Bridge Pod

Overview:

The ML301 Bridge Pod is a low-cost signal conditioner designed to work with bridge-type transducers and PowerLab data acquisition systems. The Bridge Pod provides a stable +2.5 V excitation source for full-bridge strain-gauge transducers. A 300 Hz low-pass filter is built-in to reduce signal noise and a manual DC offset adjustment is provided.

The following transducers are suitable for use with the Bridge Pod:

• MLT1030/A Wide Range Force Transducer (10 mg - 1 kg)
• MLT0210/A Teaching Force Transducer
• MLT0380/A Reusable BP Transducer (for large animals).

The Bridge Pod can also be used with the following products, which are no longer available:

• MLT003/A Hand Dynamometer
• MLT050/A Force Transducer (0 - 50 g)
• MLT500/A Force Transducer (0 - 500 g)

Hardware:
ADInstruments signal conditioners only function with PowerLab data acquisition units and therefore are not suitable for use with other data acquisition systems.

Features:

• An excitation voltage of 2.5 V applied to the transducer with the transducer output signal being differentially amplified and then low pass filtered to remove high frequency signals.
• Offset adjustment by a 10-turn potentiometer on the front of the Bridge Pod, allowing transducer offsets or pretension load signals to be removed before recording.
• Offset control provides ±200 mV of offset range (at input) on the low gain setting and ±20 mV of offset range (at input) on the high gain setting.

Applications:

The Bridge Pod allows measurement of force, displacement, and pressure using a range of strain-gauge transducers. Applications include measurements of force, smooth muscle contraction, animal arterial pressure.

Specifications:

• Input impedance: ~470 K || 3 pF Differential
• Input ranges: 200 μV to 20 mV in 1:2:5 steps (×10 Gain selected) 50 mV to 200 mV in 1:2:5 steps (×10 Gain deselected)
• DC drift: 2 μV/°C
• DC excitation: 2.5 V nominal
• Minimum load resistance: 300 Ω
• Amplifier noise: <1 μV RMS (10 Hz bandwidth)
• Low-pass filter : 300 Hz, 3rd order Bessel
• DC offset adjustment range: ±200 mV, 10-turn potentiometer, software selectable
• Operating conditions: 0 – 35 °C, 0 – 90% humidity — non-condensing
• Input connector: 5-pin mini audio connector
• Enclosure size (l×w×h): 108 × 58 × 35 mm
• Cable length: 1.5 m
• Weight: ~200 g

All specifications were tested at the time of printing and are subject to change.