Sensors & Instrumentation

Quarter-Bridge Strain Gauge & RTD Temperature Sensor Simulator

Simulate industrial quarter-bridge transducer conditioning and calculate sensitivity in mV/V per ohm change.

Speed
At 50% potentiometer wiper (500 Ω), the bridge is balanced (VM = 0.00 V). Drag the Potentiometer wiper to unbalance the bridge and measure differential sensor voltage!
● CH1: CH1
● CH2: CH2

Engineering Theory & Mathematical Model

V_out / Vs ≈ ΔR / (4 × R0) (for small ΔR ≪ R0)

Industrial load cells and Pt100/Pt1000 RTDs change resistance by fractions of a percent under mechanical strain or thermal shifts. Wiring the active element into one arm of a balanced Wheatstone bridge converts tiny ΔR/R variations into zero-referenced differential millivolts.

Interactive Lab Procedure

  1. Nudge POT1 wiper from 0.50 to 0.52 (500 Ω → 520 Ω, +4% shift) and read V_bridge = +98 mV.
  2. Double excitation voltage V1 from 10V to 20V and verify bridge output doubles proportionally to +196 mV.
  3. Observe zero offset drift when all four arms scale equally.

Technical FAQ

What is the core governing formula for Quarter-Bridge Strain Gauge & RTD Temperature Sensor Simulator?

V_out / Vs ≈ ΔR / (4 × R0) (for small ΔR ≪ R0) — Industrial load cells and Pt100/Pt1000 RTDs change resistance by fractions of a percent under mechanical strain or thermal shifts. Wiring the active element into one arm of a balanced Wheatstone bridge converts tiny ΔR/R variations into zero-referenced differential millivolts.

Can I modify component values and rewire this circuit live?

Yes! The schematic above runs a live MNA SPICE engine. Click any part to adjust parameters, add or delete wires and components, and click Share URL to save your custom topology.

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