Some interesting proof showing the magnitiude of the effect of static electricity on a scale

[BoydAllen]

 

[Mark M.]

Interesting, thanks

 

[Legionnaire]

Yes, very interesting. And did you check the price on the AD-1683?

 

[RampedRaptor]

Yes, very interesting. And did you check the price on the AD-1683?

Crazzzzy! Will come up with a cheaper plan of attack

 

[geraldgee]

Interesting video but does a reloader produce an equal amount of static electricity during a typical reloading session?

I have the FX 120i and I'm not seeing anything comparable. Am I missing it?

Thanks

 

[BoydAllen]

In the video, the idea was to create the most static charge that they could and handle the sheet so as not to bleed it off for the first part of the demonstration. I am pretty sure that if they had simply handled the sheet normally and not rubbed it that the effect would have been much less. My point in putting up the video was to show that it is possible to have static affect a scale and to demonstrate worst case magnitude, not to suggest that this is typical.

 

[cheek9075]

I work for a scale company, been a tech for 20 years now. static electrity can cause very unstable readings, and also cause the electronics to become damaged. Pouring powder on to the pan on the scale will build a charge. The more you use the scale in a reloading session, the more unstable it will become.

Easy fix. Remove the leveling feet, replace with metal foot (bolt) or put a ground strap from the scale to an earth ground to discharge the static charge. Anything to discharge the static. I've seen static cause board failures on about all makes and models of scales. From gram to floor scales.

 

[rwj]

Isn't that what Bounce dryer sheets do?

They’ve worked well under my electronic scales for years...

 

[joshb]

This just makes me love my old balance beam scale all the more.

 

[avidflyer]

I work for a scale company, been a tech for 20 years now. static electrity can cause very unstable readings, and also cause the electronics to become damaged. Pouring powder on to the pan on the scale will build a charge. The more you use the scale in a reloading session, the more unstable it will become.

Easy fix. Remove the leveling feet, replace with metal foot (bolt) or put a ground strap from the scale to an earth ground to discharge the static charge. Anything to discharge the static. I've seen static cause board failures on about all makes and models of scales. From gram to floor scales.

Have my scale on a solid 3ft by 2ft granite slab 2 inches thick. Scale has seemed rock soild for last 2 or 3 years. (AMD). Any opinions on using marble or granite?

 

[Ledd Slinger]

Have my scale on a solid 3ft by 2ft granite slab 2 inches thick. Scale has seemed rock soild for last 2 or 3 years. (AMD). Any opinions on using marble or granite?

I also have my FX120i on a piece of 14"L x 9"W x 2" thick machinists grade A granite surface plate. It doesnt discharge any of the static, but it is an excellent solid platform for setting up a scale with high resolution.

 

[cheek9075]

Have my scale on a solid 3ft by 2ft granite slab 2 inches thick. Scale has seemed rock soild for last 2 or 3 years. (AMD). Any opinions on using marble or granite?

Marble or Granite, both work fine. Other things to remember is the bench, table, etc... Which the scales sets on. Also for the most accurate weight is a good foundation, concrete floor.

When using this type of scale, one can move around on the floor and change the reading of the scale.

Mettler Toledo has a balance room in Ohio. They calibrate weights to be used to calibrate scales. I have visited the lab. It is climate controlled. More than 1 person in the room changes the climate which affect the scales. It had been proven that the lab knew about an earth quate over seas before it was nocitced. The scale readings in the room where changing and the tech saw it, did not know why. About an hour later the earth quate was on the news.

There is alot that can affect a scale. 1gr is equal to .064799 grams. Most scale that reloaders use will measure to .01gram or .1 gr, do the math. Alot goes into accurate weighing, more than anyone knows.

 

[cheek9075]

Yes, very interesting. And did you check the price on the AD-1683?

That Scale is cheap, considering others!

 

[Brians356]

My loading bench is on a carpeted concrete floor. If I weigh powder (Lyman M-5) with shoes on my feet, I get static buildup. If I work in bare or stocking feet, I don't get static. I can demonstrate the static easily by holding a fingertip just under the pan, and levitating it upward, or downward with fingertip above the pan. I.e. my finger "repells" the pan. Kick shoes off, let static dissipate a minute with feet on the floor, and the levitation is no longer possible. By handling the scale I seem to be grounding it.
-

 

[BoydAllen]

Years back a friend built a box for each of us that I designed to protect a balance scale from the wind when loading outdoors. It was originally made with a sliding front made from Plexiglass. One day I noticed that the scale weighed the same weight differently (by .1 grain) in the box than it did on my desk. I figured out that it must have been because of a static charge on the plastic. Replacing it with tempered glass seems to have solved the problem.

 

[Howland]

I used to work for a manufacturing company that had a testing lab. We had a Mettler-Toledo analytical scale with a .0001g resolution. It was mechanical but had 220V AC power to a light behind the weight display.

One day, it started to drift all over the place. I read the manual and read that this could happen if the power supply wasn't properly grounded. One of my colleagues had one of those plug in outlet testers and yup, not properly grounded. The electricians had been working on equipment in the adjacent department and the electrical conduit ran right above our suspended ceiling.

I spoke to the electrician and was assured the ground had been properly restored, but he would double check it just to ease my peace of mind. A half hour later, everything was working normally. I asked the electrician whether he had found anything wrong and he told me, "Nope, everything was fine."

Lesson 1 - It happens to mechanical scales too.

Lesson 2 - Just because someone says no trouble found doesn't make it so.

I think that Mettler-Toledo wanted to make sure it was grounded and reasoned that since it will be plugged into an outlet, let's add a little light bulb and not the other way around.

 

[T-shooter]

I did everything I could think of when debugging the FX scale. It doesn't seem to be effected much if any by normal static. I don't use anything with it anymore but at one point the scale was grounded to an anti-static pad. I wore a wrist strap, also grounded, and everything was sprayed down with anti-static spray. These were all grounded to Earth ground. It made no difference. The major problems I was experiencing were due to the electrical circuit in the house. Occasionally I still see a little indication of possible static. I notice when I get my arm close on the left side the scale can fluctuate, maybe 1 increment. I've also had it do it in the front. This may only happen 1 out of 100 times or less. No difference with all the anti-static parts in place. When weighing I place the powder pan on the scale and then back away a foot or so and let it settle. Easy enough to do and eliminates any possible static from me.

 

[alinwa]

Ba-da-BOOM

 

[Legionnaire]

That Scale is cheap, considering others!

Not the scale, the anti-static device to the right of it!

 

[hikfromstik]

I'm like others on here . I think most problems(unless your on carpet) are electrical wiring . Some older houses aren't grounded properly . My recently built metal building where I reload is grounded great and I've had very few problems with static unless I have my wood stove blazing or temperature fluctuating .