At the end of the last century, digital weighing sensors were once very popular. Almost all major foreign manufacturers launched digital weighing sensors. In particular, column-type weighing sensors could integrate circuits into the casing and directly output "digital signals," forming a complete "digital weighing sensor." However, most strain-based weighing sensors cannot integrate circuits with the strain element to form a "complete" "digital weighing sensor." Therefore, many manufacturers developed circuits for A/D conversion and control in a "channel" format, designing so-called "digital sensors" that connect with strain-based weighing sensors.

The main advantages of strain-based digital weighing sensors are:

(1) Improved the anti-interference capability of signal output, enhanced the reliability of signal transmission, and overcame the impact of temperature on long-distance transmission.
(2) Each has a separate communication address, making it convenient to query each sensitive component and to calibrate, diagnose, and compensate for each individual signal.

(3) Each weighing sensor can establish a unified and accurate nominal sensitivity value, greatly facilitating the installation, commissioning, and replacement of weighing sensors.
(4) Weight calibration without standard weights can be achieved.
  These features represent a qualitative advancement in the development of strain-type weighing sensors.
  The strain-type digital weighing sensors mentioned above are, in essence, not 'true' digital weighing sensors; they essentially have an A/D converter, CPU, and 'digitalized' strain sensor that can work with digital channels added inside the sensor.
A true digital weighing sensor is a sensitive element that can convert force or strain into a 'frequency signal.' Common examples of such sensors include vibrating wire sensors, tuning fork sensors, and capacitive sensors.

  A strain-type digital weighing sensor essentially converts the analog signal output from a bridge into a digital signal through an A/D converter. Since the advent of digital instruments, this digital conversion technology has long been used in various measuring instruments.

  Digital strain sensors are able to gain market or user recognition mainly due to the widespread use of integrated circuits and significant price reductions. Abroad, sensor prices are quite high, but the substantial decrease in the prices of integrated circuits means that the price increase for digital sensors compared to analog sensors is not significant. In China, domestically produced sensors are much cheaper than similar foreign products, but integrated circuits are mostly imported. Therefore, domestically produced digital weighing sensors are significantly more expensive than analog sensors.

  In the early days, almost all digital weighing sensors used domestically were imported products, which were very expensive. Moreover, the operating systems of imported products were all in foreign languages. Therefore, except for some special cases, the early promotion and use of digital weighing sensors in the country had many inconveniences. Aside from these two factors, since digital weighing sensors install integrated components such as A/D converters inside the sensor or near it, in harsh outdoor working environments, these adverse factors would place higher demands on the integrated components used, naturally leading to an increase in price.