My RCBS Chargemaster quit

[25ring]

If he’s had it and used it for 15 years, why would he be encouraged to spend $200 to fix it? He can get new modern Chargemaster for a little bit more.

When my Chargemaster 1500 died I bought the Lite version. Didn't know about Lone Mountain then. The reason I had the 1500 repaired is because you can reprogram the parameters. My 1500 runs twice as fast as the Lite one. Works much better for larger charges like dispensing black powder.

 

[Fire Dog]

Quite possibly.
Wallwarts of one sort or another don't seem to last forever but it depends some on which type you had for your CM.
Years ago RCBS only used fixed voltage types and here in NZ we had to get the more expensive 230V version.
Shortly before I got my CM RCBS went to a universal voltage wallwart which are more known for failure however technology has improved and they are pretty reliable now.

Outta curiosity I opened my CM a year or 3 back to find some electrolytic caps on the incoming supply from the wallwart.
CM were known to misbehave in electrically noisy environments so I wanted to see if there was any internal shielding but IIRC there wasn't.
Since I got mine I've had the wallwart cord through a toroid core for a few wraps to help remove and electrical noise coming from the wallwart and this CM has given no troubles.
Touch wood......

I have V1 with all the Area 419 upgrades and did exactly the trick of adding a ferrite choke to the lead coming out of the “Wall Wart” also scanned the loading room with an meter to see what magnetic and other power source interference was being broadcast and had to move a wireless house phone unit.
No matter what electronic scale you are using, fluro lighting is NOT their friend!
At least A&D scales come with a universal voltage supply and all I needed to do was add an adaptor to turn the II prongs into / I \
My unit currently has the Ingenuity trickler unit and not only has it speeded up the throw time it has virtually eliminated any over/under throw and then only .o2 of a grain {one granule of Varget/Ar22008}.
My AutoTrickler has never had problems as the A&D 120 is a precise piece of equipment that once turned on allowed to warm up for at least 1/2hr or better yet several hours to stabilize it remains constant for however many days I leave it on.
Just waiting for my preorder of the new Ingenuity unit to come up and then I will put my old unit up for sale and still get virtually what I paid for it.

 

[Fire Dog]

When my Chargemaster 1500 died I bought the Lite version. Didn't know about Lone Mountain then. The reason I had the 1500 repaired is because you can reprogram the parameters. My 1500 runs twice as fast as the Lite one. Works much better for larger charges like dispensing black powder.

Just a question, is it safe to dispense black powder from any scale that is electrically connected?

 

[Doom]

From the 1500 Instruction manual:

"Do not use with black powder (used in muzzle loading firearms). If black powder should come in contact with an electrical spark, an explosion may occur, resulting in serious injury or death."

 

[jackieschmidt]

Bills suck. Always have.....always will. They'll lose this game and I can finally have peace.

They should bring Jim Kelly in to give color commentary during the upcoming AFC Championship game.

The Chargemaster Link like I have is basically their base model. There are not settings to adjust anything that I’m aware of. Just calibrate, enter you weight and press go. But it makes reloading so much easier either way.

i wish I could disable the round count function. It’s useless, just takes up time.
In Shirt Range, all most of us want is something to throw an accurate charge. The fewer gizmos, the better.

 

[Kracken McGraw]

They should bring Jim Kelly in to give color commentary during the upcoming AFC Championship game.

i wish I could disable the round count function. It’s useless, just takes up time.
In Shirt Range, all most of us want is something to throw an accurate charge. The fewer gizmos, the better.

Jackie did the winter weather prediction come in down there?

 

[Gary O'Neal]

When my Chargemaster 1500 died I bought the Lite version. Didn't know about Lone Mountain then. The reason I had the 1500 repaired is because you can reprogram the parameters. My 1500 runs twice as fast as the Lite one. Works much better for larger charges like dispensing black powder.

I understand in that particular situation. I’ve had two of the Lites and they’re not in the same class. However, the Chargemaster Supreme is an improved version of the original for not a lot more than spending $200 to fix the old version.

 

[markm87]

I fantasize about filling my chargemaster with tannerite and giving it a justified send off!

 

[rdb8847]

I have one listed………

 

[243Lapua]

Lone Mountain Communications - RCBS Charge Master Combo 1500 Repair & Reconditioning, Two way radios, repair and sales

Lone Mountain Communications is a fully functional Two-Way radio communications maintenance facility offering extremely high quality workmanship, done right the first time. Lone Mountain Communications also provides new and reconditioned Two-Way radios, as well as parts, accessories and the...

lonemountaincommunications.com

 

[25ring]

From the 1500 Instruction manual:

"Do not use with black powder (used in muzzle loading firearms). If black powder should come in contact with an electrical spark, an explosion may occur, resulting in serious injury or death."

I and a bunch of others that shoot BPCR have used Chargemasters for years. The risk with blackpowder is way overblown,but everyone has to decide for themselves.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Jackie did the winter weather prediction come in down there?

This is the road at my Shop and my backyard looking toward the lake.

I will put it this way……WRONG!!!!!

 

[Kracken McGraw]

This is the road at my Shop and my backyard looking toward the lake.

I will put it this way……WRONG!!!!!

Whew! That’s a shock for the Houston area.

 

[riverwolf1]

In case you (or anyone else out there) want to try to get it repaired, Lone Mountain does repair of these units.
Don't know about pricing, but can't hurt to ask.

RCBS Repair

Lone Mountain Communications is a fully functional Two-Way radio communications maintenance facility offering extremely high quality workmanship, done right the first time. Lone Mountain Communications also provides new and reconditioned Two-Way radios, as well as parts, accessories and the...

www.lonemountaincommunications.com

Hope this is useful to someone.

Frank

Mine quit two years ago, sent it to Lone Mountain, and they did a great job! Been working great ever since. Cost was about $180.00 which included shipping back to me.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Whew! That’s a shock for the Houston area.

Yeh, we are part of the T-Shirt crowd. The sooner this cr-p is gone, the better.

 

[B y r o n]

If you don't want to spend any money try this. Open the case and disconnect any removeable chips or ribbon cables and re-insert. Do them one at a time to make sure they go back exactly where they came from. Put the case back together and plug it in and turn on.

Computer or electronic connections can oxidize over time and not make the necessary connection. By pulling the component/ribbon cable it basically scrapes the connector and when put back in re-establishes the proper connection and allows it to function again.

Doesn't cost anything to try.

 

[Old Navy]

My 1500 had a ghost in it. Six moths or so ago it would not zero of calibrate but it weighed powder fine. It started working again a couple days ago. I wonder how many have been sent in with minor problems.

 

[Doom]

I and a bunch of others that shoot BPCR have used Chargemasters for years. The risk with blackpowder is way overblown,but everyone has to decide for themselves.

You can also play Russian Roulette for years if you are lucky! Seriously, your statement doesn't change the fact that you are using an instrument that has the capability of setting off the powder if something malfunctions. It also can be an issue with static charges. The real issue is black powder doesn't burn if ignited it explodes which is much more dangerous than the issues with smokeless powder.

 

[25ring]

You can also play Russian Roulette for years if you are lucky! Seriously, your statement doesn't change the fact that you are using an instrument that has the capability of setting off the powder if something malfunctions. It also can be an issue with static charges. The real issue is black powder doesn't burn if ignited it explodes which is much more dangerous than the issues with smokeless powder.

If you like head over to the Shiloh Sharps forum and search the threads on static tests with blackpowder. Some of these are done by people involved in the commercial manufacture of BP.

 

[SteveUrban]

My 1500 had a ghost in it. Six moths or so ago it would not zero of calibrate but it weighed powder fine. It started working again a couple days ago. I wonder how many have been sent in with minor problems.

Mine was acting like that too. I opened it up, checked all connections and solder joints. Everything looked good. All of the zip ties were very tight and made reattaching the connections difficult, so I cut all the zip ties and removed them. Unit works great now!
I also use mine for BP.
Cheers,
Steve