Adding a Digital Scale to a Workshop Vice

In this project, I attempted to use the sensors from a common bathroom scale to make a digital readout for a shop vice. The idea was pretty simple. Relocate the sensors on the scale to locations on the vice. That way when the vice is tightened on an object, it will press on the sensors. The scale should then give a readout of how much pressure the vice is applying.

Unfortunately, I discovered that the scale doesn't work well unless pressure is applied evenly to all the sensors. Also many scales will not give readouts for small weights. They only work above a certain threshold.

So this is an example of the many times when a project just doesn't work out. But I still got to take apart a scale a learn how it worked. So it's never a complete loss.