10 A Look at the Electronic Balance* 10.1 Introduction one were to wander through the nation’s industrial facilities and laboratories, one would find electronic balances being used for everything from counting batches of resistors to adjusting the component ratio of epoxy mixtures. Many of these balances are suitable for the most demanding analytical work, whereas others are less precise but serve many purposes wel. In the following discussion, the analytical balance is defined as an instrument with capacity ranging from 1 gto a few kilograms and with a precision of at least one part in 10° of maximum capacity. Many ‘modern electronic balances have a precision of one part in 10” at full capacity, and the accuracy is usually comparable. ‘The inspiration for the modern analytical balance came from a weighing method change suggested by Borda. To overcome the difficulties of unequal arm lengths inherent with the two-pan equal-arm balance, Borda suggested a method known as substitution weighing to be used in place of transposition, weighing, In 1886, a balance was designed and built specifically for substitution weighing, although the modern fone-pan substitution balance did not become commonplace until the 1950s ‘Although these balances were completely mechanical in operation, the optical readout system was usualy assisted with a ight bulb, 10.2 The Analytical Balance and the Mass Unit Belore looking in detail at electronic balances, itis worthwhile to consider how mass is determined from. balance weighing and to look briefly tthe inner workings of a modern mechanical substitution balance. "The reader should keep in mind that of the many forces the balance can respond to, we are interested in only the gravitational and buoyant forces and would like to exclude all others. First, we must recognize that the balance reading is not the mass of the sample being weighed and therefore is not the desieed result. The balance manufacturer has built the balance to indicate so-called apparent mass (see Chapter 15) of the material being weighed. In essence, if the material being weighed has a density of 8.0 glcm? at 20°C and the air density is 0.0012 glen, then and only then does the balance indicate the mass of the object being weighed. Obviously, these conditions are rarely met, and the balance reading must be corrected to obtain the desired mass? ‘The important point of the above discussion is that all analytical balances are calibrated by the ‘manufacturers to indicate what is known as “appatent mass vs. §:0 gfe “Chapter is based on Ref. 1 © 202 by CRE Press LLEIn some instances, the balance may actually contain a single weight or a set of weights, oF a weight ‘may be supplied separately by the balance manufacturer for calibration of the balan. Its from this initial calibration and subsequent recalibrations that the user is tied to the mass unit, directly for standard conditions and by computation for all other conditions For many years, another apparent mass scale based on this principle had been in use. The basis of this scale was a brass weight the density of which was specified to be 8.3909 g/m? at 20°C with an air density of 0.0012 glem. This scale is generally referred to as the “apparent mass vs. brass” sale 10.3 Balance Principles ‘Today, there are two dominant types of electronic balances in use — the hybrid and the electromagnetic force balance. The hybrid balance uses a mix of mechanical and electronically generated forces, whereas the electromagnetic force balance uses electronically generated forces entirely. ‘A brief review of mechanical balance principles is worthwhile before the hybrid and electromagnetic force balances are discussed. In all cases, a null indicator is used to determine when the internal force balances the force generated by the sample 10.3.1. The Mechanical Balance ‘The modern mechanical balance is a one-pan two-knife balance with the force on the pan exerted by the object being weighed and a collection of built-in weights nearly counterbalanced by a fixed weight built into the balance beam. Any residual inequality of forces causes an angular displacement ofthe beam. Figure 10.1 isa sketch ofa modern one-pan mechanical analytical balance. “The balance readout is attained by summing the weight dial indications with a beam displacement indicator such as a projected optical scale. ‘Whatever means are used to indicate the angular displacement of the balance beam, the balance is ‘manufactured and calibrated to indicate the same apparent mass scale as that of the built-in weights. ‘The prominent features of the one-pan two-knife mechanical balance are the built-in weights (ie, ‘mass standards) and beam damping, However, of significance is the constant loading of the balance beam. / System Na Display Beam; Seale Optical ( Lamp }~ Countenwoight Dashpot “ Fulerum FIGURE 10.1 modern one-pan mechanical analytical balance, © 202 by CRE Press LLEregardless of the sample weight on the pan. This feature provides a constant balance sensitivity; that is, ngular beam displacement in response to a small force change remains constant regardless of pan ng, a characteristic not found in equal-arm balances. .2 The Hybrid Balance “The hybrid balance is identical to the mechanical balance just described except thatthe balance beam is never allowed to swing through lage angular displacements when the applied loading changes. Instead, the motion is very limited and when in equilibrium the beam i always restored to a predetermined reference position by a servo-contrlled electromagnetic force applied to the beam. 10.3.3 The Electromotive Force Balance “The more rec in several way t development of the electromagnetic force balance is a radical departure from the past, First, an electromagnetic force balances the entire load either by direct levitation or through a fixed-ratio lever system, Second, the loading on the electromechanical mechanism that con- stitutes the balance is not constant, but varies directly with applied load. Finally, the sensitivity and response ate no longer dominated by the dynamics of the balance beam but are largely controlled by servo system characteristics 10.3.4 The Servo System Servo systems differ in classification and in design, but a simple explanation of how a balance servo works. in principle is given here. The details of the cituitey are omitted since there are many different means to achieve the desired result. ‘There are two distinct electronic approaches to the servo system. In one method there is a continuous current through the servomotor coil and in the other method the current is pulsed. The latter technique has the advantage of simpler coupling to digital readout indicators although both systems work well and, from the user’s standpoint, there are many advantages available from the electronic nature of the mech anism regardless of its internal operation, In an electromagnetic servo system (Figure 10.2), the force associated with the sample being weighed is ‘mechanically coupled to a servomotor that generates the opposing magnetic force. When the two forces are Error signal Correction current FIGURE 10.2 Simplified electromagnetic servo system, © 202 by CRE Press LLE