HoneyInstrument connected scale instrumentation
To help beekeepers monitor the health of their bees - without compromising honey production - HoneyInstrument has developed a highly accurate and robust beehive scale, based on HBM weighing technology and load cells.
In the process of developing this concept, Thierry De Vresse, Director of HoneyInstruments, quickly identified that this scale would have to be extremely robust, very easy to use, weatherproof and yet remain within a reasonable budget.
The connected hive scale gives hour-by-hour variations in the weight of the hive, providing beekeepers with a perfect, easy-to-decipher source of information, enabling them to estimate the number of bees leaving the hive or the precise winter honey reserves. The connected hive scale gives hour-by-hour variations in hive weight, helping beekeepers to monitor the number of bees leaving the hive, or to make an accurate estimate of winter honey reserves. To assess the hive's weight accurately, HoneyInstrument opted for HBM's PW10 load cell, whose features were perfectly suited to the project.
The PW10 load cell can measure weights of up to 300 kg with an accuracy of 20 grams, has minimal power consumption and is reputed to be totally reliable. The load cell operates outdoors, and can happily withstand the harsh winters and scorching summers to which beehives can be subjected. With an accuracy of 20 grams, you can estimate the entry or exit of around 200 bees. One hive contains over 50,000 bees.
"I was already familiar with HBM transducers, having integrated them into other products, says Thierry De Vreese. My discussions with the technical sales team quickly convinced me. Above all, I didn't want to have to do any after-sales service on my products. Since 2016, we've sold over 250 connected scales in Europe, and the sensor has more than lived up to its promise of reliability and robustness. Indeed, the scale must be able to withstand the handling of being set up by an agricultural machine during a transhumance."
www.hbm.com/fr/9885/honeyinstruments-capteur-de-pesage-fait-le-buz/