7 Step Process for Troubleshooting a Load

Cell

Copyright Morehouse 2017 1

Henry Zumbrun II, President Morehouse
Instrument Company
1742 Sixth Ave
York, PA 17403
PH: 717-843-0081
web: www.mhforce.com
info: [email protected]

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• I am hoping you become a customer of ours if you are not
already.
• Morehouse is passionate about making good measurements
so I will be giving you every bit of information I can, and
telling you everything I can about load cell troubleshooting
during this time.
• I am happy to answer any questions at the end of the webinar.
• This information will help you regardless if you are or are not
a Morehouse Customer.
• At the end of Today’s webinar, I will have an incredible bonus
offer if you sign up for our new Morehouse Force
Measurement Insider and a discount offer on a load cell tester
that makes troubleshooting load cells, easy!
This 25-30 minute session will
cover the following:

➢ Load Cell Basics

➢ 7 Step Process for
Troubleshooting a Load
Cell
➢ Using a Load Cell Tester to
Diagnose Problems

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Strain Gauge – A device whose electrical resistance varies in
proportion to the amount of strain in the device.
To measure small changes in resistance, strain gauges are almost
always used in a bridge configuration with a voltage excitation
source.

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Most Force or Torque Transducers use strain gauges.
Strain – is the amount of deformation of a body due to applied
force. More specifically, strain is defined as the fractional change
in length.

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Most load cells or force transducers use a series of four resistive
arms with an excitation voltage Vex that is applied across the
bridge.

Some manufacturers will also dummy gauges to eliminate

temperature effects. It is important to look at the
manufacturer’s temperature specifications to determine if the
load cell is temperature compensated.

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The load cell signal is converted to a visual or numeric value by a “digital
indicator.” When there is no load on the cell, the two signal lines are at equal
voltage. As a load is applied to the cell, the voltage on one signal line increases
very slightly, and the voltage on the other signal line decreases very slightly. The
difference in voltage between the two signals is read by the indicator.

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Step # 1 Visual inspection for noticeable damage

Any idea what load cell is damaged?

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Step # 2 Power the system up and make sure all connections are made and verify that
batteries have enough voltage and are installed

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Step # 3. If everything is appears to be working, but the output does not make sense,
check for mechanical issues. Some load cells have internal stops that may cause the
output to plateau. Make sure any adapters threaded into the transducer are not
bottoming out.
This Threaded Adapter should never be
removed as it voids the calibration.
However we have noticed several people
doing this and if they bottom the thread
out into the load cell, it could cause the
output to plateau. If the threaded
adapter has been removed, the cell will
need to be calibrated again.

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Step 4. Check and make sure the leads (all wires) are properly connected to the load
cell and meter. If the load cell is new and you wired a cable. Verify everything is wired
properly.

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Step 5. Check for continuity of the cable (pin each individual connection) – If the cable
is common to the system, check another load cell and verify the other cell is working
properly.

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Step 5. Check for continuity of the cable (pin each individual connection) – If the cable
is common to the system, check another load cell and verify the other cell is working
properly.

If the problem is intermittent, have

someone else bend the cable every
foot while performing the continuity
check. The bending should help find
intermittent problems

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Step 6. Use a load cell tester or another meter to check the zero resistance of the load
cell – If you do not have a load cell tester you can check the bridge resistance with a
common multi-meter.

Typically, if the signal output is over 5%, the

load cell has either been overloaded or there is
corrosion somewhere in the cable or cell.

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• Bridge Input Resistance - Pins A and D should be 350 OHM +/- 3.5 Ohms (350
Ohm is most common)
• Bridge Output Resistance - Pins B and C should be 350 OHM +/- 3.5 Ohms
• You may also check RAB, RAC, RCD, RBD for symmetry
• If everything is pinned correctly and a reading cannot be obtained, there is a good
probability that a wire may have come loose or the gauges may have become un
bonded from the metal

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Step 7. Check voltage and current on the power supply

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• Typically, most cells are manufactured to withstand a rated
safe overload. This can usually be found on the
manufacturer’s spec sheet. (Note: The mechanical safe
overload is typically 150% of rated output.)

• This does not mean that the internal components will not be
altered if the load cell is loaded past a certain point.

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• A good diagnostic tool in checking the cell is to check and
monitor the load cell’s zero balance to ensure it is within
manufacturer’s tolerance. If the zero balance is not within
the manufacturer’s tolerance or has changed significantly
from what it has been previously, there is a chance that the
load cell may have been overloaded.

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What happens to a load cell when it has been overloaded?

• Residual stresses and strains are introduced into the structure.

• The past mechanical history of the flexure, gauge alloy, backing and
adhesive is altered.
• The load cell symmetry is affected as well as the compression
and/or tension output from what it was prior to the overload.
• Strain Gauge characteristics are modified, such as Resistance and
Gauge factor, which will modify the temperature coefficients.

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• If the load cell has been overloaded, mechanical damage has
been done that is not repairable. Overloading causes
permanent deformation within the flexural element and
gauges, which destroys the carefully balanced processing.

• While it is possible to electrically re-zero a load cell following

overload, it is not recommended because this does nothing
to restore the affected performance parameters or the
degradation to structural integrity.

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• All material has what is called an elastic limit. The elastic
limit is the point on the stress-strain diagram where the
relationship between stress and strain is no longer linear. If a
material has a load applied to it that causes the stress in the
material to exceed the elastic limit, the material will no
longer return to its original size after the load is removed.

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Material with a lower yield strength than what is
being applied will deform until the maximum
compressive stress is below the material yield
point.

Deformation until Compressive Stress < yield

stress.

A steep radius concentrates the force over a

smaller area, and may cause material to
permanently deform. This is why we
recommend compression loading pads.

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• A load cell tester can be used to properly troubleshoot load cells. Video
can be found here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQNUpe2Bh5Y&feature=youtu.be

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• Hold the power button for 3
seconds.

• When the unit boots up, it will

need to be calibrated if you
want to take Shield to Bridge,
Body to Bridge or Shield to
Body measurements.

• To calibrate it, press the on/off

button with the down arrow.
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• Can be used to check
• Input and Output Resistance
• Resistance difference between sense and excitation leads
• Signal Output
• Shield to Bridge
• Body to Bridge
• Shield to Body

• The Morehouse LCT will also display linearity

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• Input or Output Resistance

- If the resistance is not in range, there may be a cable or

connector problem. There may be internal damage to the
bridge of the load cell.

- Check the manufacturer's specifications to know what the

resistance should be. The tester should show a value within
plus or minus 5 ohms of what the manufacturer states.

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• Sense is Too High
• - If the Sense is too high (6-wire cell), the sense lines may
not be connected (4-wire cell). Or, if one of the sense
readings is high, then there is probably a cable error.

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• Signal Output is Too High

• Typically, if the signal output is over 5%, the load cell has
either been overloaded or there is corrosion somewhere in
the cable or cell.

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• Shield to Bridge, Body to Bridge and Shield to Body

• The load cell insulation resistance specifications for load cell body to
bridge is >5000 MegOhms at 23 °C. (on the tester Shield to Body >
5000, 5000 MegOhms)

• We typically do not recommend that the shield is attached to the load

cell body to prevent ground loops so the shield to body or bridge will
generally meet the same specification. This will most likely be >
5000MegaOhm and the meter will flash red if it is not okay.

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• Free Reviews of Calibration Certificates from other Force Calibration Suppliers
• We Will Perform a Calibration, Send You The Data, and You Only Pay if We Meet Your Needs!
• Exclusive Excel Templates - We currently are giving out guard banding (PFA Calculator) templates to
calculate risk and comply with ANSI Z540.3 Method 5.
• Access to Upcoming Information on Upcoming Webinars and Training.
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• Customized On-Line Training for Your Company in Regards to Force or Torque Calibration
• Articles on Force, Torque, and Measurement Related Topics to Help you Make Better Measurements
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You have one step away from getting all of these awesome bonuses by being a member of
Morehouse Force Measurement Insider!
Sign up here! https://mhforce.lpages.co/morehouse-force-measurement-insider/
• The LCT Ultimate is not manufactured by
Morehouse. It is a instrument we like and find
very helpful for troubleshooting load cells.
• Several others retail the LCT at around
$1200.00
• We list it at $985.00 and are running a
$200.00 off special for members of our
Morehouse Force Measurement Insider.
Special $795.00
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Do you have suggestions for future blogs or

webinar topics, would like write an article
for our blog, or want a .pdf copy of this
presentation, please email
[email protected]

Watch for Our Next Webinar:4 Steps to

Choosing the Right Load Cell Calibration
System coming July 25.
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