I've got a brief understanding of strain gauges, but I've got an application that I would like assistance with.

I've attached an image that summarizes what I'm trying to accomplish. Basically, it's a system that will read the stress (weight) of the pogo jumper and transfer it to a microcomputer. The signal will then be analyzed by a program. I can figure that part out later.

I'm concerned about size and placement of the strain gauge, and how to get the signal into the microcomputer. What's the best size for taking readings of this magnitude? Will I need an amplifier in this case?

Any help or direction would be greatly appreciated!

 

You will definitely need not only an amplifier, but a stable voltage source to excite the strain gauge bridge. Go to www.omega.com for more information.

The hard part is how to mount the load cell. It has to take the full force of the spring. You may be able to find a pancake cell with a hole that will pass the pogo stick shaft. If not, engineering some mount for multiple cells could be a challenge. For instance, S cells for largish loads are a bit large.

Anyway, give Omega a look an see what seems reasonable.

 

While the strain gauge is a viable solution, have you considered using one of the MEM technology tri-axis accelerometers?

The output is an analog voltage that can be monitored using the built-in A-to-D converter present in PIC or AVR microcontrollers.

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