltage across a sense resistor can also be used to give a digital readout after compensation for the motor's quiescent current offset.
sponds to the desired position (U2 = U1). The scales can also generate a voltage out- c +6V As can be seen from Figure 1, all you need put if you measure the voltage across a sense for a scales based on a servo motor is a resistor in series with the ground lead of the PWM square-wave oscillator that supplies a sig- servo (Figure 1c). Due to the quiescent cur- Servo nal at a constant frequency of around 50 Hz rent consumption of the servo motor with no U(m) = U0 + K.m with a fixed duty cycle of approximately load, this voltage is not zero with no weight 10%. This defines a fixed setting for the posi- on the scales, but it is low compared with the tion of the motor axle. If a mechanical force value with a certain amount of weight. Natu- 090086 - 11 tries to rotate the motor axle in this situa- rally, this offset can be compensated by using tion, the servo control loop adjusts the drive an instrumentation amplifier. This increases signal to the motor to counteract the rota- the accuracy, and you could even consider tional force. The motor thus has to supply equipping the scales with a digital readout. Gert Baars (The Netherlands) an opposing force, and that costs power, With a bit of adeptness, you can build an with the result that the current through the Figure 2 shows a simple finished version with electronic scales based on a servo motor. motor increases. With a type RS-2 servo, a PWM oscillator and analogue readout. The Depending on the type of servo you use, it this current can rise to as much as 1 A, while two potentiometers can be used to adjust the can measure weights of up to around five kil- the quiescent current is no more than a few offset and weighing range. The length of the ograms (11 lbs) with reasonable accuracy. dozen milliampères. If you attach an arm to scale arm multiplies the torsion on the servo the motor axle and fit it with a weighing pan, motor due to the weight. Doubling the arm If you examine the operating principle of a and then connect an ammeter in the servo length reduces the weighing range by half servo motor in more detail (Figure 1a), you supply line, you have a sort of simple elec- and thus doubles the accuracy, but it also can see that in simple terms, it consists of tronic scales. The scales can be calibrated increases the zero offset due to the weight of a control loop that uses a potentiometer to using a reference weight, with the length of the arm. In practice, an arm length of around convert the motor position to a voltage that the arm set to produce a certain amount of 10 cm proved to be a good compromise. is compared to the voltage from a PWM con- current with a certain weight, such as 0.5 A (090086-I) verter. Based in this information, the motor is with 1 kg. Two kilograms would then draw rotated so that its measured position corre- 1 A, and so on.
