EmbeddedRelated.com
Forums

voltage to force translation ?

Started by learn June 9, 2015
A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit.  When force
is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force measurement
unit displays the Force in Newtons. 

On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector.  Some description
of this connector is  as follows:

AOUT -   is pin 4.
GND       is pin 3.
AOUT +  is pin 2.

This I/O connector is used for Analog Output.
The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-.  It has
common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground.  AOUT-  is the
reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it.  
The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0 V
nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor.  


My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector.  I need to connect
these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded application.
 My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is 5V.

Please check my connection as follows:

AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller.
AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my
microcontroller.

Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ?

My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V.  In my embedded
software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract AOUT-
from AOUT+  ? 
What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ?   What voltage is
what amount of force ?

The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with
respect to AOUT- .  Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and 
AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ?  I don't
think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my
Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is 5V.
 So, I believe Analog Input values going into my 
microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V.  If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 will
send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ?

Please explain following:
"The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0V
nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. 
What is 2mV/V ?  Is this a typo ?
---------------------------------------
Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com
On Tuesday, June 9, 2015 at 11:09:52 AM UTC-4, learn wrote:
> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When force > is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force measurement > unit displays the Force in Newtons.
Okay so far.
> > On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some description > of this connector is as follows: > > AOUT - is pin 4. > GND is pin 3. > AOUT + is pin 2. > > This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. > The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-. It has > common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT- is the > reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it. > The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0 V > nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. > > > My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to connect > these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded application. > My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is 5V.
I suggest you contact the maker of the PMAC, Sensor Developments Inc.,and ask them for the manual and if they have an application note. I tried looking but they do not seem to have any details online. http://www.sendev.com/products-and-services/instruments-and-daq-systems/pmac-2000/
> > Please check my connection as follows: > > AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. > AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my > microcontroller. > > Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ?
Does the documentation say the analog signal is differential?
> > My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my embedded > software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract AOUT- > from AOUT+ ?
That would be a differential signal.
> What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What voltage is > what amount of force ?
Should be in the manual.
> > The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with > respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and > AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I don't > think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my > Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is 5V. > So, I believe Analog Input values going into my > microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 will > send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ?
Voltages are always relative to a reference point. So I suspect this answers your earlier question about connecting the ground. (i.e., the answer is NO)
> > Please explain following: > "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0V > nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. > What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ?
Depends on the sensor. Sorry I cannot help more. I have a meeting soon. ed
On Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:09:48 -0500, learn wrote:

> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When force > is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force measurement > unit displays the Force in Newtons. > > On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some description > of this connector is as follows: > > AOUT - is pin 4. > GND is pin 3. > AOUT + is pin 2. > > This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. > The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-. It has > common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT- is the > reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it. > The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0 V > nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. > > > My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to connect > these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded application. > My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is 5V. > > Please check my connection as follows: > > AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. > AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my > microcontroller. > > Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ? > > My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my embedded > software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract AOUT- > from AOUT+ ? > What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What voltage is > what amount of force ? > > The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with > respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and > AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I don't > think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my > Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is 5V. > So, I believe Analog Input values going into my > microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 will > send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ? > > Please explain following: > "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0V > nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. > What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ? > --------------------------------------- > Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com
The spec is what I'd expect from a bridge force transducer. The 2mV/V FS says for each volt of excitation (you didn't tell us about those connections!), you get 2mV F.S. However I don't understand what this "+1.0V" is. I doubt that the excitation voltage could ever be high enough to get 1V out FS. And yes, you'll almost certainly want something like an instrumentation amplifier between the transducer and your ADC unless you've got a high gain differential amplifier front-end built into your microcontroller. You should DuckDuckGo (search) for how you should use a resistor-bridge force transducer. Hope that helps you get started-
>On Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:09:48 -0500, learn wrote: > >> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When >force >> is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force >measurement >> unit displays the Force in Newtons. >> >> On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some >description >> of this connector is as follows: >> >> AOUT - is pin 4. >> GND is pin 3. >> AOUT + is pin 2. >> >> This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. >> The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-. It >has >> common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT- is >the >> reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it.
>> The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0
V
>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >> >> >> My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to
connect
>> these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded >application. >> My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is
5V.
>> >> Please check my connection as follows: >> >> AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. >> AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my >> microcontroller. >> >> Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ? >> >> My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my embedded >> software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract
AOUT-
>> from AOUT+ ? >> What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What
voltage
>is >> what amount of force ? >> >> The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative
with
>> respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and >> AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I
don't
>> think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my >> Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is >5V. >> So, I believe Analog Input values going into my >> microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 >will >> send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ? >> >> Please explain following: >> "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is
+1.0V
>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >> What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ? >> --------------------------------------- >> Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com > >The spec is what I'd expect from a bridge force transducer. The 2mV/V
FS
>says >for each volt of excitation (you didn't tell us about those
connections!),
>you >get 2mV F.S. > >However I don't understand what this "+1.0V" is. I doubt that the >excitation >voltage could ever be high enough to get 1V out FS. And yes, you'll
almost
>certainly >want something like an instrumentation amplifier between the transducer
and
>your >ADC unless you've got a high gain differential amplifier front-end built >into >your microcontroller. > >You should DuckDuckGo (search) for how you should use a resistor-bridge >force >transducer. > >Hope that helps you get started-
Following is additional information from the PMAC 2000 manual: The analog output is the signal from the transducer, amplified and relayed through a low pass filter. The instrument provides an excitation of 7V. The amplifier has a gain factor of 76 for a nominal output of 1V at 2mV / V. This signal is transmitted through the I/O Connector. --------------------------------------- Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com
>On Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:09:48 -0500, learn wrote: > >> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When >force >> is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force >measurement >> unit displays the Force in Newtons. >> >> On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some >description >> of this connector is as follows: >> >> AOUT - is pin 4. >> GND is pin 3. >> AOUT + is pin 2. >> >> This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. >> The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-. It >has >> common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT- is >the >> reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it.
>> The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0
V
>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >> >> >> My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to
connect
>> these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded >application. >> My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is
5V.
>> >> Please check my connection as follows: >> >> AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. >> AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my >> microcontroller. >> >> Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ? >> >> My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my embedded >> software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract
AOUT-
>> from AOUT+ ? >> What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What
voltage
>is >> what amount of force ? >> >> The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative
with
>> respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and >> AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I
don't
>> think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my >> Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is >5V. >> So, I believe Analog Input values going into my >> microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 >will >> send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ? >> >> Please explain following: >> "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is
+1.0V
>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >> What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ? >> --------------------------------------- >> Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com > >The spec is what I'd expect from a bridge force transducer. The 2mV/V
FS
>says >for each volt of excitation (you didn't tell us about those
connections!),
>you >get 2mV F.S. > >However I don't understand what this "+1.0V" is. I doubt that the >excitation >voltage could ever be high enough to get 1V out FS. And yes, you'll
almost
>certainly >want something like an instrumentation amplifier between the transducer
and
>your >ADC unless you've got a high gain differential amplifier front-end built >into >your microcontroller. > >You should DuckDuckGo (search) for how you should use a resistor-bridge >force >transducer. > >Hope that helps you get started-
Following is additional information from the PMAC 2000 manual: The analog output is the signal from the transducer, amplified and relayed through a low pass filter. The instrument provides an excitation of 7V. The amplifier has a gain factor of 76 for a nominal output of 1V at 2mV / V. This signal is transmitted through the I/O Connector. --------------------------------------- Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com
On 9.6.15 21:39, learn wrote:
>> On Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:09:48 -0500, learn wrote: >> >>> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When >> force >>> is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force >> measurement >>> unit displays the Force in Newtons. >>> >>> On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some >> description >>> of this connector is as follows: >>> >>> AOUT - is pin 4. >>> GND is pin 3. >>> AOUT + is pin 2. >>> >>> This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. >>> The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-. It >> has >>> common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT- is >> the >>> reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to it. > >>> The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is +1.0 > V >>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >>> >>> >>> My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to > connect >>> these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded >> application. >>> My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage is > 5V. >>> >>> Please check my connection as follows: >>> >>> AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. >>> AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my >>> microcontroller. >>> >>> Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ? >>> >>> My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my embedded >>> software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract > AOUT- >>> from AOUT+ ? >>> What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What > voltage >> is >>> what amount of force ? >>> >>> The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative > with >>> respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and >>> AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I > don't >>> think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my >>> Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller is >> 5V. >>> So, I believe Analog Input values going into my >>> microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC 2000 >> will >>> send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ? >>> >>> Please explain following: >>> "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is > +1.0V >>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >>> What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ? >>> --------------------------------------- >>> Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com >> >> The spec is what I'd expect from a bridge force transducer. The 2mV/V > FS >> says >> for each volt of excitation (you didn't tell us about those > connections!), >> you >> get 2mV F.S. >> >> However I don't understand what this "+1.0V" is. I doubt that the >> excitation >> voltage could ever be high enough to get 1V out FS. And yes, you'll > almost >> certainly >> want something like an instrumentation amplifier between the transducer > and >> your >> ADC unless you've got a high gain differential amplifier front-end built >> into >> your microcontroller. >> >> You should DuckDuckGo (search) for how you should use a resistor-bridge >> force >> transducer. >> >> Hope that helps you get started- > > > > Following is additional information from the PMAC 2000 manual: > > The analog output is the signal from the transducer, amplified and relayed > through a low pass filter. The instrument provides an excitation of 7V. > The amplifier has a gain factor of 76 for a nominal output of 1V at 2mV / > V. This signal is transmitted through the I/O Connector. >
1. You need the ground reference. 2. To know force, you need the conversion factor of the load cell, from Newtons to mV/V. 3. The information has been vague if the output signal is differential (between AOUT+ and AOUT-) or twice the single-ended output, e.g. AOUT+ to centerpoint voltage. I'd connect the ground to the A/D converter ground and the outputs to two separate A/D inputs, and collect some data and compare them to the instrument indications. -- -TV
>On 9.6.15 21:39, learn wrote: >>> On Tue, 09 Jun 2015 10:09:48 -0500, learn wrote: >>> >>>> A transducer or sensor is connected to Force measurement unit. When >>> force >>>> is applied to sensor, Sensor Developments Inc. PMAC 2000 Force >>> measurement >>>> unit displays the Force in Newtons. >>>> >>>> On back of PMAC 2000 unit, there is 9-pin I/O Connector. Some >>> description >>>> of this connector is as follows: >>>> >>>> AOUT - is pin 4. >>>> GND is pin 3. >>>> AOUT + is pin 2. >>>> >>>> This I/O connector is used for Analog Output. >>>> The analog output is a differential output across AOUT+ and AOUT-.
It
>>> has >>>> common mode voltage of 2.5V with respect to chassis ground. AOUT-
is
>>> the >>>> reference and AOUT+ is driven positive or negative with respect to
it.
>> >>>> The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is
+1.0
>> V >>>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >>>> >>>> >>>> My interest is Analog Output pins from this connector. I need to >> connect >>>> these Analog Output Pins to my Microcontroller based embedded >>> application. >>>> My target Microcontroller A/D is 10-bit and A/D Reference Voltage
is
>> 5V. >>>> >>>> Please check my connection as follows: >>>> >>>> AOUT - (Pin 4) connects to unused Analog Pin in my microcontroller. >>>> AOUT + (Pin 2) connects to different unused Analog Pin in my >>>> microcontroller. >>>> >>>> Do I need to connect GND (Pin 3) to Ground on my target board ? >>>> >>>> My understanding is that sum of AOUT+ and AOUT- is 5V. In my
embedded
>>>> software, how should I calculate voltage, should I simply subtract >> AOUT- >>>> from AOUT+ ? >>>> What is the translation of voltage to force in Newtons ? What >> voltage >>> is >>>> what amount of force ? >>>> >>>> The attached description says AOUT+ is driven positive or negative >> with >>>> respect to AOUT- . Please provide examples of some AOUT+ and >>>> AOUT- voltages I will see on my Microcontroller Analog Inputs ? I >> don't >>>> think I can have negative voltages going into my Analog Pins on my >>>> Microcontroller because A/D reference voltage in my microcontroller
is
>>> 5V. >>>> So, I believe Analog Input values going into my >>>> microcontroller need to be 0V to 5V. If yes, how do I know PMAC
2000
>>> will >>>> send Analog Voltages in between 0 to 5V ? >>>> >>>> Please explain following: >>>> "The Output impedance of each is 620 ohms and the output voltage is >> +1.0V >>>> nominal for 2mV/V full scale sensor. >>>> What is 2mV/V ? Is this a typo ? >>>> --------------------------------------- >>>> Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com >>> >>> The spec is what I'd expect from a bridge force transducer. The
2mV/V
>> FS >>> says >>> for each volt of excitation (you didn't tell us about those >> connections!), >>> you >>> get 2mV F.S. >>> >>> However I don't understand what this "+1.0V" is. I doubt that the >>> excitation >>> voltage could ever be high enough to get 1V out FS. And yes, you'll >> almost >>> certainly >>> want something like an instrumentation amplifier between the
transducer
>> and >>> your >>> ADC unless you've got a high gain differential amplifier front-end
built
>>> into >>> your microcontroller. >>> >>> You should DuckDuckGo (search) for how you should use a
resistor-bridge
>>> force >>> transducer. >>> >>> Hope that helps you get started- >> >> >> >> Following is additional information from the PMAC 2000 manual: >> >> The analog output is the signal from the transducer, amplified and >relayed >> through a low pass filter. The instrument provides an excitation of
7V.
>> The amplifier has a gain factor of 76 for a nominal output of 1V at 2mV
/
>> V. This signal is transmitted through the I/O Connector. >> > >1. You need the ground reference. > >2. To know force, you need the conversion factor of the > load cell, from Newtons to mV/V. > >3. The information has been vague if the output signal > is differential (between AOUT+ and AOUT-) or twice > the single-ended output, e.g. AOUT+ to centerpoint > voltage. > >I'd connect the ground to the A/D converter ground and >the outputs to two separate A/D inputs, and collect some >data and compare them to the instrument indications. > >-- > >-TV
Thank you very much for all great replies. --------------------------------------- Posted through http://www.EmbeddedRelated.com