Load Cell Sensor - 20kg Parallel Beam

If you’ve ever stood on a scale and wandered how the device measures weight, and furthermore how it accurately measures the same weight consistently no matter how many times you weigh yourself, then be sure to read on about this fantastic little 20kg Load Cell Sensor, which is capable of measuring strain by carefully monitoring the internal resistance of bonded wires as they bend with the metal, which can then be identified as Newton force or weight depending on the application.

The design of these Parallel Beam Load Cell Sensors make them ideal for mounting below shelves, platforms and other raised surfaces, and should be mounted to a solid structure via the M5 mounting holes, with the measuring surface, whether it be a shelf or a platform, should be mounted to the M4 mounting holes. Then, when you place an object on the measuring surface, it ever-so-slightly bends the parallel beam, creating a sheer force that extends the measuring wires, which affects the internal resistance so as to present you with an estimated force measured in kg.

This load cell is designed to be used with our HX711 Load Cell Sensor Interface Module, and is often purchased alongside our IOT Devices for automated stocking systems.

Please Note: These 4-Wire Load Cells have been pre-calibrated during the manufacturing process. As such, it’s imperative that you never cut, shorten or otherwise modify the cables that are included, as this will affect the resistance of the sensor, resulting in inaccurate weight measurements.

Typical Applications for these 20kg Parallel Beam Load Cell Sensors:

Although they may seem slightly complicated at first glance, using these sensors is quite easy, and simply requires that you install the parallel beam onto a solid surface via the M5 mounting holes, with the M4 mounting holes used to install the weighing platform, shelf or similar type of surface. Then with a load cell amplifier board like the HX711 Load Cell Interface Module that we stock, you simply need to wire it all correctly according to the above table. After this simple installation, we recommend using a 5V constant Power Supply to excite the load cell sensor, which should cause it to deliver accurate weight measurements directly to your microcontroller, computer or simple LCD display, depending on the project you’re making.

As a final note, however, it’s important to remember that the weight exerted on this sensor should never exceed more than 50% of the capacity, as this will damage the resistance wires bonded in the metal, which will skew future results and possibly render the sensor useless.