Problem Based Learning

EMT478 - Instrumentation
The Task
• The objective of the task is to build a weighing system capable of
weighing max 2kg of weight

• Each team will use strain gauges which must be used as the sensing
element for the project – no Arduino sensor/signal processing
modules allowed
Some technical suggestions
• The easiest method is to build a cantilever using a piece of metal and
attaching the strain gauges to it
• You can use more than 1 strain gauges
• A strain gauge is usually used with some sort of bridge.
• The output of the bridge might need to be amplified using op amp,
instrumentation amp or etc.
• You can create negative voltage with power bank (be careful! You
might damage your laptop)
• You can buy electronic components from element14.com (free
shipping!)
Teamwork!
• You will be divided into teams of 2
• You must select a leader

Assessments
• At the end of the project, each team shall hand in:
• A report of the design – maximum 10 pages only! (softcopy)
• 2-3 minutes project presentation video (upload in close group Facebook)
• The report is due on Week 6. Submissions beyond Friday on Week 6
shall be deducted 20% marks per business day. Submission on
weekends is counted as submission on the next Monday (deduct
20%)
The climb
• The aim of this project is not really on system development, but
rather to give you the experience of exploring new things
• So, keep track of:
• the things you learn,
• what went wrong,
• how you tried/propose to fix the problems,
• group issues
• Include those things in your report and video
• Remember, it is not how good your system is, it is how much you
learn!
Good Luck!