Arduino Kitchen Scale

In this project I will show you how to build a simple kitchen weight scale with a custom 3D printed enclosure!

I have been getting into meal prepping lately to save time and attempt to eat healthier. I was missing a kitchen scale to verify all of my food portions were split evenly so I decided to make a simple kitchen scale. I am still learning Fusion 360 so I decided to design a custom enclosure to house the electronics, load cell, oled screen, and battery.

It is a simple project and could be used as a great introduction into load cells, 3D design/printing, electronics, and programming.

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The components needed for this project are below:

1. Arduino Nano Amazon Link

2. Load Cell (5 kg) Amazon Link

3. 0.96 inch IIC Serial White OLED Display Module 128X64 I2C SSD1306 Amazon Link

4. On/Off Button Amazon Link

5. 9V Battery Amazon Link

6. 3D Printed Components (I use this filament Amazon)

7. M4 x 45 mm (2)

8. M4 Nuts (4)

9. M4 x 20 mm (2)

10. 10K Ohm Resistor Amazon Link

11. Push Button Amazon Link

12. HX711

Disclosure: The amazon links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Now that you have gathered all of the required components, it is time to start assembling everything together. I would recommend wiring up everything on a breadboard first and then once everything is functioning properly go ahead and solder everything up on a perf board.

I used a common load cell that you can find on Aliexpress, Ebay, or Amazon. That is then wired into an HX711 breakout board for the HX711 IC that allows you to easily read load cells to measure weight. I used a push button with a 10k pulldown resistor to tare out the scale. I used a simple switch to apply power to the arduino nano from a 9V supply. The .96 OLED display is used to display the current weight on the scale.

The programming of this relies on the installation of the following libraries:

HX711 Library

OLED Library

In order to get the scales calibration factor I would use the guide below:

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/load-cell-amp...

After you get your calibration factor enter it in the code posted below. Once everything is wired up correctly, the weight will be displayed on the OLED display. In order to tare the scale simply hold the button down until the scale reads 0 grams.

I designed the scale in Fusion 360. The load cell goes on the top portion with a slot for the load cell wires to be routed into the base of the scale. I left plenty of room in the base for a tare button, on/off button, arduino nano, hx711, and a 9V battery. The OLED display can be taped and placed in the front area so the display can easily be seen.

The files can be found below:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3864061

Now that you have the kitchen weight scale all assembled and programmed, it is time to test it out!

Push the power button, wait for the oled display to load up, and enjoy your new kitchen scale.

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