On Mon, 26 Nov 2018 06:09:48 +0000 (UTC), Ralph Barone
wrote:
I'm hoping that this turns out to be real and usable hardware. The price
and the ability to use any type of pedal in exchange for an extra 32 mm of
Q factor seems to be a reasonable trade off.
https://www.iqsquare.com

$180 for one sensor. Ouch.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/cycling-power-meter-at-a-breakthrough-price#/
Funded to 10 times the original funding price. Very impressive.

I can't see much in the way of numbers, so I'll have to guess(tm) what
might go wrong.
1. There are no visible seals. In order to measure pressure
(actually torque) with a wire strain guage, there has to be some
rotation between the input and output threaded inserts. The movement
will be small and will need to be sealed.
2. The sensor is a nanotech wire strain guage which simply works by
bending a thin wire.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/407439/a-nano-pressure-sensor/
https://www.sido-event.com/public/exposants_files/Nanolike_nanogauges.pdf
There are similar wires made from other materials. To obtain usable
output voltages and high gain factors, these are usually high
impedance devices, which make them sensitive to condensation, PCB
leakage, RFI, EMI, etc. Hopefully, these factors will not be a
problem.
3. I don't see any calibration adjustments. Hopefully, this would be
done in software. If not, this might be a throw-away device.
4. Hmmm... looks like 4 wires in the strain gauge, which takes care
of measuring strain on any axis and differentially removing wire
temperature from the equation. Nice.
https://c1.iggcdn.com/indiegogo-media-prod-cld/image/upload/c_limit,f_auto,w_620/v1523883251/dvuysosibnhpgupa8jqd.jpg

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Jeff Liebermann
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