Instrumento para medir dureza de semillas

This project describes the investigation, development and implementation of an electronic device that measures the required force to break a seed. The device is based on a load cell which measures the force applied to the solid. The device detects the instant when the sample breaks. The obtained hardness values are stored in the device internal memory and are visualized in a liquid crystal display. Also, the device can be connected to a computer to show on a graphic the instantaneous force values applied to a seed or to download the hardness values. The device performance was verified through sample measurements with statistically known hardness values.