Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 26, 2025

A New Hybrid Quantitative Evaluation Model for Axillary Junctional Hemorrhage in Swine
Published on: December 6, 2024
MADV-DAQ: Multi-channel Arduino-based differential voltage data acquisition system for remote strain measurement
Hendrik Louw1, André Broekman1, Elsabé Kearsley1
1Department of Civil Engineering, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
Abstract:
Wind turbine power generation, both onshore and offshore, has gained significant popularity over the past few decades. However, the design of a turbine's foundation, capable of supporting a tall structure subject to large horizontal forces, remains challenging. Complex wind loading and intricate soil-structure interaction between the foundation and the supporting soil requires consideration. Although commercial structural health monitoring (SHM) systems provide several advantages, they remain cost prohibitive. This paper demonstrates the development, testing, fabrication, installation and validation of a low-cost, multi-channel, Arduino-based differential voltage data acquisition system (MADV-DAQ) suitable for remote, battery powered measurements of multiple Wheatstone bridge-based (strain) sensors. The instrumented wind turbine (120 m high, 3.45 MW generation capacity) forms part of a newly constructed onshore wind farm in South Africa. The developed MADV-DAQ system proved valuable in measuring strains associated with the wind turbine tower, quantifying the true magnitude of the loads being transferred to the underlying foundation. MADV-DAQ was designed to relay the real-time measurements to two, independent cloud platforms for aggregation, visualization and subsequent analysis. MADV-DAQ was purposefully designed as a universal data acquisition system, compatible with any Wheatstone bridge-based sensor design, including strain gauges, tensiometer and similar MEMS-based sensors.
Related Concept Videos
Electronic Distance Measuring Instruments
Design Example: Strain Gauge Bridge or Wheatstone Bridge
Measurements of Strain
Amperometry: Overview
Differential Relays
Multiple Voltage Sources
In series, the positive terminal of one battery is connected to the negative terminal of another battery. Hence, the voltage of each battery is added to give the net voltage, which is increased because each battery boosts the electrons that enter it. The same current flows through each battery because they are connected in series.
Batteries are...

