Frankford IntelliDropper -- Quick Overview

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 23, 2019, 11:10 AM

I decided to go ahead and do a quick overview of the New Frankford IntelliDropper. I only published this because a few friends asked me for the video. I did not do a complete review demonstrating every single feature, I am exchanging emails with Frankford asking if the drifting that I am seeing is normal behavior.

The Bluetooth setup with your phone is really easy and very convenient. The Bluetooth feature I am most interested in is the firmware upgrade service. It seems Frankford is planning to continue to evolve this product with future software upgrades. This unit can be fully operated from your mobile phone. It has a ton of data already imported on the app, powder manufacturers, bullet manufacturers and primer manufacturers. This makes it very easy to load your favorite load and send it to the intellihopper in a matter of seconds.

The screen is bright and wide and very easy to use, something I thought the RCBS chargemaster was missing.

The bubble level also adds a nice little touch.

The Intelli dropper comes with a feature called powder calibration, this feature is supposed to provide the best speed and accuracy dependent up the powder loaded into the intellihopper.

The powder drain is like all others; it is on the side of the unit and must be sitting on the edge of the bench to empty easily.

The comparison to my RCBS chargemaster is a bit unfair as it has been reprogrammed for speed, but the Frankford out of the box keeps up. I believe the Frankford may be faster than an out of the box Chargemaster. I am only speculating but this may be because of the powder calibration feature.

Check back for a comparison against the Lyman Generation 6. This is in the same price range where the RCBS chargemaster is approaching twice the cost.

For those with the Hornady and Lyman units how does the IntelliDroipper Compare?

https://youtu.be/S07De2BG_Oc

std7mag · March 23, 2019, 11:36 AM

While informative, and i do thank you for the reveiw, i'm somewhat at a loss.

I have no clue as to a reason anyone would need a bluetooh connection to their powder trickler and their cell phone.
Perhaps i'm a more hands on person.
Perhaps i just don't trust electronics to do my powder measuring.
More an if it can fail, it will.

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 23, 2019, 11:58 AM

If it doesn't work with your mobile phone it won't appeal to the millennials LOL, I guess that is being mean.

I think what Frankford planned is actually allowing your phone with greater memory and capacity be the load manual. The rcbs chargemaster stores a lot of your favorite reloads. The frankford seems to be unlimited on the number of loads it can save and with the easy touch of a button your scale can be programmed to start throwing your favorite load. It is cheaper to develop software to do this than to add hardware and memory to something like the rcbs. That's why the RCBS chargemaster is so expensive.

**Unclenick** · March 23, 2019, 06:13 PM

If the scale is drifting appreciably, it's not doing any better than a number of less expensive scales (though I've had one expensive one that drifted some, too). My guess is that, like other scales, some will drift more than others, and what you get is a matter of luck of the draw.

Rimfire5 · March 23, 2019, 06:36 PM

Unclenick,

The amount of drift may also be dependent upon the amount of warm up that the scale has been given before attempting to calibrate it.

The Lyman apparently has a timer that counts off the warm-up time, at least my buddy who has one tells me it does.
After I experienced some drifting after impatiently turning my Charge Master 1500 on and calibrating it, I started to let my Charge Master warm up for about 15 minutes before I calibrate it.
I just turn the unit on before I set up my dies and load the powder into the dispenser so I'm not tempted to get impatient.
I haven't noticed any drifting since I started letting the scale warm up before I calibrate it.

I've loaded over 45,000 rounds with that trickler/scale unit.
I notice that on high humidity days, some of the large pellet powders clump up a bit on the last tenth of a grain burst.
With the intermediate pellet sized powders or smaller, it dispenses beautifully.

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 23, 2019, 06:58 PM

In the manual for all of these it says wait 15 minutes. In this video these scales were calibrated at 15minutes, 35 minutes, 48minutes and 1 hours. The video would have been to long for me to show all of it.

1stmar · March 23, 2019, 08:21 PM

Can you program sequentially incremental charges? For example, if i was doing load development and wanted charges in weights for 1 round each beginning at 40gr and .2 grain increments up to 42 gr can you program that into the phone?

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 24, 2019, 07:13 AM

I believe this is something you have to do manually, I know it is on the RCBS Chargemaster. I will try it with my phone on the Frankford Arsenal and let you know.

1stmar · March 24, 2019, 08:43 AM

I noticed in your review you mentioned you did not have a hornady Auto charge to compare it against. FWIW I have been using one for years and it does not drift.

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 24, 2019, 11:07 AM

Uh oh folks I turned this thing on this morning and let it sit for an hour and the touch pad is not working at all. I can control it from my phone though. UPDATE this unit is going back.

RC20 · March 24, 2019, 04:18 PM

That said, I have had and still do digital scales (auto as well) and they all drift off eventually not matter how long you have them plugged in.

You just watch your negative with (call it -145 grains for my scales though that varies)

a tench above or below is still accurate.

two tenths is iffy and 3/10 means they are no long dispensing to 1/10 accuracy.

Simply watch it and Zero the scale when you see it going off.

The Lyman Gen 6 is consistent. The Hornady I have will jump around so I use my Lyman 2000 as a cross check (for both but more the H). It does not slow me down, the Lyman 2000 has its own pan I pour the powder into and the pan goes back on the H and away it goes while I assess what I have - over a bit and I take grains out, under it goes back into the hopper)

The Hornady is more accurate when its weight right, to the tenth.

The Gen 6 is off +/- a tenth to spot on.

The Frankfurt looks like it has a better touch screen than the Gen 6 (I got a stylus as my fat fingers had a problem with the screen)

The Lyman takes less setting up (none). Hornady you have to put the Tune number in it each time and it will not hold those tune numbers when you move to the next charger.

The Lyman 2000 has been spot on steady accuracy though I have the pan weight listed on the pan and I check to make sure the negative number matches.

Mr.RevolverGuy · March 31, 2019, 08:46 AM

I wanted to come back to let everyone know Frankford Arsenal mad this right and I am impressed with the unit and the support. Maybe another video is worthy.

1stmar · March 31, 2019, 10:56 AM

Definitely, I saw another review (Ultimate reloader) and he was experiencing the same drift.

gwpercle · April 1, 2019, 04:33 PM

I don't want any reloading tool that needs a cell phone , blue teeth and wye-fye to operate it with..... I'll pass .

Mr.RevolverGuy · April 4, 2019, 07:30 AM

you do not need a cell phone to operate the unit.

Sevens · April 6, 2019, 12:18 AM

Except... on March 24th. When you do!

March 23, 2019, 11:10 AM	#1
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	Frankford IntelliDropper -- Quick Overview I decided to go ahead and do a quick overview of the New Frankford IntelliDropper. I only published this because a few friends asked me for the video. I did not do a complete review demonstrating every single feature, I am exchanging emails with Frankford asking if the drifting that I am seeing is normal behavior. The Bluetooth setup with your phone is really easy and very convenient. The Bluetooth feature I am most interested in is the firmware upgrade service. It seems Frankford is planning to continue to evolve this product with future software upgrades. This unit can be fully operated from your mobile phone. It has a ton of data already imported on the app, powder manufacturers, bullet manufacturers and primer manufacturers. This makes it very easy to load your favorite load and send it to the intellihopper in a matter of seconds. The screen is bright and wide and very easy to use, something I thought the RCBS chargemaster was missing. The bubble level also adds a nice little touch. The Intelli dropper comes with a feature called powder calibration, this feature is supposed to provide the best speed and accuracy dependent up the powder loaded into the intellihopper. The powder drain is like all others; it is on the side of the unit and must be sitting on the edge of the bench to empty easily. The comparison to my RCBS chargemaster is a bit unfair as it has been reprogrammed for speed, but the Frankford out of the box keeps up. I believe the Frankford may be faster than an out of the box Chargemaster. I am only speculating but this may be because of the powder calibration feature. Check back for a comparison against the Lyman Generation 6. This is in the same price range where the RCBS chargemaster is approaching twice the cost. For those with the Hornady and Lyman units how does the IntelliDroipper Compare? https://youtu.be/S07De2BG_Oc __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 23, 2019, 11:36 AM	#2
std7mag Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2013 Location: Central Taxylvania.. Posts: 3,609	While informative, and i do thank you for the reveiw, i'm somewhat at a loss. I have no clue as to a reason anyone would need a bluetooh connection to their powder trickler and their cell phone. Perhaps i'm a more hands on person. Perhaps i just don't trust electronics to do my powder measuring. More an if it can fail, it will. __________________ When our own government declares itself as "tyrannical", where does that leave us??!! "Januarary 6th insurrection". Funny, I didn't see a single piece of rope...

March 23, 2019, 11:58 AM	#3
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	If it doesn't work with your mobile phone it won't appeal to the millennials LOL, I guess that is being mean. I think what Frankford planned is actually allowing your phone with greater memory and capacity be the load manual. The rcbs chargemaster stores a lot of your favorite reloads. The frankford seems to be unlimited on the number of loads it can save and with the easy touch of a button your scale can be programmed to start throwing your favorite load. It is cheaper to develop software to do this than to add hardware and memory to something like the rcbs. That's why the RCBS chargemaster is so expensive. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 23, 2019, 06:13 PM	#4
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,061	If the scale is drifting appreciably, it's not doing any better than a number of less expensive scales (though I've had one expensive one that drifted some, too). My guess is that, like other scales, some will drift more than others, and what you get is a matter of luck of the draw. __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

March 23, 2019, 06:58 PM	#6
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	In the manual for all of these it says wait 15 minutes. In this video these scales were calibrated at 15minutes, 35 minutes, 48minutes and 1 hours. The video would have been to long for me to show all of it. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 23, 2019, 06:36 PM	#5
Rimfire5 Senior Member Join Date: January 2, 2009 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 923	Unclenick, The amount of drift may also be dependent upon the amount of warm up that the scale has been given before attempting to calibrate it. The Lyman apparently has a timer that counts off the warm-up time, at least my buddy who has one tells me it does. After I experienced some drifting after impatiently turning my Charge Master 1500 on and calibrating it, I started to let my Charge Master warm up for about 15 minutes before I calibrate it. I just turn the unit on before I set up my dies and load the powder into the dispenser so I'm not tempted to get impatient. I haven't noticed any drifting since I started letting the scale warm up before I calibrate it. I've loaded over 45,000 rounds with that trickler/scale unit. I notice that on high humidity days, some of the large pellet powders clump up a bit on the last tenth of a grain burst. With the intermediate pellet sized powders or smaller, it dispenses beautifully.

March 23, 2019, 08:21 PM	#7
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	Can you program sequentially incremental charges? For example, if i was doing load development and wanted charges in weights for 1 round each beginning at 40gr and .2 grain increments up to 42 gr can you program that into the phone?

March 24, 2019, 07:13 AM	#8
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	I believe this is something you have to do manually, I know it is on the RCBS Chargemaster. I will try it with my phone on the Frankford Arsenal and let you know. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 24, 2019, 08:43 AM	#9
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	I noticed in your review you mentioned you did not have a hornady Auto charge to compare it against. FWIW I have been using one for years and it does not drift.

March 24, 2019, 11:07 AM	#10
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	Uh oh folks I turned this thing on this morning and let it sit for an hour and the touch pad is not working at all. I can control it from my phone though. UPDATE this unit is going back. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 24, 2019, 04:18 PM	#11
RC20 Senior Member Join Date: April 10, 2008 Location: Alaska Posts: 7,014	That said, I have had and still do digital scales (auto as well) and they all drift off eventually not matter how long you have them plugged in. You just watch your negative with (call it -145 grains for my scales though that varies) a tench above or below is still accurate. two tenths is iffy and 3/10 means they are no long dispensing to 1/10 accuracy. Simply watch it and Zero the scale when you see it going off. The Lyman Gen 6 is consistent. The Hornady I have will jump around so I use my Lyman 2000 as a cross check (for both but more the H). It does not slow me down, the Lyman 2000 has its own pan I pour the powder into and the pan goes back on the H and away it goes while I assess what I have - over a bit and I take grains out, under it goes back into the hopper) The Hornady is more accurate when its weight right, to the tenth. The Gen 6 is off +/- a tenth to spot on. The Frankfurt looks like it has a better touch screen than the Gen 6 (I got a stylus as my fat fingers had a problem with the screen) The Lyman takes less setting up (none). Hornady you have to put the Tune number in it each time and it will not hold those tune numbers when you move to the next charger. The Lyman 2000 has been spot on steady accuracy though I have the pan weight listed on the pan and I check to make sure the negative number matches. __________________ Science and Facts are True whether you believe it or not

March 31, 2019, 08:46 AM	#12
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	I wanted to come back to let everyone know Frankford Arsenal mad this right and I am impressed with the unit and the support. Maybe another video is worthy. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

March 31, 2019, 10:56 AM	#13
1stmar Senior Member Join Date: March 21, 2012 Location: Connecticut Posts: 2,378	Definitely, I saw another review (Ultimate reloader) and he was experiencing the same drift.

April 1, 2019, 04:33 PM	#14
gwpercle Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2012 Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana Posts: 1,752	I don't want any reloading tool that needs a cell phone , blue teeth and wye-fye to operate it with..... I'll pass .

April 4, 2019, 07:30 AM	#15
Mr.RevolverGuy Senior Member Join Date: February 24, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 991	you do not need a cell phone to operate the unit. __________________ Mr.Revolverguy http://www.dayattherange.com Firearms Reviewed and Reported On: An unbiased opinion with real world use.

April 6, 2019, 12:18 AM	#16
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	Except... on March 24th. When you do! __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.