VTAJB
JUNCTION BOX
ANALOGUE JUNCTION BOX
FOR STRAIN GAUGE LOAD CELLS
Technical Manual
Revision B, Dec. 2004 Doc # UM-VTAJB-EN
VTAJB Technical Manual
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................3
2 INSTALLATION ...........................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Mounting ....................................................................................................................................................4
2.2 Wiring.........................................................................................................................................................4
2.3 Earth - Shield .............................................................................................................................................4
3 CORNER ADJUSTMENT.............................................................................................................................5
3.1 Pre-trimming ..............................................................................................................................................5
3.2 Resistor trimming .......................................................................................................................................5
3.3 Potentiometer trimming..............................................................................................................................5
4 TROUBLESHOOTING .................................................................................................................................6
5 SPECIFICATIONS and MAINTENANCE ...................................................................................................7
5.1 Technical specifications .............................................................................................................................7
5.2 Environmental considerations....................................................................................................................7
5.3 Maintenance ...............................................................................................................................................7
5.4 Service ........................................................................................................................................................7
5.5 Enclosure dimensions – VTAJB_4 .............................................................................................................8
5.6 Enclosure dimensions – VTAJB_6 .............................................................................................................9
6 LOAD CELL COLOUR CODE...................................................................................................................10
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VTAJB Technical Manual
1 INTRODUCTION
VTAJB_4/6 is a summing box designed for the parallel connection of analogue load cells.
It contains the wire terminals for 4 or 6 strain gauge load cells, surge arresters and corner
trimming circuits. The load cell connectors are 4-wire, while the indicator connector is 6-
wire. Corner trimming may be done by resistor(s) or potentiometers in series with the
signal lines.
Resistance is added to the +SIG line, by removing copper track short-circuits next to
the component(s).
The enclosure has been designed for use in industrial environments and is EMC safe to
EN45501 standards.
Two enclosure variants are offered, a four input version for low profile scales and a six
input version for bigger scales.
The cables enter the box via IP67 cable glands.
The connectors are marked LC1 to LC6, corresponding to load cell 1 to 6.
The connector for the indicator cable is marked LOAD CELL OUT.
Load cell connectors are marked as follows:
+Ex – Excitation positive +Se – Sense positive +Si – Signal positive
-Ex – Excitation negative -Se – Sense negative -Si – Signal negative
The excitation and sense terminals are connected together on the LOAD CELL OUT connector.
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2 INSTALLATION
Normally VTAJB_4/6 comes in a sealed stainless steel enclosure, suitable for wash down environment.
Entry of connecting cable is through sealed cable glands.
2.1 Mounting
• The mounting location should be such that the unit is not subject to excessive
vibrations or heat.
• Select the right location based on environmental conditions NOT on the ease of
installation.
• Provide dripping loop on cables to avoid liquids entering the cable glands.
• The top panel should be accessible.
2.2 Wiring
• Remove the lid by undoing the four screws.
• Insert cables via the cable glands. Strip the cables and connect the load cells to
respective connectors.
• If the load cell cables are 6-wire connect together the excitation and sense leads (+Ex
with +Sen) and (-Ex with -Sen).
• Connect the shields of the cables on SHLD terminal or directly on the chassis screws
using eyelet terminals.
• Connect the earth wire (6-10mm, multi-thread) on the external M4 screw and tighten
the butterfly nut.
• When wiring is completed pull out any excessive cable and tighten the cable glands to
ensure a firm grip on the cables. Re–install the lid and tighten the screws until the side
edges are recessed 2mm from the lid edges.
• FOR OPTIMUM EMC PERFORMANCE KEEP THE LENGTH OF THE SHIELD
INSIDE THE ENCLOSURE AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE.
2.3 Earth - Shield
Normally the shield is floating on the VTAJB side and connected on the indicator side.
Where the maximal protection must be provided for the load cells and the electronics the
shield may be connected to earth by bridging the two solder pads on the surge arrester side
SGAP4 and next to LC4 connector.
CAUTION : Do not run load cell cables together with power cables.
Connect the shielding where indicated on the drawing only.
Never use a megger to check wiring.
Never use insulating tape on load cell connections.
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3 CORNER ADJUSTMENT
This is the procedure where the output of each load cell is corrected so that the weight
indication will be the same wherever the load is placed on the platform.
Corner adjustment must be performed before calibration of the scale.
• All load cells should be leveled and load distribution equal before trimming the
outputs.
• The corner adjustment is performed by successively placing a test weight on each
quadrant of the platform and trimming the higher indicating corners until all
indications are the same.
• Because the load cells are summed the corners interact with each other and any
adjustment will affect all corner indications. Prior to corner trimming the indicator
must have been connected and an approximate calibration performed.
• The principle of trimming is “CURRENT CALIBRATION” where the load cells are
rationalized in terms of current output into the common resistance.
• Four resistors 0.33R (Rx1), 0.68R (Rx2), 1.3R (Rx4), 2.7R (Rx8) and 1 potentiometer
(20R) are available for each load cell terminal. By removing copper track short-circuits
next to the component(s) resistance is added to the +SIG line.
3.1 Pre-trimming
Corner trimming is a tedious and time consuming operation. Thus, “PRE-TRIMMING”
should exercised if the load cell data are known.
• Measure the output resistance (Rout) of each load cell using a 4-1/2 digit multi-meter.
• Calculate the Iout of each load cell: Iout=(Vout) / (Rout).
• The lower value (Iref) is the reference load cell which is not trimmed. Add series
resistance on the signal lines of the remaining load cells so that the current out (Iout)
matches the reference one.
• The incremental resistance may be calculated by: Ri=( Vout / Iref ) – (Rout).
3.2 Resistor trimming
The corner adjustment is performed by successively placing a test weight, (0.4 of full scale
maximum), on each quadrant of the platform and trimming the higher indicating corners
until all indications are the same.
The value of the incremental correction resistance may be calculated by:
Ri = [ (Ic-Il) / Il ] * (Rout)
where:
Ic= Corner indication
Il= the lower corner indication
Rout= Load cell’s output resistance.
3.3 Potentiometer trimming
The corner adjustment is performed by successively placing a test weight, (0.4 of full scale
maximum), on each quadrant of the platform and trimming the higher indicating corners
until all indications are the same.
- Turn all potentiometers on PCB 11C clockwise (Ri=0).
- Place the test weight at each of the designated corners (centre of each quadrant).
Record the displayed indications. The load cell with the lowest indication is not
trimmed.
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- Place the test weight at each corner in sequence .Adjust the potentiometer
corresponding to that location to obtain the “non trimmed” indication.
- Repeat the procedure until all indications are the same.
Notes:
- The default principle used in VTAJB_4/6 is signal trimming which has negligible
effect on span stability but some effect on zero temperature stability, as only one side
of the bridge is trimmed.
- Excitation trim is sometimes preferred, despite the span effect, as the overall
performance looks more stable in temperature changes.
- To perform excitation trimming simply interchange +EX and +SIG connections as
shown in the following table:
Load Cell Cable Load Cell Indicator cable Indicator Connector
Connector (JB) (JB)
+Exc +Si +Exc +Si
-Exc -EX +Sen +Si
+Sig +EX +Sig +EX
-Sig _Si _Sig _Si
-Sen -Se
-Exc _EX
4 TROUBLESHOOTING
A warming up of at least 15 minutes for the load cell is recommended before calibration of
a weighing system.
Symptom Action to be taken
Calibration does not - Check load cells connected and setup parameters of indicator.
proceed - Place a test weight on each load cell and verify that there is a
positive change in indication.
- Use calibration weight equal to 10-30% of each load cell capacity.
- Check load cell connector screw terminals (if not tight push with a
tool from the opposite side of the screw)
Weight indication is not - Check calibration data.
stable - Reduce external divisions or lower conversion rate or increase
digital filter, check number of load cells.
- Check power supply, check load cell connection(s) and cable(s).
- Check input and output resistance and resistance between any
terminal and shield.
- If they deviate from the original values it is an indication of a bad
electrical circuit.
- Check that the scale is mechanically OK and it is free on all sides.
- Check whether moisture has entered the junction box.
- Check if corrosion has degraded load cell performance.
- Check shock resistance by lightly rapping on the load cell with a
small mallet.
Weight indication is not - Check that the scale is mechanically OK and it is free on all sides.
the same on each corner - Check load cell connection(s) and cable(s).
- Check input and output resistance and resistance between any
terminal and shield.
- Adjust the corners and recalibrate.
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5 SPECIFICATIONS and MAINTENANCE
5.1 Technical specifications
EMC compatibility Compliant to EN45501 standards.
Cable fittings Cable glands PG9 (acceptable cable diameter 3-9 mm).
Connector type Screw terminal
Trimming Current calibration principle with resistor(s) (Max. 5R totally), or
potentiometer (Max. 20R).
Surge protection 90V clamp. Withstands up to 20kV and up to 10kA.
5.2 Environmental considerations
Ambient temperature Storage: -10 to +70 Deg. C
Operating: -10 to +40 Deg. C
Humidity 40 to 90% RH (non condensing)
Vibration Severe vibration can affect the accuracy of weighing and damage electric
/ electronic components.
Air The surrounding air should not contain any corrosive gasses or materials
which could adversely affect the equipment.
Protection IP67
NOTES:
- WELDING on or in the vicinity of the equipment is strictly prohibited.
- STATIC loads, caused by thunderstorms, have to be prevented from developing by use
of reliable lightning conductors.
- ENSURE that the cooling of the equipment is not obstructed.
5.3 Maintenance
The unit does not require any routine maintenance. It may be necessary to perform periodic
check of the calibration of the scale due to mechanical reasons. The frequency of the
calibration checks depends on the application condition and on the required measuring
accuracy.
5.4 Service
There are no serviceable parts. The unit may be repaired by trained service personnel only.
The user may check load cell connections and power supply.
- LOAD CELLS
Load cells are reliable and very rarely present errors. Check input and output
resistance and resistance between any terminal and shield. Check load cell
connection and cable.
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5.5 Enclosure dimensions – VTAJB_4
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5.6 Enclosure dimensions – VTAJB_6
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6 LOAD CELL COLOUR CODE
This is a cross reference table of the colour code specification of commonly used load
cells.
MANUFACTURER +INPUT OUTPUT -INPUT
BRAND +EXC +SEN +SIG -SIG -SEN -EXC SHLD
TEDEA-HUNTLEIGH GRN BLUE RED WHT BRN BLK Bare
BLH GRN WHT RED BLK Yellow
CELTRON RED GRN WHT BLK Orange
REVERE GRN YEL WHT RED BLUE BLK Orange
SENSORTRONICS RED GRN WHT BLK Bare
Abbr. GRN=Green YEL=Yellow BLK=Black WHT=White
Notes:
1. Unidirectional load cells (Compression only or Tension only) – Positive output in the
direction of the load.
2. Universal load cells (Compression or Tension) – Positive output in the direction of
compression loading.
3. To correct the weight reading in the wrong direction, reverse the output (signal)
polarity.
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