Take a look at this forum post: http://forums.adafruit.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=12269
Multi-channel 18 bit precision in a single, inexpensive IC.
Multi-channel 18 bit precision in a single, inexpensive IC.
Money is right - load cells aren't cheap. I was looking into doing something like that and the price went right out the window.
Back to the topic of interfacing an Arduino: they have serial I/O and all you have to do is write a little routine to listen to the input and act.
scoates has a pretty good go-by that he discusses in this thread:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/arduino-kegerator-temperature-control-40997/#post531366
hmmm.... Sparkfun used four of these for their tweeting kegerator. Of course they are weighing the whole kegerator not just the keg. At $20 for a sensor I think you could put the CO2 tank on a small platform assembly with the pressure sensor in there such that with a little math you can get a reliable measure of the weight.
Yea, I should have used the term micro-controller, really I was just trying to refer to something like the Arduino.
Reading your setup, very cool BTW, what your doing with the 1-Wire Serial Adaptor is really what I was looking to do with the Arduino. Just some means of connecting external input directly to a computer. I really want to just avoid writing C code on the Arduino and go directly to programming against it using Java, .Net or a more robust programming language than C.
i've managed to get my Arduino to input values from several temperature sensors into a java program on my computer. The Arduino sketch simply sends the voltage from each analog input once every second. The java code then simply listens for the input and parses it as it comes in. Here's my project thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/temperature-monitoring-control-arduino-155408/
I was just looking at that thread and had to laugh because I'm using my son's Electronics Lab set for a breadboard too! I couldn't find the one I have from college but I've ordered a really nice one from the interwebs. I hope it will be here next week.
I had a look at your Java code and had to hang my head a bit. I've been spending the last few days learning to program the Arduino and it's been going well. I had a look at your Java code thinking I'd like to do the same thing, but damn! That's a lot of code for such a simple app. Now I have to learn another language. The text book is going to cost more than my Arduino.
...Now I have to learn another language. The text book is going to cost more than my Arduino.
Although a bit dated, Bruce Eckel's Thinking in Java would make a good starting point and Bruce has made the 3rd edition (as well as several other of his books) available as a download.
http://www.mindviewinc.com/Books/