“Over the years I’ve seen a few posts on Reddit demonstrating the use of a load cell with an internet-connected microcontroller as a weight-based filament sensor for 3D printing. I decided to embark upon a similar project, retrofitting a $10 kitchen scale.
It can be really fun to take an inexpensive product and, with a little bit of DIY magic, enhance its functionality. It’s a sense of satisfaction a bit different from that of building something end to end from scratch, but every bit as good.
I hopped on Amazon and found an Amazon Basics kitchen scale which at time of purchase was about $10 shipped. The entire scale was actually cheaper than some listings for the same type of discreet 20kg-rated load cell found inside, plus we get a factory made case, scale platform, buttons, etc.”