Published October 10, 2017 © GPL3+

The Dragon Weigher - Arduino Uno Controlled HX711

Arduino and HX711 Load Cell weight scale to keep track of our Bearded Dragon's weight. He's too long for typical kitchen scale.

BeginnerFull instructions provided2 hours5,400

The Dragon Weigher - Arduino Uno Controlled HX711

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Arduino UNO

HX711 Signal Amplifier Module

Adafruit Standard LCD - 16x2 White on Blue

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE

Story

Need to weigh anything? A Bearded Dragon perhaps?

So... the latest member of our family, a bearded dragon named DaVinci had a stomach bug which was really messing with his appetite, etc. We needed a scale with a resolution in the grams/oz. range but with a big enough base to hold him in his entirety so we could make sure he was on the rebound to health with his diet. Gotta eat those BUGS BUDDY BOY! Arduino and HX711 Load Cell weight scale to the rescue. Read on to build one for your reptile family members, or for whatever you need to weigh.

DaVinci's Weigh-In

1. Parts Needed:

Any reference to merchants and particular parts is just that, reference. Caveat Emptor.

5kg Load Cell and HX711 Combo Pack Kit - Amazon

NOTE for the kit above: One side both holes tapped M4 thread, the other side both holes tapped M5 thread.

Arduino UNO - Amazon

Precision Steel Scale Calibration Weight Kit - Amazon

For Parts: 4 wheel 2 layer Robot Smart Car Chassis Kit Amazon (I used the acrylic bases and standoffs from a previous project I had built, so parts were already present for me)

LCD 1602 w/I2C Serial Backpack - Amazon

Jumpers, USB Cable

2. Software Needed:

Assumptions:

Knowledge of Arduino IDE.

Knowledge on installing and utilizing Arduino libraries.

Knowledge of obtaining libraries from GITHub.

Libraries:

Obtain and install the HX711 library from Git: HX711 Library

Obtain and install the LiquidCrystal_I2C library from Git: LiquidCrystal_I2C library

Final Arduino Sketch:

See attached.

YouTube Resource I Used:

Ralph Bacon's Videos and Downloads I used for this project. Ralph Bacon

3: Hardware Setup:

1 / 2 • Side view of rig

This is where YOU need to get creative based on what you have on hand for building the scale frame. Whether it's like mine or if you just want to use some Popsicle sticks and 2X4's... it's your call.

Regardless of how you assemble it, just pay close attention to connection locations and jumper cable lengths you'll be using.

Power Up and TEST your connections once, or twice, before you put it all together.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure all solder joints are completely and solidly soldered on the HX711. It is very sensitive to external EMF. One of my connections was off just a little and the numbers went haywire! I would wave my hand 3 foot above the rig and it would stop dead in it's tracks. Crazy!

Wiring:

Arduino LCD HX711 LOAD CELL

Arduino 5v--------------------5v LCD

Arduino 3v--------------------3v HX711

Arduino Grnd----------------Grnd LCD

Arduino Grnd----------------Grnd HX711

Arduino 10--------------------Clck HX711

Arduino 11-------------------- Data HX711

Arduino A4--------------------Data LCD

Arduino A5--------------------Clck LCD

HX711 E+-----------------------LOAD CELL RED

HX711 E- -----------------------LOAD CELL BLACK

HX711 A- -----------------------LOAD CELL GREEN

HX711 A+-----------------------LOAD CELL WHITE

DO NOT CONNECT B+ B-

4: Final Step - Home Stretch:

This final step of steps may seem a little chaotic, so jump around at your own pace.

In the Arduino sketch, if you are you using I2C for the LCD, you may need to change it's address to match your device. If you don't know it's address, you can download the I2C Scanning Tool from here to track it down. It is named ESP32_Wemos_I2C_Scanner but will work on any Arduino compatible with the Wire.h library.

Head to Ralph Bacon's page now for additional tips on calibration.

Refer to the Bogde GIT page for tips in the Readme.

Calibration Time!! Once you have tested all, and assembled, calibrate your scale....even if you calibrated earlier, do it again now.

The HX711 will work on other controllers like the ESP8266 and ESP32. You may need to adjust processor speed though. Refer to Andreas Speiss's page for tips on that.

Arduino Uno powered HX711 w/1602LCD-I2C Serial Backpack

#include "Arduino.h"
#include "HX711.h"

//#define RST 4
#define DOUT  11
#define CLK  10
#include <Wire.h> 
#include <LiquidCrystal_I2C.h>

LiquidCrystal_I2C lcd(0x3F,16,2);

// Create our LoadCell object
HX711 scale(DOUT, CLK);

void setup() {
	Serial.begin(9600);
 lcd.init();
  // Print a message to the LCD.
  lcd.backlight();

	scale.set_scale();
	scale.tare();  //Reset the scale to 0
}

void loop() {
	//Adjust to this calibration factor
	scale.set_scale(-376.0);

	// Read an average of X readings
	Serial.println("Reading weight");
	float grams = scale.get_units(5);
  float ounce = (grams*(0.035274));
  float pound = (grams*(0.00220462));
  

	Serial.print(grams);
	Serial.println(" g");

 lcd.setCursor(0,0);
  lcd.print("Gram:");
  lcd.print(grams);
  
  lcd.setCursor(0,1);
  lcd.print("Oz:");
  lcd.print(ounce,2);

  lcd.setCursor(9,1);
  lcd.print("LB:");
  lcd.print(pound,2);

  

  
}