Development of a wireless data transmission system for a uniaxial dynamometer

Abstract

Wireless dynamometers are an adequate solution to measure mechanical loads where the use of cables is not practicable. Proprietary solutions are applied in most of the cases found out in the literature on wireless dynamometers. However, these solutions have a high market price, and they are black-box systems, which limit their application in customized conditions. In this context, this study presents the development of a wireless dynamometer based on low market price components and with an open-source technology for real-time monitoring with a suitable sampling rate of 400 Hz (or 32.8 kbps). The proposed dynamometer used a complete Wheatstone bridge configuration and an amplifier circuit with a static gain of 99.8 V / V. Calibration tests and analysis of the performance were carried out according to ISO 376 standard. The proposed wireless dynamometer presented performance indicators of 0.76% for hysteresis, 1.34% for linearity, 4.83 mV / N for sensitivity and 5.22% for repeatability. These results show that the low market price components and open-source technology can be used to build reliable wireless dynamometers able to comply with customized industrial demands.