Are Your Cables Too Thick?

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How do people choose load cells cables? If you look around at customers’ factories, you frequently find cables that are thicker than necessary, probably because they are worried about the resistance of the load cell cable causing measurement errors. In the 1970s, it was common practice to choose a cable that was thick as possible to reduce the negative effects of conductor resistance and temperature changes. All of our current weighing indicators have a remote sensing function that eliminates the need for thick cables. Remote sensing monitors changes in the excitation voltage* of the load cell. During A/D conversion, these changes are corrected to offset errors. The cables have six wires, two of which monitor the excitation voltage. Thinning load cell cables cuts costs and we recommend using cables with the optimal thickness to reduce installation costs.

*Excitation voltage: The application of voltage to an electric circuit from another circuit. Here, it indicates the supply of electrical power to the load cell from the weight indicator.

*How to choose the maximum cable length when using remote sensing with A&D’s weighing indicators