Load Measurement in Pea Farming
Problem:
It is a little known fact that the average person in Britain eats nearly 9000 peas a year, so when a customer approached Mantracourt to help monitor the weight of peas collected in a harvesting machine, we were able to appreciate the efforts which went into those bags of peas which sat in our freezers.
Solutions:
Our SGA strain gauge/load cell amplifier/signal conditioner provided a solution by determining when the crates of peas were full and needed to be automatically transferred to a trailer. The filter in the SGA proved to be very useful as it was able to minimize uncertainties in the weighing caused by the rough terrain over which the machine was travelling.
This installation highlighted some of the problems that can arise in DC powered on-vehicle applications and how they can be remedied. The voltage output of the SGA was connected to a data logger /controller which initially proved problematic owing to earth loops and long cable runs causing large offsets in the measurements. Fitting Mantracourt's IS1224 isolating power supply module to the SGA cured the problem completely.
Products used in this application:
