Testing an RS232 scale

To further the experiments I've been doing with measuring specific gravity, I needed to take long-term continuous weight measurements (5-10 days total). I started searching for a scale or load cell that would be appropriate.

My specific use case involves monitoring the weight of an object in the range of 50-70 lbs for 2 weeks.  Since we have a heavy weight on the scale for a long time a problem that could come up is sensor drift (also sometimes called creep).  This effect is similar to what happens if you hang an object from a suspended spring.  Over time the spring will slowly deform.  The rate of the deformation depends on many factors like the weight of the object and the physical properties of the spring.  The same thing happens with a scale.  Although mechanically different from a suspended spring, in many other ways it's very much like a spring.

Another factor that can throw off the readings from a scale is temperature.  As the temperature changes the properties of the components in the scale also change.  If these changes aren't compensated for in some fashion then they will affect the scale's readings.

I initially tried to measure a 55 lb test weight using a 75 lb maximum capacity digital scale.  Within minutes the scale's readings started drifting.  I assumed that this was probably due to creep and was probably so prominent because I was weighing something close to the rated capacity of the scale.  This scale also had the additional failing that it did not have a way to communicate externally (which as you'll see soon was an important requirement) so I decided to look for a different scale.

I reasoned that if I found a scale that had a maximum capacity that was significantly larger than object I was weighing, then it might not display significant effect from creep (or at least for the 2 week period that I needed continuous readings).

Luckily I found a 300 lb capacity shipping scale (MyWeigh HD-300), and a well-written tutorial from Adafruit.  This scale was a little more expensive than what I had in mind, but it's worth the price considering all of its features:

• 300 lb capacity
• RS232 communication
• ability to disable auto-off (most scales turn off automatically which sucks for continuous measurements)

I quickly started an "eyeball" test by again placing my 55 lb weight on the new scale.  I kept a log book near the scale and roughly every 60 minutes I would write down the time and the displayed weight.  I left this experiment running for about 4 days.  I should note that I didn't stick to the 60 minute test interval that closely.  Sometimes I would leave several hours between readings, sometimes it was more like 30 minutes, and I didn't wake up to take readings in the middle of the night; I like science but I like sleep more.

The results of this test told me that something was causing the displayed weight to vary by about 1 lb over the course of 4 days.  I had a suspicion that temperature was causing much of the variation (the weight would be lower when it was cooler in my house and higher when the temperature was higher).  I couldn't really tell if there was any effect from sensor creep.

Next I decided to repeat the above experiment but make it a little more scientific.  For this run I wanted to run for at least 10 days and gather temperature and weight readings every 10 minutes.  Of course, this is exactly what computers are made for.

The test set up consists of a python script running on an old laptop.  The script communicates with the scale via its RS232 interface to gather weight readings.  To get the temperature I decided to use an Analog Devices TMP36 sensor that I already had on hand.  Coincidentally, Adafruit had another tutorial on using this sensor with an Arduino.  I used some of the ideas from the tutorial but wrote my own Arduino firmware to make it act as a serial thermometer.

The test script on the laptop was modified to also query the Arduino for the temperature and log the returned value along with the measured weight value to a file every ten minutes.  

The test setup from left to right: laptop power supply, USB wifi dongle, scale control box, laptop, plywood to act as stable platform for scale, Arduino with TMP36 sensor, MyWeigh HD-300 scale with 55 lb test weights

I put the source code for the python test script and the Arduino firmware on github.  Keep in mind that the script was written to run on Windows and would need to be ported to run on another operating system.  Also, since I implemented the script very quickly I didn't spend much time or effort on error checking so it's not very robust in that respect.  You have been warned.

At this point you may be wondering why I didn't just use the Arduino by itself to do the data logging.  I have a few reason for that:

• I needed a circuit to convert the RS232 voltage levels of the scale to TTL voltages that the Arduino can understand.  I already had the hardware to do that but I didn't want to waste time assembling it when I had a laptop with a perfectly good RS232 port available.
• I didn't have an Real-Time clock to keep track of time or anything to use for large data storage (SD card socket).  The Adafruit data logging shield would have been ideal for this but I didn't want to wait to run the test.

After I was half way through implementing the test I realized that the TMP36 sensor used in combination with the Arduino's 10-bit resolution ADC only gives a resolution of about 1 degree Fahrenheit.  I would have preferred to have 0.1 degree of resolution but decided to run the experiment anyway and see how the numbers looked.

I'll create an additional post with the results from the first test run.