How to Build a Homebrew Digital Scale178

Building your own digital scale is a fun and rewarding project that can save you money and give you the satisfaction of knowing that you built it yourself. In this tutorial, I will show you how to build a simple, yet accurate, digital scale using an Arduino microcontroller and a load cell. We will need the following materials to get started:

Materials:
Arduino Nano or Uno microcontroller
HX711 load cell amplifier
Load cell (50kg capacity or higher)
LCD display (16x2 or similar)
Breadboard
Jumper wires
Power supply (9V battery or AC adapter)

Step 1: Wiring the HX711 Amplifier

Connect the load cell to the HX711 amplifier as shown in the diagram below. The red wire of the load cell should be connected to the "E+" terminal of the HX711, the black wire to the "E-" terminal, and the green and white wires to the "A+" and "A-" terminals, respectively.

Once the load cell is connected to the HX711 amplifier, connect the amplifier to the Arduino as follows:

VCC to 5V
GND to GND
DOUT to D2
SCK to D3

Step 2: Wiring the LCD Display

Connect the LCD display to the Arduino as follows:

VCC to 5V
GND to GND
RS to D4
RW to GND
E to D5
D4 to D6
D5 to D7
D6 to D8
D7 to D9

Step 3: Programming the Arduino

The following Arduino code will read the weight from the load cell and display it on the LCD display. Copy and paste the code into the Arduino IDE and upload it to your Arduino.
#include
#include
// HX711 Configuration
const int HX711_DOUT = 2;
const int HX711_SCK = 3;
// LCD Configuration
const int RS = 4;
const int RW = 5;
const int E = 6;
const int D4 = 7;
const int D5 = 8;
const int D6 = 9;
const int D7 = 10;
// Initialize the HX711 and LCD
HX711 scale;
LiquidCrystal lcd(RS, RW, E, D4, D5, D6, D7);
// Calibration factor
float calibration_factor = 10000.0;
void setup() {
// Initialize the HX711
(HX711_DOUT, HX711_SCK);
scale.set_scale(calibration_factor);
// Initialize the LCD
(16, 2);
(0, 0);
("Weight:");
}
void loop() {
// Read the weight from the load cell
float weight = scale.get_value() / calibration_factor;
// Display the weight on the LCD
(7, 0);
(weight);
(" kg");
}

Step 4: Calibrating the Scale

Once the scale is assembled, it needs to be calibrated. To calibrate the scale, place a known weight on the platform and adjust the calibration factor until the displayed weight matches the actual weight.

Step 5: Using the Scale

To use the scale, simply place the object to be weighed on the platform. The weight will be displayed on the LCD display. The scale can be used to weigh a variety of objects, such as food, ingredients, or even small animals.

Conclusion

Building your own digital scale is a fun and rewarding project that can save you money and give you the satisfaction of knowing that you built it yourself. The scale is simple to build and use, and it can be calibrated to accurately weigh a variety of objects.

2025-01-27

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