My latest toy -- digital scale for tracking force!

[rif]

Just got this in the mail today, direct from China. I don't know where I heard about this, apologies if it was here and I'm stealing someones thunder.

www.dealextreme.com/p/digital-precision-scale-with-leather-case-5g-max-0-01g-resolution-16269

Anyway I got this one (there are dozens) from dealextreme.  Never heard of them before.  But for less than $15, there was little to lose. And that INCLUDES shipping.

I bought this one since 0) it was cheap, 1) that's what I heard about, 2) the weighing platform is close the the bottom (I can't remember high school trig exactly, but it seems you need the stylus to be the same height as the record), and 3) the one review talked about turntables and said it's non-magnetic.


Is it any better than the analog seesaw gauge I use? Who knows. I don't have much to compare it against. I can say out of the box it said the 5g calibration weight was 5.01 (fixed that) and it says I'm dialed in at 1.56g. I was shooting for 1.5g during setup on the seesaw Memorex scale gauge. Pretty close. Glad I didn't spend audiogon-like $$ on it.

[Grainger49]

Thanks for posting.  I have always wondered about this kind of scale.  I have a more expensive one.  And I just might buy one of these to play with.

What I do know about digital scales are that the accuracy, say 1%, is at maximum weight, full scale.  So if it goes to 100g, and is +/-1%, then the accuracy is +/- 1g.  Do you know what the maximum weight is and what the accuracy is?

Something else I have always wondered about, what do you check them with?  Even a dime is not an accurate weight.  I guess we can send off for accurate 1/4g weights to verify tracking forces.  

[rif]

The instructions don't mention the accuracy, although they do state the READABILITY is +/- 0.01.  The other reason I chose this one, is exactly your point Grainger.  Max weight is only 5g, more than enough.

I also agree with you that many think that since it displays to 0.01, it's accurate to 0.01, which is incorrect. Same applies to any digital measurement display (multimeters). (Analog rules in vinyl and readouts!)

Anyway, I purchased a 5g calibration weight at the same time. I could question its precision too since it was also dirt cheap, but at some point you need to take a leap of faith. Since it measured very close to what I was expecting, I'll believe it.  It is also consistent. I measured several time over a few hours, it's always 1.56g

[Grainger49]

Yup, I'm going to order one and a weight.  Thanks for the heads up and I know other Bottleheads will be joining in.

I have two other small scales that I can try the calibration weight on.  And maybe I also have another weight, can't remember.

[debk]

I just ordered one with the calibration weight.

Been thinking about getting one of these scales for some time.  can't beat the price

Debra

[Wanderer]

I got one of these cheap chinese scales a couple years back. I think mine is from the same supplier but it has been a while. Looks the same.

Mine agrees very well with my Shure balance.

As far as calibration weight, you can trust that a new USA nickle weighs exactly 5 grams. There is a whole bunch of pencil neck dweebs in the mint who lose sleep over the exact specifications of coins. I trust the US mint at least as much as a $2 weight from China.

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/?action=coin_specifications 

[rif]

OK so this is encouraging. I grabbed some random coins (definitely not-uncirculated).  Or is it discouraging since I was expecting more deviation given the condition of the coins.


Coin       Ref         Actual
Cent       2.500       2.51
Dime       2.268       2.27
Nickel     5.000       5.00

[ssssly]

Bought one of these a while back as well. Looks like the exact same one. And calibrated it using coins as well. Guess great minds think alike I guess.

Has worked great for me for about a year now. FYI there are a couple companies that stamp their name on it call it a tracking force gauge and charge over $100 for the same $15 Chinese digital scale.

[Lee Hankins]

There has been alot of problems with these scales from China.  I purchased my first one 3 or 4 years ago, went through three before the vendor went out of business.  Scale usually stopped working within the first couple of months.  I haven't looked lately but there was considerable information on the web about the quality or should I say lack of quality of this product.

Lee Hankins 

[Grainger49]

Bought one of these a while back as well. Looks like the exact same one. And calibrated it using coins as well. Guess great minds think alike I guess.

Has worked great for me for about a year now. FYI there are a couple companies that stamp their name on it call it a tracking force gauge and charge over $100 for the same $15 Chinese digital scale.

How about this Pro-Ject?  $109 at MD:

[rif]

The buttons are different and mine has a blue backlight.  That's not to say Pro-ject didn't have the Chinese company make them to their design specs. But of course if they changed the buttons, maybe they specified something else for the accuracy of the electronics.

Nowadays anyone can become a manufacturer of small quantity items electronic (PCB) or material (machining, injection mold forming) through the web.  (something like one of the PCB stores or emachineshop.com, I haven't used either).

[2wo]

I just happen to have a freshly calibrated lab scale on hand. As a service to the community, I checked 10 clean new nickles out of my change tray most came in as 4.96 (5), 4.95 (2), 4.97 (2), 4.94 (1), 4.99 (1).

I tried some new clad pennies, They are very close at 2.51, with a few at 2.5...John   

[Grainger49]

2wo, thanks for checking.  I ordered my scale and it was shipped on Thursday.  I've been at Paully's house going through a list of projects and have been off the board for a few days.

[Grainger49]

Anyone who ordered get it yet?  I haven't.  I didn't find anything on the order page about delivery times.  And it has only been 11 days.  

Edit, I am sorting through my email and I ordered on the 9th it shipped on the 16th, a week later.  So it has been in route for only four days today.

[rif]

I believe mine took several weeks.

Remember this is coming halfway around the world very slowly unless you upgraded the shipping method, which would double the price if the scale