LOAD CELL TROUBLESHOOTING INTRODUCTION Load cells are designed to sense force or weight under a wide range of adverse conditions; they are not only the most essential part of an electronic weighing system, but also the most vulnerable. Load cells might be damaged because of (shock) overloading, lightning strikes or heavy electrical surges in general, chemical or moisture ingress, mishandling (dropping, lifting on cable, etc.), vibration or internal component malfunction. As a direct result the scale or system might (zero) drift, provide unstable / unreliable readings or not register at all. This application note is written to assist users with potential load cell problems. It describes basic field tests which can be performed on site*, and provides the information necessary to interpret the results. *Proper field evaluation is absolutely critical to prevent similarly induced damage in the future! Under no circumstances should fault location, as described below, be attempted on load cells installed in a hazardous area!