Before choosing load cells for a specific application, the user should verify it is

possible to achieve sensible results from the planned weighing system. It is not
possible for a typical weighing system with a total capacity of 80,000 pounds to
weigh in increments of 1 pound (1/80,000). Strain gauge load cells should not be
expected to work beyond a minimum stable/repeatable weight increment of
1/10,000th of the load point capacity. With newer technology found in the HI4050,
HI6300 sereis and HI6500 series this minimum has been expanded to 1:40,000.
The final choice of load cells for your system will be somewhat of a compromise
based on the standard capacities of Hardys load sensors and your application
requirements. Hardy load sensors have outputs from 0.9 to 3 Milli Volts per volt
(mV/V). With 5 volts excitation, the full scale output for your Hardy load cell will be
anywhere from 0 Millivolts to a maximum 15 Millivolts. This output is the full scale
output from no load to full capacity load. Full scale capacity takes into account the
weight of any vessel or platform on the load cells, usually referred to as the Dead
Load. This dead load will use up a portion of the load cell output, and as a result
should be as low as possible compared to the Live Load (active weighing range). In
practice this is not always easy to do, and it will depend on the overall resolution or
accuracy required of your weighing system. If multiple load cells are connected in
parallel, then the total output will be the summed average of the outputs from the
individual load cells.
When the range of your system has been calculated, this information can be related to
electrical output in Millivolts (mV). This should then be related to the minimum
weight increment or scale division which is required by the user.
EXAMPLE:
4 number of load cells (at 2 mV/V)
75 kg capacity of each load cell
300 kg total capacity of system (4 X 75 kg = 300 kg)
5 VOLTS EXCITATION * 2 mV/V per load cell = 10 mV full scale output
1 mV = 30 kg (300 kg/10mV)
100 kg dead load
3.33 mV Electrical output for dead load weight
200 kg available live weight capacity applied equals
6.66 mV total electrical range for live weight, starting at a base of 3.33 mV
Using your specifications rather than the example above, you can determine the
electrical output per division on your system and compare that to the specification of
your Hardy controller to ensure you are not expecting more than your system can
deliver. If the signal is too low, then your system may need to be redesigned with
respect to the live load weight and dead load, or load cell capacity.
The calculation of load cell capacities for vessels will usually be different from that of
floor scales. It is unlikely that an individual load cell on a weigh vessel will be
overloaded under normal working conditions (if calculations are correct). But on
a floor scale it is possible for one corner to carry a high percentage of any load cell
placed on the weigh deck, so the calculation to determine correct capacity is doubled
to prevent load cell damage. One method for determining the required load cell
capacity for a particular application is outlined below:

VESSEL/SCALE USING LOAD CELLS

Load cell capacity = (live weight + dead weight) / # of load cells
PLATFORM FLOOR SCALE
Scale capacity = (live weight + dead weight) * 2
Hardy standard load cell capacities will then dictate which load cells should be used.
When calculating capacities for platforms floor scales remember to double the normal
capacity for safety. When calculating the capacity consideration must also be given to:
a) Any adverse vibration within the system which may produce cyclic loading patterns
on the cells. If using Hardy Instrument controllers you can use WAVERSAVER to
reduce or eliminate the effects of vibration. This will not alleviate any over loading
due to harmonic vibrations, just ignore the vibration.
b) Unequal loading on the load cells due to fixed structures or irregular material
distribution within the vessel or on the platform.
c) Any mass that will be picked or dropped onto the scale with require a calculation of
this additional force.
NOTE: When calculating load cell capacity requirements the following guidelines
may be useful: Advantage load cell series are certified to work at a 100% duty cycle at
100% of rated output. This means you can use the total rated capacity and not worry
about including overload protection by ordering oversized load cells. In some cases
where the vessel does not expect large impact or uneven loading you can use 115% of
the rated load cell capacity. This will reduce the overload protection but will function.
Please check with Hardy Tech Support and review any applications where you are
considering 100% + loading.
Generally it is safe to say that modern load sensor ranges have been extended to show
a duty cycle that covers the complete capacity.
a) The live weight on any cell should fall between 20-100% of the capacity of the load
cell.
b) The dead load weight on any load cell can fall between 1-70% of the capacity of
the load cell.
For platform scales the capacity is usually twice what you would normally expect,
because forklifts regularly drive over the platform scale, and if the capacity was not
doubled the scale would be damaged due to overloading.
If you need additional information please click on the "Ask A Question" tab using
Hardy's online WebTech knowledgebase. If you need on-site assistance call Hardy
Technical Support at 800-821-5831 option #4 or 858-278-2900 option #4. We offer
Local Field Service in the continental U.S. and Canada for system installation, startup,
inspection, verification, calibration and certification, emergency troubleshooting, onsite training and routine preventative maintenance for your Process Weighing
instrumentation (even for non-Hardy equipment). We can have someone at your
facility when you need us!

Hardy Tech Support is always looking to improve service to our customers. Please
help us provide you better service by rating this answer. We appreciate your feedback!
DISCLAIMER: This knowledge base web site is provided as a service to our
customers and not intended to be an exhaustive or comprehensive treatment of the
subject or subjects. The information in this web site does not constitute application,
design, or other professional engineering advice or services. Prior to making any
decision or taking any action that could affect your machinery or equipment, we
suggest you consult a qualified professional. HARDY PROCESS SOLUTIONS
DOES NOT GUARRANTEE THE COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS OR
ACCURACY OF ANY DATA CONTAINED IN THIS WEB SITE AND MAKES
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Answers others found helpful

If Hardy does not have the right capacity load cell, what should I do?
When welding near load cells, what precautions need to be followed?
How can I tell if my load cell is good without using Integrated Technician?
What is the deflection rating for Advantage load sensors?
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If Hardy does not have the right capacity load cell,

what should I do?
Answer ID 149 | Published 02/06/2002 07:07 AM | Updated 02/03/2014 10:40
AM
Hardy does not have a 5,000 pound load point. What load point should I use when a
5KLB load cell is required?
The Advantage Load Points have two parameters you must understand to make your
selection. The parameters are "Operational Overload" and "Safe Overload". The
"Operational Overload" of the Advantage Load Points is 150% of rated capacity. This
means the HI HLPS4.5K load point can be used for loads up to 5175 pounds by
reducing the "Safe Overload" window to 115%. The "Safe Overload" is the maximum
weight the load cell can support without being damaged. If the vessel in question does

not support a large agitator or is not subjected to large impact loads, it could be
recommended that the HI HLPS4.5K Advantage Load Points may be used when a 5K
load cell is requested.
For a normal system with agitators, seismic activities, and live bottoms, the total dead
and live load should not exceed 100% of the capacity of the load cells. Four 4.5K load
cells equal 18,000 lb total recommended capacity. Many times designers recommend
a capacity buffer to ensure there is not going to be any damage to the load cell as it
approaches maximum load capacity. This is an out dated idea and the modern
Advantage is fully capable of being used at the 100% level and not show any signs of
damage.
Verify the total scale loading and if there was any fudge factor placed on the total
capacity number. You maybe able to use a smaller capacity and realize a better weight
resolution.
Seismic requirements may require a higher capacity than just the deadload and
liveload calculations. Always refer this type of question a qualified mechanical
engineer. Additional or structural reinforcement or capacity maybe required to meet
seismic conditions for your vessel.
If you need additional information please click on the "Ask A Question" tab using
Hardy's online WebTech knowledgebase. If you need on-site assistance call Hardy
Technical Support at 800-821-5831 option #4 or 858-278-2900 option #4. We offer
Local Field Service in the continental U.S. and Canada for system installation, startup,
inspection, verification, calibration and certification, emergency troubleshooting, onsite training and routine preventative maintenance for your Process Weighing
instrumentation (even for non-Hardy equipment). We can have someone at your
facility when you need us!
Hardy Tech Support is always looking to improve service to our customers. Please
help us provide you better service by rating this answer. We appreciate your feedback!

How can I tell if my load cell is good without using

Integrated Technician?
Answer ID 612 | Published 02/17/2003 12:10 PM | Updated 03/11/2014 05:26
PM
I am using older load cells from Hardy Process Solutions (or from another company)
and I want to make sure they are functioning properly before I use them in another
application. I don't have the Hardy feature "Integrated Technician" in my junction box
or controller, so I checked the installation/troubleshooting guide which says to check
the resistance between the signal wires and the excitation wires and the resistance of
each should be around 350 ohms. Well, the resistance between the signal wires on all
8 load cells was right at 350 ohms, but the resistance between the excitation wires on
all 8 load cells was around 387 ohms. So, are all of these load cells bad, or is it ok for
the excitation resistance to be 387 ohms?
The true test of a load cell is the load cell's signal millivolt output at no load, mid
range and full load. Attached is a tech note on load cell troubleshooting that should

answer your question.

There are troubleshooting guides in chapter eight of the individual weight controller
manuals. There are also other articles available in Hardy WebTech Knowledge base
that addresses other methods to determine the health of your scale system.
Using information provided or derived from different sources can provide readings
and assumptions that can determine the health of your weighing system.
For this example we will use:
3 Load cells with capacities of 1000 lb each. Full scale output (FSO) readings for each
load cell (acquired from load cell certificates) for our example are:
#1= 3.0003 Mv/V
#2= 3.0034 Mv/V
#3= 2.9994 mV/V
Millie volt reading at empty = 5 mV
Excitation voltage = 5 VDC
1. Adding the individual load cell weight capacities (lb or kg) will determine the scale
system's rated capacity (3000 lb in this example)
2. Average the full scale output of each load cell to determine the scale's mV/V output
at rated capacity. (3.0010 in this example)
3. Multiple the Excitation voltage by the average mV/V to determine the milli-volt
output at rated system capacity. (5.00 V x 3.0010 mV/V = 15.0050 mV @ 3000 lb in
this example)
4. Measure the empty vessels load cell output at the signal + and signal - terminals.
(2.25 mV in this example)
5. To determine the amount of load cell capacity used by the empty vessel, dead load,
divide the scale system's rated capacity (lb/kg) by the milli-volt output at rated system
capacity (found in step 3) Multiple this finding by the milli-volt reading of the empty
vessel (found in step 4) (3000/15.0050 x 2.25 = 449.85 lb dead load in this example)
6. A secondary calculation gives the live load of the scale system. (Dead load - scale
capacity 449.85 - 3000 = 2500.15 system live load)
7. A general test could be performed by adding a known weight to the scale and
measuring the mV signal output increase. This would give a general indication if the
scale is linear. Mv readings to the second decimal place would be sufficient for this
test. Adding 450 lbs to our test scale should result in a signal reading of 4.50 mV.
8. Divide the mV@FSO by the rated scale capacity lb = mV/(lb) times the test weight,
plus the original mV reading at empty should equal 4.50 mV. (15.0050 mV/3000 lb x
450 lb + 2.25 = 4.50 mV in this example)
9. Knowing the capacity of the load cells, excitation voltage, and a known weight the
average mV/V rating of the load cells can be determined.

10. A 450 lb test weight increased the Mv reading by 2.25 mV in this example. (A
2.25 Mv increase / 450 lb x 3000 lb scale capacity / 5 v EXC = 3 Mv/V)
For this example it was determined the load cells were 3 Mv/V with an accuracy of
two decimal points. Most meters are OK to two decimal points on the Milli-volt
scale. More decimal points than two require a high quality meter with a recent
calibration sticker.
If you need additional information please click on the "Ask A Question" tab using
Hardy's online WebTech knowledgebase. If you need on-site assistance call Hardy
Technical Support at 800-821-5831 option #4 or 858-278-2900 option #4. We offer
Local Field Service in the continental U.S. and Canada for system installation, startup,
inspection, verification, calibration and certification, emergency troubleshooting, onsite training and routine preventative maintenance for your Process Weighing
instrumentation (even for non-Hardy equipment). We can have someone at your
facility when you need us!
Hardy Tech Support is always looking to improve service to our customers. Please
help us provide you better service by rating this answer. We appreciate your feedback!