Understanding the Different Types of Load Cells

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Understanding the Different Types of Load Cells

Load cells are very important to understand for a number of reasons. If you’ve never heard the words “loadcell”, it can be a lot to understand at first. Essentially, load cells are used to measure the force that is exerted on certain objects. These objects could range from bridges to large buildings to overpasses, and measuring the force on these objects is very important.

5592So what are the different types of load cells, and what do they do? There are three main different types of load cells, all of which perform various functions. If you’re looking to get a better understanding of the different types of load cells so you can better know what it is they do, check out this article for detailed explanation on the different types of load cells.

Amplifier

Before understanding the different types of load cells, you must first understand how those load cells are used. For most load cells, an industrial amplifier is used in order to perform precision based summing on a multiple of load cell signals in order to weigh applications.

Hydraulic Load Cell

For a hydraulic load cell, the piston is placed into a very thin elastic diaphragm, and doesn’t come in contact with the load cell at all. There are steps in place that are designed to prevent the diaphragm being strained if the loads of the cell surpass the stated limit.

With the hydraulic load cell, the cell is filled with oil. When that load is then applied onto the piston, the piston’s movement combined with the way that the diaphragm is arranged means that the oil pressure will be increased. When the oil pressure is increased, there is a change in pressure on the tube that’s connected with the cells.

Pneumatic Load Cell

Pneumatic load cells are different than hydraulic load cells in that the load cell is manufactured so that it regulates the balancing pressure automatically. The air pressure is then applied to only one side of the diaphragm, and then the air leaves through the nozzle that’s on the bottom of the load cell.

Attached to the pneumatic load cell is a pressure gauge in order to measure the pressure inside of the cell. The diaphragm is deflected, which in turn changes the airflow that goes through the nozzle, and ultimately it changes the pressure that’s in the chamber.

Strain Gauge Load Cell

A strain gauge load cell is a longer conductor which is arranged in a sort of zigzag type pattern. As the load cell is stretched, its resistance increases. When the load cell is bent downward, the gauges on the top of the load cell are stretched while they gauges on the bottom of the load cell are compressed.

While those are the three main types of load cells, there are also different, lesser known and used types of load cells. These include piezoelectric load cells and vibrating wire load cells, both of which are used in a variety of different settings.

Image credit: http://image.made-in-china.com/

21 Geo-Social Media Domains You Can Register Today

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It’s been a while since I’ve posted some unregistered domains your can get your grubby little domaining mitts on.

Here’s 21 {geo}socialmedia.com domains you can register today:

alabamasocialmedia.com
alaskasocialmedia.com
arlingtonsocialmedia.com
honolulusocialmedia.com
illinoissocialmedia.com
kansassocialmedia.com
longbeachsocialmedia.com
louisianasocialmedia.com
mississippisocialmedia.com
mspsocialmedia.com
nevadasocialmedia.com
newhampshiresocialmedia.com
nolasocialmedia.com
northdakotasocialmedia.com
oklahomacitysocialmedia.com
renosocialmedia.com
rhodeislandsocialmedia.com
southcarolinasocialmedia.com
tahoesocialmedia.com
westvirginiasocialmedia.com
wyomingsocialmedia.com

Have at ‘em.

2012 Year in Places

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It is an odd feeling when you log in to your blog to write your annual Year in Places entry and you realize that the last post on your blog is last year’s Year in Places post.

I’ll try to make some changes in 2013.

2012 was an extremely light travel year for me. This has been the first year in over a decade from my best recollection that I didn’t spend a single night on the road for business reasons. I did have some opportunities to expand this years list, but a health scare with my wife postponed many of those trips (she’s fine now, relatively minor surgery to correct an issue, so I count ourselves as blessed).

In 2012 I spent at least one night in:

  • Omaha, NE (home)
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • Carroll, IA*
  • Rapid City, SD
  • Scottsbluff, NE
  • Denver, CO

*indicates more than one visit
As mentioned previously, I missed out on some travel opportunities including San Francisco, Kansas City, Chicago and albuquerque, NM.

My goal for 2013 travel is to double that list to at least 12 entries.

2011 Year in Places

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Continuing a trend started by David Burn, and capturing my year in travel.

In 2011 I spent at least one night in:

  • Omaha, NE (Home)
  • Kansas City*
  • Las Vegas
  • Carroll, IA*
  • San Antonio, TX
  • Iowa City, IA
* indicates more than one visit.

It was a rather light year in travel for me this year, similar to my 2010.

For 2012, I’m also keeping a living post for my 2012 State Log.

Chicken Stew & Dumplings

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chicken and dumplings1.25 lbs chicken breast (2 large halves)

2 cups chicken stock
1 10oz jar turkey gravy (or 1.25 cups homemade gravy)
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 large potatoes 1″ diced
1 onion diced
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup frozen peas
3-4 carrots 1″ chop or 1/2 bag baby carrots, halved
1 can Grands Biscuits
salt
pepper
4 bay leaves

Step 1 can be skipped and the breasts cooked in the slow cooker, but avoid the taste test in step 7. I like to poach the chicken first so it is falling apart tender at serving time.

    1. Add chicken breasts, 2 bay leaves, 1/4 of the onion to a deep pan. Cover to top of chicken with water, bring to a boil and poach for 15-20 minutes until chicken cooked through.
    1. While the chicken is poaching, dice the vegetables and add to slow-cooker.
    1. When the chicken is cooked. Shred or 1″ dice and add to slow-cooker.
    1. Add remaining bay leaves.
    1. Add turkey gravy, cream of chicken soup, chicken stock and butter.
    1. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours.
    1. After 3 hours in cooker, taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
    1. 45 minutes prior to serving. open the can of biscuits, tear or cut in pieces and add to stew.

The Dirty Secret of Google Apps

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Before you click that submit button to sign up for Google Apps for your domain, burn this into your brain right now:

If you ever think about letting your domain expire, this doesn’t destroy your Google Apps account. You must cancel this service as well.

Any future registrant of your domain, if they determine you had Google Apps – and it is a trivial process – all it takes is a couple of days and they will have full control of whatever information resided there – which includes Google Apps email archives, Google App Docs and more.

I don’t blame Google for this, this isn’t a hit piece on them and they shouldn’t be policing the expiration of domain names from Google Apps accounts.

It is no secret that I buy and sell domains. I’m not as active as I once was, but I still browse the drop lists for expired domains and actively search new domains with keywords of up-and-coming business/tech and terms in the news.

In the last 6 months alone, I’ve picked up 3 domains1 that I realized, after the fact, had Google Apps accounts configured. Between those 3 domains, and before I deleted the Google Apps accounts, I had access to 37 email accounts and their archives. A cursory look through a few of those accounts and assuming people lagged behind in changing the email address associated with their accounts, I could have likely found a way to access:

  • Cell Phone Accounts
  • LinkedIn Profiles
  • Facebook & Twitter Acccounts
  • Affiliate Network Accounts
  • An Ashley Madison Account (hmmm)2
  • Business Plans
  • Apple ID & iTunes Account
  • Hundreds of Contacts
  • And more, you get the idea

Like I said, I deleted the accounts associated with these domains. Mainly because I would hope someone would do the same for me, but also because there was some temptation to dig for some competitive information that I didn’t feel right doing. I removed the temptation and kept the ethical compass pointing north, mostly north.

Before you let any domain expire, audit its past usage and clean up the loose ends so they don’t come back to bite you.

1 Don’t ask, I’m not revealing which domains they were.
2 A married, and from what I gathered, a prominent business person in his city.

2012 State Log

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2012 looks to be a busy travel year. How many states can I visit? I’ll keep this post updated.

  • Nebraska – Personal & Professional HQ
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
    Very weird to be in Minnesota in January, seeing no snow, and a daytime high in 40′s. My brain is having troubles comprehending as the last time I was here in January it was -15 and there was more than a foot of snow on the ground.
  • …more coming soon…