[Stephen L]

I purchased a Shure SFG-2 and setup the Rega P3-24 tone arm weight. I was a little scepticle about accuracy. Then I remembered I had a digital scale I bought from The Source for measuring medication for my koi pond. http://www.thesource.ca/estore/product.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Kitchen&product=6313015 I compared the two readings and they were within a tenth of a gram of each other. $30.00 for a fairly accurate digital scale is not a bad price imho.

Steve

[Wayner]

You can get this one from Dealextreme for $13.40 including free shipping.

 

Wayner

[Ericus Rex]

I've got Wayner's scale too.  It works great!  Accurate to within .02 grams   

[decal]

Just bought this one for $40.00 (wish I would have read this thread earlier!!)....

[nrenter]

I bought a scale from American Weigh. They have a "used" MiniCD-100® Digital Pocket Scale 100x0.01g for $10.95 + shipping.

[Letitroll98]

You can get this one from Dealextreme for $13.40 including free shipping.

Wayner

Another vote for Wayne's scale from a satisfied user.  I've had if for a couple of years, still going strong and accurate.  Note that it also has the lowest platform of any cheap scale, barely thicker than an lp, so the readings are slightly more accurate than scales with higher platforms.

[andyr]

Note that it also has the lowest platform of any cheap scale, barely thicker than an lp, so the readings are slightly more accurate than scales with higher platforms.

To get a "real" reading, the pad that the stylus rests on must be at the same height as the LP surface.  Therefore you need to support the scale on something like a block of wood just outside the platter, in order to get the scale pad at the correct height.

Regards,

Andy

[Wayner]

The amount of this effect is microscopic and the values way under the tolerances of the scale.

I'm more then happy if I can dial in the weight to the nearest 100th of a gram 

Wayner

[andyr]

You obviously have never tried the experiment, Wayner. 

The fifference was 0.034gm when I tried it, last weekend.

Regards,

Andy

[Wayner]

Load cells are not perfect and you could actually get different readings all day long, set at the same VTF. Most cells have a tolerance of +/-.02 grams

Wayner

[jimdgoulding]

Nice products.  Heck I still use an old Shure scale but will be talking to Santa.

[andyr]

Load cells are not perfect and you could actually get different readings all day long, set at the same VTF. Most cells have a tolerance of +/-.02 grams

Wayner

You appear to be justifying to yourself why you shouldn't bother to do the experiment?

Yes a repeated measurement varies slightly - in the 3rd dp on my scale.  I appreciate you Yanquis still use old measurements and so are probably not overly familiar with grams but I'm talking a lot better than 0.02gm.

Regards,

Andy

[Wayner]

Andy,

I'm not trying to pick a fight, especially over something like this, but I just think that a 3 place decimal on a VTF scale is over the top a bit. And yes I'm a Yankee, but I understand the metric system very well, thank you.

Wayner

[andyr]

Andy,

I'm not trying to pick a fight, especially over something like this, but I just think that a 3 place decimal on a VTF scale is over the top a bit. And yes I'm a Yankee, but I understand the metric system very well, thank you.

Wayner

All I'm suggesting, Wayner, is do the experiment.  All you need to do for this is make up a spacer so that when this rests on your plinth (or top-plate, in the case of my LP12), the pad of the scale which is resting on this spacer is at the same height as an LP surface - you choose: 120gm, 180gm or 200gm thickness. 

For my spacer, I glued a few pieces of wood together and used a belt sander to get it to the right height.

And, yes, 3dp is excessive - but that's just what my scale came with.  At least 3dps means that you can get it pretty accurate to 2dp. 

Regards,

Andy

[blakep]

My Canrong is 3dp as well and I value the extra accuracy. As far as the slight inaccuracy due to the weigh platform being a bit higher than a 180 gram record, I'd come up with about .020 to .025 difference when I did some experimentation a few years ago.

So when I set VTF I simply set it that much higher. Not a big deal.

[Letitroll98]

I do get a very minor difference than when I use spacers on the plinth, so small that it's not reliably repeatable as Wayne notes.  And as I set final VTF by ear anyway, as long as it's repeatable on the platter who cares if it's .02gr off.  Does anyone here know the difference .02 gram VTF is going to have on the sound of a cartridge, on their table and their arm, before they install a new one?  Not likely.  Therefore if your scale is within .02 gr of mfg. spec, and any tweaking is repeatable, then it's a non-issue and is specious to even mention, how many angels dance on the head of your pin (stylus).

What I was referring to is the use of the kitchen scales that had been mentioned.  They are significantly thicker than the DealExtreme or Canrog scale and can produce meaningful differences, unless one uses a spacer and measures from the plinth.     

[sanlanman]

I have been using this credit card size scale from saveonscales.com. It works fine for me.

http://www.saveonscales.com/product_ps_cc_series.html

[johsti]

You can get this one from Dealextreme for $13.40 including free shipping.

 

Wayner

I just purchased this scale and I think I got a dud. I'm hoping the batteries are bad but I don't think that's the case.  The readings fluctuate all over the place and calibration does nothing.  At least it was only $13.

[andyr]

I just purchased this scale and I think I got a dud. I'm hoping the batteries are bad but I don't think that's the case.  The readings fluctuate all over the place and calibration does nothing.  At least it was only $13.

Mine looks identical to that (I believe the original Chinese mfr is "Canrong") and has worked flawlessly, since I bought it 3-4 years ago.  Try a new battery. 

Regards,

Andy

[bastlnut]

hallo,

i too set VTF by ear. it is the only way to get it really right IMO.
the scale i use for a starting point is this one.



i have a digital one too but that only gets used to weigh parts of assembly's.

regards,
bas