scale rant

[sonofagun]

I have to agree with those who say that 0.1 grain accuracy is good enough for reloading so why need anything better.

I've used a balance beam for years - mag damping is a great feature.

For the heck of it, a year or so ago, I bought one of the cheap,about $20) electronic scales advertised on line to try. Battery powered unit works great without any of the problems I see posted here. Easy, simple to use, and repeatable within a tenth. Heck, for that price, you could buy a couple and have one as a backup.

Maybe the high priced ones are just a rip.

 

[memilanuk]

Whether they work well enough may depend on what you're looking for... my ES/SD are far lower w/ charges weighed on the AccuLab,when its working right) than I get from charges weighed on a conventional 'cheapie' digital scale. Whether or not that matters to somebody, or in a particular application... is up to the individual.

 

[ANDY5]

I have a MX-123 from DI. Here are the things I did to make it work.
1- do not coil the power cord let it hang or run out straight.
2- do not have anything else plugged in with cords around the scale or power cord.
3- use a battery back up with surge protector, you get cleaner electricity.
4- I do push down on the pan every once in awhile as to make the scale go through more weight.
5- There is absolutely no breeze in the room
6- phones cell or cordless are a no-no
7- it is on a metal bench, on concrete floor and grounded
it works perfectly, these are all things the engineer at DI told me.
8- I double check it against my 10-10 scale and check it with a 50 gram weight every once in awhile while using.
9- I calibrate it every time before using
Before I learned these things I had sent back Accurate scale and one MXX-123.
Now mine works perfectly. I can double check weight on it and with the 10-10 and it is always right on.
When I mean double check weight, I will go back 10 or 12 cases and check those charges and the one that I just weighed they all weigh the same.

 

[Bugs]

Moderately priced scales,such as the DI MX123) are strain gage instruments and a hundredth of a grain,or a milligram) is just about at their limit. I also use a Denver Summit series analytical balance which is an electromagnetic force restoration balance as compared to a strain gage. Big, big difference. The analytical balance will stay on dead zero for days without drifting. IMHO, you'll just have to get used to zeroing the strain gage balance before each weighing.

 

[saskatoon]

Is the state of engineering in the "good ol' USA" s-o-o-o bad that we spend countless hours talking about its inadequacy, let alone the frustrations at the bench?

Where is American quality and the craftsmen of old? Perhaps in China where EVERYTHING under $100 is made,and rising, I might add). I believe our middle class jobs reside in the same place.

I use a Lyman 1500 model to weigh my 535-545 grain black powder bullets only. Have NO idea where it is built. It is quick, accurate and has not drifted in the past 2 years I've been using it. However, I would not trust using it for my powder load despite no problems with it on heavier objects. The good old balance scale with finger trickle is as accurate as you can get, IMHO, down to 1/30 of a grain. You need this level of accuracy for top consistency/scoring over 800,900,1000 yards.

Blackie

 

[JustinP]

I was the originator of this thread and thought I'd give you all an update. I have had my second set of VIC-123 scales for a while now, after returning the first set as a bad joke.

Second set - completely useless as well. Have jumped through every damned hoop I can,such as in ANDY5's post) and still the thing will either not zero, refuse to calibrate, or will drift constantly. I simply cannot do any more to get it to do what it is supposed to.

Life has taken a fundamental turn for the surreal when you feel the need to use a balance beam to confirm the accuracy of your much more expensive electronic scales.

My old set of RCBS electronic scales would calibrate and zero just fine. It also read dead on with my check weights. Why oh WHY did I 'upscale'?

That's it for Acculab VIC123. Enough's enough.

Anyone know where I can get a true 0.1gr capable balance beam scale?

 

[memilanuk]

Justin,

Sorry to hear it's still not working out for you. I've beat my head bloody on this particular wall myself, so I know how you feel.

Mine is working relatively reliably these days. The big change, in my opinion, was two fold.

1) I went and got a line-voltage regulating UPS. They cost a bit extra and are a little harder to find,you have to read the specs closely), but it made a world of difference for me.

2) I still had some weirdness now and again... until I re-lamped my shop with new fluorescent lamps with electronic T5 ballasts instead of the old magnetic T12 ones... my conversation w/ the engineer for these scales back when indicated that they are perhaps not as well shielded against electro-magnetic interference as more expensive units.

Between the two of these, probably 98% of the hiccups are gone. Once in a while the scale will drift a bit, but usually a quick peck at the Zero button between charges solves that easily.

HTH,

Monte

 

[JustinP]

Hey Monte

I'm looking forward to getting rid of the damned things and am tossing up getting a more expensive analytical balance. It will cost a fair whack but with any luck will be much better. Powder charging is the lengthiest and most balls-aching part of the reloading process, so anything I can do to speed it up will be GREAT.

Trying to use the VIC123 has blown out my reloading time quite a bit - when it was supposed to help cut down time and increase accuracy to boot. I've been using it through a voltage regulating UPS as well...

Such is life. Live and learn.

Justin

 

[rstreich]

You wouldn't happen to have a mobile phone anywhere near the scale would you? Any transmitter will screw them up--the lack of EM shielding that Monte mentioned. I'm considering a grounded copper screen for mine--just to make sure.

 

[JustinP]

No mate - no mobile phones or any other form of RF interference that I can identify. Line is filtered and I use a voltage regulated combo UPS. Also no drafts, no static, no lighting interference, zip. I tried leaving the thing on constantly but it would shut itself down at intermittent intervals,not the 15 minutes in the settings either).

I have terminated the VIC123's employment and have bought an RCBS Chargemaster 1500. Thus far, this unit seems rock solid by comparison. When I use my check weights on it, it reads correctly and I've seen no drift or bullshit of any kind as yet. I'll happily settle for 0.1gn accuracy in trade for a reliable working scale, as opposed to a 2nd temperamental, unreliable POS that won't produce the .02gn accuracy touted.

If I ever buy another electronic scale in a desire for sub 0.1gn accuracy, I'll bite the bullet,pardon the pun) and cough up for a higher end model.

Justin

 

[rstreich]

One thing about the Chargemaster is that you need to keep your eye on static electricity buildup. If it starts to get a bit flaky, just wipe it down with a dryer sheet or some other anti-static cloth. If you keep an eye on it, you'll notice the powder grains clinging to the sides of the powder reservoir first. If you don't address it right away, you'll start to notice it drifting a bit.

 

[sparker]

Funny thing about gravity, everyone has laboratory grade gravity. How many people have laboratory grade electricity, or barrometric pressure? When you folks get tired of anti static this and line conditioner that and all the other band-aids for your high dollar electronic scales, contact me and I can tune your beam type scale or provide you with one. Works dead solid perfect down to a kernal.

Scott Parker
vld223@yahoo.com