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Documentation Number FBDA0797 Manual 

B&B Electronics  --  PO Box 1040  --  Ottawa, IL  61350 

PH (815) 433-5100  --  FAX (815) 433-5105

 

Chapter 4: Excitation Voltage

 

 

 

Sensors that are based on a Wheatstone bridge need an 

excitation voltage to excite the bridge.  The FBDA provides an 
adjustable excitation voltage.  This excitation voltage is available on 
the terminal block labeled EXV.  The excitation voltage is set to 
5VDC ± 0.05VDC at the factory.  This voltage is referenced with 
respect to GND.  To adjust the excitation voltage, the following steps 
should be followed: 
 
1.   Remove the cover from the FBDA module using a small slotted 

screwdriver. 

2.   Make all of the required connections except the sensor 

connections and turn on the power. 

3.   Using a voltmeter, measure the voltage on the terminal block 

labeled EXV with respect to the GND terminal block.  Adjust P2 
to change the excitation voltage.  The terminal block labeled A/D 
1 can be used to measure the excitation voltage. 

 
 

Sensors that are comprised of Wheatstone bridges usually state 

the amount of output per volt of excitation voltage.  An example is:  
10mV output / 1V of excitation.  If a 5V excitation voltage is used, 
The full scale output of the sensor will be 50mV.  The gain of the 
FBDA should then be chosen, so that Vout does not exceed 5V (the 
maximum voltage that the SDAXX line of data acquisition modules 
can measure). 
 
 

If for some reason the excitation voltage source in the FBDA 

does not meet your needs, you can use an external excitation 
voltage.  If this is the case, then nothing should be connected to the 
EXV terminal block, and the GND lead of the external excitation 
voltage source should be connected to the GND terminal block on 
the FBDA module. 

Summary of Contents for Strain Gauge/Load Cell Bridge Amplifier FBDA

Page 1: ...ber FBDA0797 This product Designed and Manufactured In Ottawa Illinois USA of domestic and imported parts by B B Electronics Mfg Co Inc 707 Dayton Road P O Box 1040 Ottawa IL 61350 PH 815 433 5100 FAX 815 433 5105 Internet http www bb elec com orders bb elec com support bb elec com 1997 B B Electronics Not Recommended for New Installations Please contact Technical Support for more information ...

Page 2: ...815 433 5100 FAX 815 433 5105 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 FEATURES 1 PACKING LIST 2 SOFTWARE 2 CALIBRATION 2 FBDA SPECIFICATIONS 2 CHAPTER 2 CONNECTIONS 3 POWER SUPPLY CONNECTIONS 3 SENSOR CONNECTIONS 3 DATA ACQUISITION CONNECTIONS 4 CHAPTER 3 GAIN SELECTION 7 CHAPTER 4 EXCITATION VOLTAGE 9 ...

Page 3: ...mber of different gain settings are available on the FBDA to accommodate a wide variety of voltage ranges The FBDA also provides an adjustable excitation voltage for the full bridge circuitry The sensor connections are made using terminal blocks and the A D connections are made through a DB 25 connector B B Electronics SDAXX and ADIO12 data acquisition modules are pin compatible with the FBDA This...

Page 4: ...that you can modify to meet your exact needs Calibration The FBDA is calibrated at the factory The excitation voltage is set to 5VDC 0 05VDC and the gain is calibrated at 80 2 The process of calibrating the FBDA and your sensor will vary depending on the type of sensor being used An example calibration procedure is covered in Chapter 3 FBDA Specifications Size 4 8 x 2 2 x 0 9 in Maximum Input Volt...

Page 5: ...A or another voltage source can be furnished by the user This excitation voltage is referenced with respect to ground which is the second connection marked GND The remaining two leads from the sensor carry the differential signal voltage that is to be conditioned and read by the data acquisition module These two leads are connected to SIG and SIG Consult your sensor manual to determine the signal ...

Page 6: ...ntains the DB 25 male pin assignments 1 denotes no connection 2 The conditioned sensor signal is available on pin 8 and is labeled Vout 3 Pin 9 is connected straight through to terminal block A D 1 no signal conditioning circuitry 4 Pins 17 and 18 are looped to each other to provide 5V to REF in the SDAXX line of A D modules 5 Pin 19 provides 0V to REF in the SDAXX line of A D modules Figure 2 1 c...

Page 7: ... 5105 Figure 2 1 Block Diagram of FBDA Connections A D Note Conditioned signal is available on DB 25 pin 8 6 4 5 Terminal Blocks 2 3 1 13V A D 1 13V REF GND GND 19 19 REF DB 25P Connector GND GND Vout Module FBDA EXV SIG SIG 8 8 9 9 17 18 17 18 A D 1 5V A D 0 7 1 GND 7 GND 1 Sensor and is labeled as Vout Module ...

Page 8: ...all of the required connections power supply A D converter sensor and excitation voltage and turn on the power 4 Set up your sensor to provide a known input signal for the FBDA If you are using a load cell place a known weight on the load cell This will produce a known input signal 5 The output voltage from the FBDA can be read from DB 25 pin 8 A D 0 on B B Electronics SDAXX data acquisition modul...

Page 9: ...red connections 2 Place a 1lb mass on the load cell Record the voltage on DB 25 pin 8 as Vouta Pin 8 is A D 0 on the SDAXX modules 3 Add a second 1lb mass onto the load cell Record the voltage on DB 25 pin 8 as Voutb 4 Subtract Vouta form Voutb The difference is the voltage Vout which corresponds to 1lb 5 Calculate what SIG SIG is for 1lb This is the voltage produced by the sensor 6 Use the Gain E...

Page 10: ...the voltage on the terminal block labeled EXV with respect to the GND terminal block Adjust P2 to change the excitation voltage The terminal block labeled A D 1 can be used to measure the excitation voltage Sensors that are comprised of Wheatstone bridges usually state the amount of output per volt of excitation voltage An example is 10mV output 1V of excitation If a 5V excitation voltage is used ...

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