A stable, sensitive, low-compliance capacitance force transducer.

The measurement of active and passive force levels in heart muscle requires short-and long-term base-line stability. The capacitance force transducer described here represents an optimization of the relationship between sensitivity, compliance, and frequency response in a design that minimizes long-term base-line drift related to thermal gradients within the apparatus. Thermal stability of the instrument is obtained with the use of quartz and Invar in the construction of the variable capacitor, the maintenance of internal transducer temperature at a constant level well above ambient, and the use of thermally insulating air gaps. Sensitivity ranges from 1.0 to 2.0 V/g wt in the several instruments tested, the output is linear, compliance is negligible with static loads up to 6 g wt, hysteresis is not significant with transient loading with 20 g wt, and long-term drift is greater than or equal to 0.050 g wt. These instruments are designed for use with myocardial preparations but can be adapted for skeletal muscle experiments.