Start Here! These are the essential settings to get your scale up and running.
Most installations only need to adjust these settings.
PLC Output mapping is configured in Calibration Hub — train the scale on known weights, then train the PLC output voltage at each weight. The system calculates volts-per-pound from your saved points automatically.
PLC Output
Output Mode
Choose based on your PLC's analog input type. 0-10V is most common for industrial PLCs. 4-20mA is better for long cable runs.
Output Channel
Which MegaIND output channel is wired to your PLC. Check your wiring diagram.
Safe Output Value
Output sent to PLC when there's a fault (sensor error, communication loss, etc.). Usually set to 0V or 4mA to indicate failure.
Max Cycle Weight (Throughput Guard)
Hard cap for processed dump events. Any cycle above this value is rejected from throughput totals and logged as an anomaly.
Set this to your machine's physical max load.
Scale Output Strategy
Legacy: continuous weight-to-analog mapping (current behavior).
Job Target Signal: webhook-driven target trigger mode with separate settings and one-point signal calibration workflow.
Job Target Signal Mode is ON.
Use the Job Target Mode tab to configure trigger behavior and signal calibration settings.
Target Mode Panel Configure webhook-driven trigger behavior without changing load cell calibration points.
This mode only changes how PLC output is commanded.
Trigger Behavior
Mode
Keep this in sync with Quick Setup mode selector.
Trigger Timing
Exact: trigger at target weight.
Early: trigger before target by configured offset.
Early Offset
Trigger early by this many pounds (target - offset).
Signal Output
Target-Reached Signal Value
Pick the PLC output point to use as the trigger signal. These come from your saved PLC profile in Calibration Hub.
Idle / Not-At-Weight Output
Analog output value used while below trigger, after reset, or with no active job.
Need a different signal value?
Add more output mapping points in
Calibration Hub,
then reload this page to see them in the dropdown above.
Webhook Security
Webhook Token
Required token for /api/job/webhook, /api/job/status, and /api/job/clear.
Signal Processing These settings control how the raw signal from the load cells is filtered
and processed. Proper tuning gives you a stable weight reading without sacrificing response time.
Filter Type
Use Kalman Filter
Recommended ON. Kalman filter provides zero-lag filtering - it responds instantly to real weight changes while removing noise.
Turn OFF to use simple IIR filter instead (legacy mode).
Kalman Filter Settings
Process Noise (Q)
How much the weight actually changes between readings.
Lower (0.1-1.0): For stable loads like storage hoppers. Smoother reading.
Higher (2.0-10.0): For dynamic loads with rapid changes. Faster response.
Measurement Noise (R)
How noisy your sensor readings are.
Lower (10-30): Trust the sensor more. Use with quality load cells and clean power.
Higher (50-200): Filter more aggressively. Use in noisy environments with electrical interference.
IIR Filter Settings (Legacy)
Filter Alpha
Simple smoothing factor. Only used when Kalman is OFF.
Lower (0.05-0.15): Heavy filtering, very smooth but slow to respond.
Higher (0.3-0.8): Light filtering, faster response but more jitter.
Stability Detection
How Long to Watch
How many readings the scale looks at before deciding if the weight is steady. Think of it like a patience setting — higher means it watches longer before making up its mind.
Larger (40-100): More sure it's really stable, but takes longer to show STABLE.
Smaller (10-20): Decides faster, but might say STABLE during a brief pause in movement.
Weight Bounce Tolerance
How much the weight reading is allowed to jump around and still count as "stable." If the scale keeps saying UNSTABLE even when nothing is moving, raise this number.
Lower (0.2-0.5 lb): Very picky — the weight has to be almost perfectly still.
Higher (1.0-3.0 lb): More forgiving — small bounces in the reading are OK.
Weight Drift Tolerance
How fast the weight can be creeping up or down and still count as "stable." If the reading slowly drifts and the scale keeps flipping to UNSTABLE, raise this number.
Lower (0.2-0.5 lb/s): Very strict — the weight must be barely moving at all.
Higher (1.0-5.0 lb/s): More relaxed — a gentle drift is still considered stable.
Weight Display
Display Precision
How many decimal places to show for weight readings on the dashboard.
0 (Whole lbs): Shows "75 lb" - for rough measurements like hoppers.
1 (0.1 lb): Shows "75.2 lb" - standard precision.
2 (0.01 lb): Shows "75.24 lb" - for precision weighing.
Round Up to Nearest Pound
Always rounds weight UP to the next whole number (ceiling).
24.2 → 25, 24.9 → 25, 25.0 → 25, 25.1 → 26
Applies to both the display AND PLC output. Useful when scale reads consistently light.
Show Decimal Point
Controls whether whole numbers show a decimal point.
ON: "25.0 lb" — OFF: "25 lb"
Only affects the display format, not precision or PLC output.
Advanced Noise Reduction
Median Pre-Filter
Applies a median filter before the main filter. Excellent for rejecting random spikes from electrical noise or interference.
The median filter picks the middle value from the last N samples, eliminating outliers.
Median Window Size
Must be an odd number. 3 = light spike rejection, 7-11 = heavy spike rejection (adds slight delay).
Notch Filter (Power Line)
Removes power line interference (50Hz or 60Hz hum) from the signal. Turn ON if you see weight reading oscillating in sync with AC power.
Notch Frequency
60 Hz: North America, parts of South America, Asia
50 Hz: Europe, Australia, most of Asia, Africa
⚖️ Zero Management Configure how the scale maintains its zero point over time.
Zero tracking is essential for industrial scales that experience temperature changes and mechanical settling.
Understanding ZERO vs TARE:
• ZERO: Adjusts the calibration baseline (signal offset). Use this to fix drift from temperature, aging, etc.
• TARE: Subtracts a weight offset (for containers). Doesn't fix drift, just hides weight.
• Zero Tracking: Automatically adjusts ZERO when the scale is empty, compensating for drift over time.
Zero Tracking (Auto-Zero)
Enable Zero Tracking
Recommended ON. Automatically fixes drift when scale is empty and stable.
Stops when weight is added. Prevents the "-4 lb overnight" problem.
Zero Tracking Range
Industrial AZT only corrects within a tiny band near true zero. This prevents it from ever zeroing real material.
Recommended: 0.05 lb on a 0.1 lb division scale. Bigger is not recommended; use Post-Dump Re-Zero for larger drift.
Zero Tracking Rate
How fast AZT corrections happen near zero. Industrial systems limit this heavily.
Recommended: 0.05 lb/s. Post-Dump Re-Zero handles larger one-shot corrections.
Zero Tracking Deadband
Stop correcting when reading is within ±this amount. Prevents constant tiny adjustments.
Recommended: 0.02 lb so AZT stops close to zero without hunting.
Zero Tracking Hold Time
Optional delay after becoming stable/empty before AZT starts. Stability gating already prevents motion corrections.
Recommended: 1 second (or 0 for immediate).
Zero Tracking Persist Interval
How often to save the zero offset to disk during auto-tracking.
1 second is good - saves changes without wearing out SD card.
Post-Dump Re-Zero (One-Shot)
Industrial scales use two layers: micro AZT near zero, plus a post-dump re-zero that can correct larger drift after each cycle.
This only runs after a detected dump and only if the hopper is empty and stable.
Post-Dump Minimum Delay
Wait this long after a detected dump before attempting re-zero. Lets the door bounce settle.
Recommended: 5 seconds.
Post-Dump Window
Maximum time to wait for stable + empty conditions after a dump before skipping re-zero.
Recommended: 10 seconds.
Empty Threshold
Only attempt re-zero if the gross weight is within ±this amount (hopper empty).
Recommended: 4 lb (~2% of a 200 lb scale).
Max Correction
Safety limit: if the required correction exceeds this, re-zero is skipped.
Recommended: 8 lb (~4% of a 200 lb scale).
Power-Up Behavior
Auto-Zero on Startup
Automatically zero the scale when the system powers up. Only enable if the scale will always be empty at startup.
Startup Delay
Wait this long after power-up before sending valid output. Allows load cells to settle and filters to initialize. Recommended: 5-10 seconds.
Startup Output Value
What output to send during the startup delay. Usually 0V/4mA to indicate "not ready" to the PLC.
Advanced Output Settings Fine-tune how the analog output behaves.
These settings help achieve clean, stable signals to your PLC.
Output Dead Band
Enable Output Dead Band
Recommended ON. Prevents the output from jittering when weight is stable.
The output only updates when weight changes by more than the dead band value.
Dead Band Value
Minimum weight change required to update the output.
Lower (0.1-0.3 lb): More responsive, may see slight jitter.
Higher (0.5-2.0 lb): Very stable output, but misses small changes.
Output Ramping
Enable Output Ramping
Limits how fast the output can change. Prevents sudden jumps that might upset PLC control loops.
Useful when the scale feeds into a closed-loop control system.
Max Ramp Rate (Voltage)
Maximum rate of output change when in 0-10V mode.
Higher (5-10 V/s): Fast transitions, nearly instant.
Lower (0.5-2 V/s): Smooth transitions over several seconds.
Max Ramp Rate (Current)
Maximum rate of output change when in 4-20mA mode.
Auto-Arm Behavior
Auto-Arm on Startup
Automatically enable outputs after the startup delay. Only enable for unattended operation.
If disabled, outputs must be manually armed after each restart.
🚨 Protection & Alarms Configure limits and alarms to protect your equipment
and alert operators to abnormal conditions.
Overload Protection
Overload Threshold
Weight above this value triggers an OVERLOAD fault. Set slightly above your maximum expected weight
to protect load cells from damage. Leave blank to disable.
Overload Action
What to do when overload is detected.
Alarm Only: Display warning but continue outputting.
Safe Output: Switch to safe output value.
Lock Output: Freeze output until manually cleared.
Underload / Negative Weight
Allow Negative Weight
Allow weight readings below zero. Useful for net weight applications or when tare exceeds gross.
If disabled, negative readings are clamped to zero.
Underload Threshold
Weight below this value triggers an UNDERLOAD warning. Only applies if negative weight is allowed.
Weight Alarms
High Weight Alarm
Trigger an alarm when weight exceeds this value. Useful for alerting when a hopper is nearly full.
Leave blank to disable.
Low Weight Alarm
Trigger an alarm when weight drops below this value. Useful for alerting when a hopper needs refill.
Leave blank to disable.
Rate-of-Change Alarm
Trigger an alarm if weight is changing faster than this rate. May indicate a broken load cell,
loose connection, or uncontrolled material flow. Leave blank to disable.
Fault Handling
Fault Delay
How long a fault condition must persist before triggering. Prevents false alarms from brief glitches.
0: Instant fault detection.
Fault Recovery Mode
Auto: Fault clears automatically when condition is fixed.
Manual: Fault stays latched until manually acknowledged by operator.
DAQ Configuration
All 8 channels are shown with live readings. Select which channel your summing board signal is on.
The active channel will be used for weight measurement. All others are shown for diagnostics.
All Channels (Live)
Readings refresh every second. Use the On toggle to enable/disable channels, and the Use radio to pick the active one.
Active Channel Settings
Input Gain
Set the sensitivity for the active channel.
Code 6 (±0.37V): Standard for 2mV/V load cells.
Code 7 (±0.18V): High sensitivity for 3mV/V load cells.
Sample Rate
Lower = better noise rejection. 250 SPS recommended for load cells.
🔍 Detection Algorithms Configure how the system detects dumps (material discharges)
and load cell drift (sensor degradation).
Dump Detection
Drop Threshold
Minimum weight drop to count as a dump. Set based on your typical batch size.
Example: If you typically dump 50 lb batches, set to 25-40 lb to catch partial dumps.
Minimum Previous Stable Weight
Weight must be at least this amount (and stable) before a drop counts as a dump.
Prevents false dumps when scale is nearly empty or during zeroing.
Drift Detection
Ratio Threshold
Maximum allowed deviation in load cell contribution ratios. Each load cell should contribute
roughly equal signal. A drifting cell will show abnormal ratio.
Lower (0.05-0.08): Very sensitive, may false alarm.
Higher (0.15-0.25): Only catches major drift.
EMA Alpha
Smoothing factor for drift tracking. Lower = slower to react but more stable.
Higher = faster detection but more prone to false alarms.
Consecutive Required
Number of consecutive readings exceeding threshold before alarming.
Prevents single-sample glitches from triggering drift warnings.
⏱️ Timing & Performance Configure loop rates and communication parameters.
Higher rates give faster response but use more CPU.
Acquisition Loop
Target Loop Rate
Target frequency for the main acquisition loop. Actual rate may be lower due to I2C timing.
Recommended: 20 Hz for most applications.
Config Refresh Interval
How often to reload configuration from database. Allows UI changes to take effect without restart.
Communication
I2C Retry Count
Number of times to retry a failed I2C communication before declaring board offline.
Board Offline Threshold
Time without successful communication before a board is marked offline.
UI Updates
Dashboard Poll Rate
How often the dashboard refreshes data from the server. Lower = faster updates but more network traffic.
📝 Data Logging Configure what data is logged and how long it's retained.
Logs are stored in the SQLite database.
Trend Logging
Log Interval
How often to log weight and output values to the trends table. 1 second = detailed history,
60 seconds = summary history.
Log Retention
Automatically delete logs older than this. Prevents database from growing indefinitely.
0 = keep forever (not recommended).
What to Log
Log Raw Signal
Include raw mV (or mV/V) signal in trend logs. Useful for diagnosing calibration issues.
Log Filtered Weight
Include filtered weight value in trend logs. Recommended ON.
Log Output Value
Include analog output value (V or mA) in trend logs.
Log on Events Only
Only log when something happens (dump, alarm, fault) instead of at fixed intervals.
Greatly reduces database size but loses continuous history.
Processed Weight / Throughput
View completed hopper cycles (fill + dump) with filters, rollups, and export.
Event timestamps are stored in UTC and grouped using the configured site timezone.
Filters
Events
| Timestamp (Local) |
Processed (lb) |
Full (lb) |
Empty (lb) |
Duration |
Confidence |
|
| No events found. |
Advanced Settings
These settings can affect system stability and safety. Only modify if you understand the implications.
Incorrect settings may cause the Raspberry Pi to reboot unexpectedly or become unreachable.
Watchdog Timer (24b8vin)
Enable Watchdog
When enabled, the 24b8vin board will power-cycle the Raspberry Pi if the application stops responding.
Only enable after confirming the application reliably pets the watchdog.
Watchdog Period
Pi will be reset if not petted within this time. Set longer than worst-case application pause.
Watchdog Timer (MegaIND)
Enable Watchdog
Similar to DAQ watchdog. MegaIND can also power-cycle the Pi on hang.
Watchdog Period
MegaIND watchdog timeout period.
RS485 / MODBUS
Enable RS485
Enable RS485 MODBUS communication for external SCADA/PLC integration.
Requires physical jumper configuration on MegaIND board.
Temperature Sensors (One-Wire)
Enable One-Wire Bus
Enable scanning for DS18B20 temperature sensors on the MegaIND one-wire bus.
Useful for monitoring ambient or equipment temperature.
LED Indicators
Enable LED Control
Allow software control of onboard LEDs for status indication.
MegaIND I/O (Simple + Practical) This tab is for using the MegaIND as a straightforward industrial I/O card:
read a voltage input or opto input, and drive a 0–10V output without PLC ladder logic.
Important: the main PLC output signal is still controlled by the acquisition loop. By default this tab will not override that channel.
Physical Jumper Note
MegaIND analog input range selection (0–10V vs ±10V) is set by PHYSICAL JUMPERS on the board. This UI currently reads inputs as 0–10V.
Board & Safety
MegaIND Stack Level
I2C stack ID (0..7). Stack 0 = address 0x50. Changing this affects hardware detection.
ARM MegaIND Extra Outputs
Safety interlock for the extra outputs on this tab. When disarmed, any enabled extra outputs are forced to a safe value.
Safe Value (0–10V)
Value used for enabled extra 0–10V outputs when disarmed.
Allow Override of PLC Output Channel
Not recommended. If enabled, the rules/outputs here may write to the same channel used for PLC output.
Live Inputs
| Ch |
Analog In (0–10V) |
Opto In |
| 1 |
—
|
OFF
|
| 2 |
—
|
OFF
|
| 3 |
—
|
OFF
|
| 4 |
—
|
OFF
|
Tip: opto inputs are great for checking if 120V devices are ON/OFF (through proper opto wiring). Use them as simple “buttons” to trigger an output action.
Extra 0–10V Outputs (Channels 1–4)
These outputs are separate from the main PLC weight output. If a channel matches the PLC Output Channel (currently Channel 2),
it will be skipped unless you enable “Allow Override of PLC Output Channel”.
Voltage Output Channel 1
Enable and set a fixed output voltage. Great for testing a PLC analog input or driving a reference signal.
Voltage Output Channel 2
Enable and set a fixed output voltage. Great for testing a PLC analog input or driving a reference signal.
Voltage Output Channel 3
Enable and set a fixed output voltage. Great for testing a PLC analog input or driving a reference signal.
Voltage Output Channel 4
Enable and set a fixed output voltage. Great for testing a PLC analog input or driving a reference signal.
Internal Board Calibration (Advanced)
⚠️ Technicians Only
This tool calibrates the MegaIND board hardware itself using the Sequent CLI. Use a precision meter.
CLI Calibration Type
Select the output type to calibrate on the board.
Board Calibration Steps
Use the Calibration Hub nudge slider to set values, then capture them here.
I/O LIVE
Real hardware is connected and operational. All readings and outputs are from actual hardware.
I/O Hardware Status
DAQ (24b8vin)
8-channel 24-bit ADC for load cell signals.
ONLINE
MegaIND (Industrial I/O)
Analog outputs for PLC.
ONLINE
Last DAQ Communication
Timestamp of last successful DAQ read.
Never
Last MegaIND Communication
Timestamp of last successful MegaIND read/write.
Never
I2C Configuration
I2C Bus
I2C bus number. Usually 1 on Raspberry Pi. Only change if you have a custom setup.
Maintenance UI
Enable Maintenance UI
Show additional maintenance pages and options. These are hidden from normal operators.
System Information
Loop Rate
Current acquisition loop rate (actual, not target).
20.0 Hz
I/O Status
Overall hardware connection status.
LIVE