HX711 + load cells
Also known as: HX711 · load cell amplifier · More staples
Weight as a smart-home signal: load cells under the bed legs for the best presence detection there is, under the keg for beer level, under the cat feeder for 'did she eat'.
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At a glance
⚑ flag an error| Measures | weight |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | 24-bit ADC for strain gauges; grams-level with calibration |
| Interface | GPIO (two-wire clock/data) |
| Supply | 2.7–5 V |
| Battery-viable | Yes (deep-sleep friendly) |
| ESPHome | Native ESPHome component — hx711 |
| Typical price | $1-4 (street, varies) |
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Clone check
Medium clone risk. Clone boards strap the rate pin to 10 Hz and use noisy regulators; if readings wander, re-strap to 80 Hz off / clean 3.3 V helps.
Good for
Gotchas to know
- Temperature drift is real: auto-zero in software when the known-empty state occurs.
- Four half-bridge cells need correct corner wiring — follow a diagram, not vibes.
- Mechanical mounting quality decides accuracy more than the electronics.
Wiring it up
Simple wiring: one data GPIO on any ESP32 dev board.