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Old April 16, 2014, 03:02 PM   #1
Urban_Redneck
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Scale repair, worth it?

I have an old RCBS Powder Pro digital scale that reads: F A I L

RCBS doesn't support this scale any longer, so, it must go back to PACT. I called PACT and they charge:

$20 service fee
$30 load cell (part it likely needs)
$20 return shipping
Plus what $ it costs me to ship.
Then I have to wait..............................

Am I crazy to think I should just buy a new $35 digital scale like the Hornady GS 1500? I primarily load pistol ammo on a progressive and just use the scale to set up and verify charge weights.

Your thoughts and recommendations appreciated.
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Old April 16, 2014, 03:18 PM   #2
BOOMST1CK
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I hate giving up on equipment, and will usually pay out to keep them going. Sometimes you just have to realize that you did get your money's worth out of that product, and get a new one. I personally like hornady stuff, but if the old scale served you well, I would get the rcbs new version.
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Old April 16, 2014, 03:42 PM   #3
JefferS
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I only have a Frankford Arsenal DS-750 and it has served me well for the last year or so. Not the best, but pretty good for the price, and also has a higher rating on MidwayUSA than the Hornady.

I'd say that you should push past the emotional attachment (which I also have with some much my equipment), and invest the cost of repair into a new one.

Note: My personal pet peeve with my DS-750 is the response time. I'll trickle some grains and then have to wait about a ten count before I'm sure it registers, or it'll jump +0.2 grains. Irritating when I'm trying to get it to the 0.1 gr (realizing there is a tolerance to the scale anyway). But again, for the price, I'd buy it again.
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Last edited by JefferS; April 16, 2014 at 03:48 PM. Reason: Added my pet peeve
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Old April 16, 2014, 03:42 PM   #4
JimDandy
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I wouldn't get either. I have a Hornady LNL Bench scale. I'm very happy with it. I wish I would have gotten an RCBS 5-05 or 5-10 instead. For what you use your scale for, you probably would too. Balance Beam scales don't lose their electronic brains. The Hornady GS-1500 I don't have but I've heard you've got a 50/50 shot of walking out the door with a bad one. I've heard that if it's good, it stays good for quite a while, the trick is getting a good one in the first place.
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Old April 16, 2014, 03:56 PM   #5
JefferS
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Quote:
Originally posted by JimDandy:
Balance Beam scales don't lose their electronic brains.
Definitely have a balance beam on hand, at least as a backup, to check your digital occasionally.
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Old April 16, 2014, 04:25 PM   #6
old roper
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I got RCBS 750 scale first year they came out last almost 12yrs and lucky had my beam scale. I later replace 750 scale with 1500 all I do with that mostly weight bullets/cases.
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Old April 16, 2014, 04:26 PM   #7
Doc Hoy
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I did electronics in the Navy for 26 years

I have no familiarity with the scale whatsoever. But if you can get it apart, you might want to try reseating all of the internal connections. It is worth a try.

If the load cell is the transducer that converts pressure into an electronic parameter, I would not surprised to learn there is nothing wrong with it. These things don't wear out. They can be jarred, they can get wet, they can be subject to a surge, but just normal wear and tear should not make the thing crap out.

Mean time between failure (MTBF) of most commercial electronic components is more than 100,000 hours. What that means is that generally the problem is a mechanical one.
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Last edited by Doc Hoy; April 16, 2014 at 04:39 PM.
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Old April 16, 2014, 05:37 PM   #8
Urban_Redneck
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I might as well take a look inside as it's not going back to Texas...
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Old April 16, 2014, 05:55 PM   #9
BobCat45
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That's the spirit!

The idea that "I might as well open it and have a look, it is busted and ain't going to get worse busted at this point" is the first step toward fixing things.

I can't tell you how many pieces of all kinds of gear, from an electric window motor in my pickup to kitchen hotplates, I've been able to repair because the fault was obvious once it was apart to look at.

The box for my RCBS 5-0-5 is marked Ohaus - had it since 1971 - and I use it to check my no-name electronic scale.

Good luck with whatever course you take, but I bet if you listen to Doc Hoy your scale will be working again soon.
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