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Trying to understand strain gauges/load cells


k80rum

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I'm trying to fathom how these miracles work..

 

The Emerald K3 has a flat-shift option, which looks for a clutch switch or 'gear lever movement switch'. For an H-pattern box, the clutch switch is probably a good choice, whereas a sequential box could benefit from clutchless upshifts if a gear lever movement switch were used.

 

I'm hoping that 'gear lever movement switch' translates to a strain gauge or load cell. Do these give a signal when a preset force is exerted on them? Are they directional? It'd be handy to know the difference between an upshift and a downshift.

 

I've mailed Karl to see whether a future release of the K3 software could differentiate between upshifts and downshifts - killing the throttle on full-power upshifts and blipping it on downshifts. Having a programmable downshift blip would be very appealing, especially since most of the functionality is already there..

 

Darren E

 

K80RUM Website and Emerald maps library

 

Superlight R #54

 

 

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A strain gauge is at the end of the day nothing but very very thin wires longitudinally which form a resistor die to their thinness.

 

When you stretch them the resistance will riase as the wires get thinner. To get a useful output you connect four in a bridge like a rectifier bridge. If they are fitted correctly to the item you want to watch IE a bar of metal you'll benefit from temperature compensation and the fact that you get a positive output if you move in one direction and a negative if you move in the other.

 

You'll need to connect Vcc to north of the bridge, earth to south, and then you have the differential output between east and west.

 

Hope it makes sense, otherwise I'll have to make a diagram to upload somewhere..

 

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