Chargemaster 1500 trouble.

[ronsroom1]

My combo is throwing inconsistent charges.
I use a filtered 110v supply, central air fan is off, no flourscent lighting. Scale set for 30.7 and I get beeped charges from 29.5 to 30.9 Mostly on the low side. No mods were done to the unit, have a Mac straw in tube. When I put the empty pan back on the scale, it does not return to zero and I have to manually re-zero it 3/4 of the time. Any suggestions?

 

[Forum Boss]

My combo is throwing inconsistent charges.
I use a filtered 110v supply, central air fan is off, no flourscent lighting. Scale set for 30.7 and I get beeped charges from 29.5 to 30.9 Mostly on the low side. No mods were done to the unit, have a Mac straw in tube. When I put the empty pan back on the scale, it does not return to zero and I have to manually re-zero it 3/4 of the time. Any suggestions?

What you describe is both unusual and unacceptable. If you have given the machine ample warm up time AND it is level both side-to-side and fore-and-aft, AND you have calibrated it properly per the manual, then you've got a bum machine. Call RCBS and send it back.

 

[DennisH]

RCBS is great and stands behind their products.

Worst part, you have to give them a call.

Follow the boss's instructions, if you still have trouble, call them.

PS: I do keep a small level next to my machine, FYI

 

[LHSmith]

Recently there was a thread where the problem turned out to be that the factory supplied pan was substituted for a lighter plastic one.

 

[rocketron]

have you wiped it down with a dryer sheet. one time mine would change numbers just getting the pan near the scale. wiped it down and all was good.

 

[BluePanda]

Any chance some powder dropped between the plastic tray and scale? I was careless one night and bumped my pan and some powder spilled on the plastic tray. Didn't think any powder got down the hole but I was getting strange readings till I decide to empty everything and turn the scale upside down. Several grains of powder dropped out and everything is back to normal.

 

[ronsroom1]

It's an Aluminum pan.

have you wiped it down with a dryer sheet. one time mine would change numbers just getting the pan near the scale. wiped it down and all was good.

 

[ronsroom1]

I'll check it again. Did that before I filled the hopper tube.

Any chance some powder dropped between the plastic tray and scale? I was careless one night and bumped my pan and some powder spilled on the plastic tray. Didn't think any powder got down the hole but I was getting strange readings till I decide to empty everything and turn the scale upside down. Several grains of powder dropped out and everything is back to normal.

 

[tome]

had a similar problem..it was working fine..put it away..weeks later i went to use it and it wouldn't hold zero...then it wouldn't zero at all..called RCBS and was told to send it back..mine was out of warranty..so there was a charge..i want to say $35..i really didn't remember the exact amount...they sent me a new unit..which works fine

 

[amlevin]

I've had a couple of hair pulling days with my Chargemaster with weight readings being erratic unless I Zero after each dispensing. Then one day I noticed that the "Bad Days" were the ones where I had my cell phone in my shirt pocket. Those darn things are frequently transmitting, communicating with the "mother ship' even when you aren't sending or receiving calls. I make it a point to not have mine in the room now and those "hair pulling" days are long gone.

BTW, same goes for Laptops with wireless activated and any wireless printer. The less electronic interference near this unit the better.

 

[rocketron]

It's an Aluminum pan.

have you wiped it down with a dryer sheet. one time mine would change numbers just getting the pan near the scale. wiped it down and all was good.

so is mine. but when i put it betwwen the scale and the spout without touching either it would move. must of been a cosmic force

 

[amlevin]

It's an Aluminum pan.

have you wiped it down with a dryer sheet. one time mine would change numbers just getting the pan near the scale. wiped it down and all was good.

so is mine. but when i put it betwwen the scale and the spout without touching either it would move. must of been a cosmic force

That in itself is a good sign of electrostatic buildup. More work with the dryer sheet of some anti-static spray is in order.

 

[jo191145]

What finally cured mine was simply never shutting it off. Was a real bugger when new even with warm ups.
Its been running continuous now since 2004 unless I lose power.
Same goes for my Acculab 123. Wild flucuations until I just left it running continuous.

 

[ronsroom1]

A fresh dryer sheet cured the problems.

DAMN do I feel DUMB................................

 

[lurcher]

+1 on the powder going down the hole, worth checking had that problem too.......... Mine can be temperamental too. I always calibrate it before I use it. I write the weight of the pan on the pan with an indelible marker, it should weigh the same each time before you zero. After throwing a charge I always lift the pan and then place it straight back on the scale this often picks up overthrows. I think those scales are trustworthy to about +/- 0.1 grains at very best when they are working properly. I have a scott parker-tuned beam scale that I use to keep tabs on the chargemaster accuracy as it can drift over the course of a reloading session......