cheap homemade microgram scale

[fidelis]

by Shawn Carlson (Scientific American, June 1996) but taken from a vespiary link. however, i will post an updated version in the replies!! ^_^

Microgram balances are clever devices that can measure fantastically tiny masses. Top-of-the-line models employ an ingenious combination of mechanical isolation, thermal insulation and electronic wizardry to produce repeatable measurements down to one tenth of a millionth of one gram. With their elaborate glass enclosures and polished goldplated fixtures, these balances look more like works of art than scientific instruments. New models can cost more than $10,000 and often require a master's touch to coax reliable data from background noise.

But for all their cost and outward complexity, these devices are in essence quite simple. One common type uses a magnetic coil to provide a torque that delicately balances a specimen at the end of a lever arm. Increasing the electric current in the coil increases the torque. The current required to offset the weight of the specimen is therefore a direct measure of its mass. The coils in commercial balances ride on pivots of polished blue sapphire. Sapphires are used because their extreme hardness (only diamonds are harder) keeps the pivots from wearing. Sophisticated sensing devices and circuitry control the current in the coil - which is why microgram electrobalances are so pricey.

And that is good news for amateurs. If you are willing to substitute your eyes for the sensors and your hands for the control circuits, you can build a delicate electrobalance for less than $30.

George Schmermund of Vista, Calif., made this fact clear to me. For more than 20 years, Schmermund has run a small company called Science Resources, which buys, repairs and customizes scientific equipment. Although he may be an austere professional to his clients, I know him to be quite the free spirit who spends time in the business world only so he can make enough money to indulge his true passion - amateur science.

Schmermund already owns four expensive commercial microgram balances. But in the interest of advancing amateur science, he decided to see how well he could do on the cheap. His ingenious ploy was to combine a cheese board and an old galvanometer, a device that measures current. The result was an electrobalance that can determine weights from about 10 micrograms all the way up to 500,000 micrograms (0.5 gram).

The precision of the measurements is quite impressive. I personally confirmed that his design can measure to 1 percent masses exceeding one milligram. Furthermore, it can distinguish between masses in the 100-microgram range that differ by as little as two micrograms. And calculations suggest that the instrument can measure single masses as slight as 10 micrograms (I didn't have a weight this small to test).

The crucial component, the galvanometer, is easy to come by. These devices are the centerpiece of most old analog electric meters, the kind that use a needle mounted on a coil. Current flowing through the coil creates a magnetic field that deflects the needle. Schmermund's design calls for the needle, mounted in the vertical plane, to act as the lever arm: specimens hang from the needle's tip.

Electronic surplus stores will probably have several analog galvanometers on hand. A good way to judge the quality is to shake the meter gently from side to side. If the needle stays in place, you're holding a suitable coil. Beyond this test, a strange sense of aesthetics guides me in selecting a good meter. It is frustratingly difficult to describe this sense, but if I'm moved to say, "Now this is a beautiful meter!" when I look it over, I buy it. There is a practical benefit to this aesthetic fuzziness. Finely crafted and carefully designed meters usually house exquisite coils that are every bit as good as the coils used in fine electrobalances, sapphire bearings and all.To build the balance, gently liberate the coil from the meter housing, being careful not to damage the needle. Mount the coil on a scrap sheet of aluminum [see illustration on opposite page]. If you can't use aluminum sheet metal, mount the coil inside a plastic project box. To isolate the balance from air currents, secure the entire assembly in a glass-covered cheese board, with the aluminum sheet standing upright so that the needle moves up and down. The two heavy guard wires cannibalized from the meter are mounted on the aluminum support to constrain the needle's range of motion.

Epoxy a small bolt to the aluminum support, just behind the needle's tip. The needle should cross just in front of the bolt without touching. Cover the bolt with a small piece of construction paper, then draw a thin horizontal line across the center of the paper. This line defines the zero position of the scale.

The specimen tray that hangs from the needle is merely a small frame homefashioned by bending noninsulated wire. The exact diameter of the wire is not critical, but keep it thin: 28-gauge wire works well. A tiny circle of aluminum foil rests at the base of the wire frame and serves as the tray pan. To avoid contamination with body oils, never touch the tray (or the specimen) with your fingers; rather always use a pair of tweezers.

To energize the galvanometer coil, you'll need a circuit that supplies a stable five volts [see the circuit diagram below]. Do not substitute an AC-to-DC adapter for the batteries unless you are willing to add filters that can suppress lowfrequency voltage fluctuations, which can leak into the system from the adapter. Fluctuations as tiny as 0.1 millivolt will sharply reduce your ability to resolve the smallest weights.

The device uses two precision, 100kilohm, 10-turn, variable resistors (also called potentiometers or rheostats) - the first to adjust the voltage across the coil and the second to provide a zero reference. A 20-microfarad capacitor buffers the coil against any jerkiness in the resistors' response and helps in making any delicate adjustments to the needle's position. To measure the voltage across the coil, you'll need a digital voltmeter that reads down to 0.1 millivolt. Radio Shack sells handheld versions for less than $80. Using a five-volt power supply, Schmermund's scale can lift 150 milligrams. For larger weights, replace the type 7805 voltage-regulator chip with a 7812 chip. It will produce a stable 12 volts and will lift objects weighing nearly half a gram.

To calibrate the scale, you'll need a set of known microgram weights. A single high-precision calibrated weight between one and 100 micrograms typically costs $75, and you'll need at least two. There is, however, a cheaper way. The Society for Amateur Scientists is making available for $10 sets of two calibrated microgram weights suitable for this project. Note that these two weights enable you to calibrate your balance with four known masses: zero, weight one, weight two and the sum of the two weights.

To make a measurement, begin with the scale pan empty. Cover the device with the glass enclosure. Choke down the electric current by setting the first resistor to its highest value. Next, adjust the second resistor until the voltage reads as close to zero as you can set it. Write down this voltage and don't touch this resistor again until you have finished your entire set of measurements. Now turn up the first resistor until the needle sinks down to the lower stop, then turn it back so that the needle returns to the zero mark. Note the voltage reading again. Use the average of three voltage measurements to define the zero point of the scale.

Next, increase the resistance until the needle comes to rest on the lower wire support. Place a weight in the tray and reduce the resistance until the armature once more obscures the line. Record the voltage. Again, repeat the measurement three times and take the average. The difference between these two average voltages is a direct measure of the specimen's weight.

Once you have measured the calibrated weights, plot the mass lifted against the voltage applied. The data should fall on a straight line. The mass corresponding to any intermediate voltage can then be read straight off the curve.

Schmermund's balance is extremely linear above 10 milligrams. The slope of the calibration line decreased by only 4 percent at 500 micrograms, the smallest calibrated weight we had available. Nevertheless, I strongly suggest that you calibrate your balance every time you use it and always compare your specimens directly with your calibrated weights.

 

[fidelis]

link here, same guy, same magazine, but published 4 years later


I live for Fridays. That's because I usually spend that day hiking through the San Diego badlands with an eclectic assembly of iconoclasts, including several brilliant technologists and some of my dearest friends. We connect through our love of instrumentation and our shared passion for developing inexpensive solutions to various experimental challenges. This common interest leads to friendly rivalries, the results of which often feed this column.

Take for instance the problem of measuring extremely tiny masses. George Schmermund developed a fantastic approach, which I described in these pages in June 1996. George extracted the coil and armature from a discarded galvanometer and mounted them upright, so that the needle of the meter moved in a vertical plane. He then connected the coil to a variable voltage and adjusted it until the needle was exactly horizontal. A tiny mass of known weight placed at the end of the needle pulled it downward. George then increased the voltage until the arm returned to its starting position. Because a heavier mass required a proportionally larger increase in voltage to balance it, the change in voltage indicated the weight of a sample. George's electrobalance was able to weigh masses as small as 10 micrograms (that is, 10 millionths of a gram).

That achievement was stunning enough for me, but recently the organizer of our weekly outings, Greg Schmidt, realized that even this amazing performance could be improved on. Greg's design eliminates the need to adjust the needle manually: the balance automatically zeros (or "tares") and levels itself, and it can continuously track how an object changes in mass—the rate at which a single ant loses water through respiration, for instance. The result is an extremely versatile electrobalance with microgram sensitivity that can be built for less than $100.

Here's how it works. Greg took George's basic design and added an inexpensive microcontroller (a small computer with its central processing unit and memory all on a single chip), instructing it to send 2,000 weak current pulses through the coil each second. The inertia of the armature and needle prevents them from responding to each short pulse, so the deflection reflects the average current in the coil. The individual pulses do, however, seem to be large enough to vibrate the bearings of Greg's galvanometer. He believes that this slight jitter reduces "stiction," the tendency of a bearing to lock in place when it is not moving. This effect seems to account for why an inexpensive meter like his can respond to the tug of such tiny masses.

ELECTRONIC WIRING required for the project is minimal because the microcomputer used resides on a self-contained board. Only two transistors, a resistor and a diode need be hooked up, in addition to the integrated optical sensor (which contains a phototransistor and a light-emitting diode). Although performance of the "current mirror" circuit will be superior if its two transistors reside on the same silicon chip, separate NPN transistors can be used if their casings are attached (as shown above) so that they both stay at exactly the same temperature.

Greg didn't design his circuit to reduce stiction, though. This feature turned out to be an unforeseen benefit of using "pulse width modulation" to control the average current sent through the coil. With this scheme, the time between successive pulses is kept the same, but the microcontroller varies the duty cycle—the fraction of the cycle during which the current remains on. Pulse trains with short duty cycles energize the coil for only a smidgen of the total time and so can lift only the smallest weights, whereas pulse trains with longer duty cycles can hoist heavier loads. Greg's microprocessor can generate 1,024 different values for the duty cycle. That number sets the dynamic range of the balance. If the maximum current is set so that the apparatus can lift up to one milligram, for example, the smallest detectable mass will be about one microgram.

Such sensitivity is pretty impressive. Yet the microcomputer that runs the show need not be anything special. Indeed, one has a dizzying array of choices to pick from. But if you haven't a clue how to go about selecting and programming a microprocessor, don't worry: Greg developed his instrument with the novice in mind. He used the Atmel AT 89/90 Series flash Microcontroller evaluation kit, which includes a fully functional and extremely versatile microcomputer, one that links directly to a personal computer. This kit (model STK-200) includes everything you need to get going and costs less than $50 (see Amtel Corporation for a list of suppliers).

Unfortunately for Macintosh users, this system supports only IBM compatibles. In any case, you don't have to program everything from scratch, because Greg developed all the software needed to run the device, including instructions that show the weight in real time on a small liquid-crystal display (catalogue number 73-1058-ND from Digi-Key; 800-344-4539). You can download his code for free from the Web site of the Society for Amateur Scientists.

As with George's original design, almost any galvanometer plucked from a surplus bin will work. Just make sure that it measures small currents and that its needle tends to stay in place when the unit is rocked rapidly from side to side. Whereas George's prototype required the operator to squint at the needle, Greg's electrobalance senses the position of the needle electronically using a phototransistor and a light-emitting diode, which you can also purchase from Digi-Key (catalogue number QVA11334QT-ND comprises a single unit). Pierce a small piece of aluminum foil with a pin and center the hole on the phototransistor, as shown on page 90. With the foil covering most of the phototransistor, the signal will go from full on to full off very rapidly when the needle interrupts the light from the diode. Attach a sliver of balsa wood as shown to stop the needle exactly at that point.

If too little current is in the coil, the needle will rest on the bottom piece of balsa and block the light. Too much current lifts the needle completely out of the light path. Greg's software uses a sophisticated algorithm to keep the needle balanced between these two states. After the device has been properly calibrated and tared, this pulse width reflects the mass of the sample.

CONTINUOUS RECORDING of the changing weight of a one-centimeter length of moistened thread demonstrates the versatility of this inexpensive instrument.

The control circuit that helps accomplish all this magic is shown above. You will need to adjust the value of R1 to set the maximum current to something your meter can handle. The full-scale current might be indicated on the meter. Otherwise, use a variable resistor, a nine-volt battery and a current meter to measure it. Because Greg's galvanometer topped out at five milliamperes, he programmed the microcontroller to create a five-milliampere current by delivering a five-volt pulse across a one-kilohm resistor.

That current is not, however, directed through the coil. Rather it flows through a circuit called a current mirror, which forces an identical current to pass into the coil. This trick dramatically improves the long-term stability of the balance. Why? The resistance of the coil depends on its temperature, which rises whenever electrical energy is dissipated inside it. But the mirror circuit keeps the current constant no matter what the temperature of the coil is.

Of course, the resistance of R1 will itself vary somewhat with temperature, which could cause the calibration to drift. So you'll want to use a component with a low temperature coefficient. A 1 percent tolerance metal-film resistor, for instance, typically shifts a mere 50 parts per million for each degree Celsius. You will also need to keep the two transistors in the current mirror at the same temperature to prevent that circuit from drifting. It's best to use a set of matched transistors on a single silicon chip, like the CA3086 (48 cents from Circuit Specialists; 800-528-1417). Otherwise, wire two identical NPN switching transistors together with their casings touching as shown above.

A delightful demonstration of the sensitivity his apparatus achieves is shown in the graph at the left. Greg soaked a centimeter of fine thread in water. He then monitored its weight as the water slowly evaporated. Remarkable.