conditioning. Unfortunately, Wheatstone bridge strain gauges
are not only sensitive to mechanical stress but also to heat
variations, thermal instability [4], and noise. There is also the
unbalance produced by the extra resistance from the wire
connections. Several different techniques can be employed in
order to minimize these problems. Basically, we have found
that a full bridge load cell produces the most sensitive outputs
with the best external effects cancellation, and it is usually
chosen when there is enough space. Another way to maximize
bridge sensitivity is to use higher excitation voltage. This is
a trade off because of the self heating that then occurs in the
strain gauges.