Arduino Digital Kitchen Scale & Rope Tension Control: Stepper Motor with PID Feedback

Every part needed, pre-tested for compatibility, with an AI build companion trained on this exact project. Shipped from Bengaluru in 3-5 days.

You’re not just making a scale; you’re building a closed‑loop tension system that unspools a rope drum with constant force, preventing the tangles and snapping that plague manual kitchen hanging scales. A NEMA 17 stepper, guided by real‑time input from a 1 kg load cell and a tuned PID algorithm, delivers the precision missing from off‑the‑shelf units — all on an Arduino Uno.

What You'll Build

By the final hour, you’ll have a compact motorised winch that reads tension on a 0.96‑inch OLED, then adjusts the drum speed automatically. The rope feeds smoothly under load, compensating for the weight of hanging ingredients, utensils, or even a small market bag. It’s a working demonstration of how modern kitchen scales and industrial payout machines maintain consistent tension without human intervention.

What You'll Learn

• Interface a 1 kg strain‑gauge load cell and HX711 amplifier to read sub‑gram force changes
• Program a PID loop on Arduino that translates real‑time tension data into precise stepper motor steps
• Configure an A4988 driver to microstep a NEMA 17 motor for smooth rope payout
• Display live tension and setpoint values on a 0.96‑inch OLED screen using I²C communication

Kit Contents

Why Buy This Kit Instead of Sourcing Parts Separately

Who This Kit Is For

CBSE Class 11–12 students preparing physics or microprocessor projects, B.Tech ECE/EEE undergraduates tackling control systems labs, and ATL Tinkering Lab mentors looking for an intermediate‑level automation challenge. If you’re prototyping for Smart India Hackathon or competing at NIT/VIT/BITS fests, this kit gives you a real feedback‑control experiment that’s far more engaging than an open‑loop motor driver.

Built and Backed by Compoden

Every Compoden kit ships with an AI build companion trained on this exact project — accessible via a QR code on the box, with WhatsApp and email backup. We've spent 10 years building projects for makers, schools, and institutions across India. If a part fails because of a manufacturing defect, replace it free within 7 days.