Gents:
I have the RCBS electronic scale and powder dispenser and it has worked well for several years.

Recently when I claibrate it and place the 50-gram weight on the scale it reads "ERROR."

I looked in the manual and it states the weights could be incorrect and to use original weights--which I am. A call to RCBS and they said to check the level of the unit, not to screw the adjustable feet too tight into the base of the unit, and to tip upside down and remove any powder that may have spilled below the pan into the unit itself.

This I did and still the same. Anyone else with this problem and any suggestions on a possible solution other than posting it back to the company.

I am now using the manual scale and powder dispenser I keep in reserve.

Cheers, and thanks for you assistance.
Cal

Electronics ?? First thing I'd do is check and clean all contacts and try fresh batteries !
Also clean the unit of all powder , dust etc.

I have heard florescent lighting can cause problems with electronic scales, as well as drafts.

If it's under warranty, RETURN IT for your money back, a new model, or a fix.

Sell it and keep the manual scale..I have no use for slow scales and powder measures that work off a battery or electricity..

Using the new powders like RL-15,22,17,etc. and H-414, WW=760, and ww-748 to name a few, I can dispense direct to the case and you can weigh ever one I do and they will be dead on the required weight if you operate the powder measure the same on each stroke of the handle and hammer. I do, for no particular reason, weigh about every 20th load, just to be sure and I look into each case with a light at some point, to check the oowder level,My powders are picked to fill or almost fill a case, although its a waste of time to check them based on several thousand or more loads checked I still feel better by doing so.(most of the time)

I thought I was the only one to do this but talking to a number of gunsmiths, varmint shooter, target shooters and experts it seems to be a pretty accepted practice by many of them.. but IMO not for beginners I would think better for them to weigh every charge etc for awhile anyway...

BTW I still use the same two powder measures I used in the early 1950s, you do get a feel for them, believe it or not.

try unplugging it/take the battery out and leave it sit for 5 minutes or so. that resets lots of electronic gizmos

This is one reloading item I hit a home run with right from the start.I bought a cheap RCBS manual scale and it looks as if I will never need to buy another scale.

I agree with Atkinson: get good balance beam. I believe in the KISS principle: Keep It Simple Stupid.

My favorite is an old Lyman M5 bought from and tuned by Scott Parker. It's dead on from the get-go (as verified by check weights) and is both reproducible and linear.

I have and use RCBS Chargemaster Combo. So far so good. I weigh all charges. I don't reload hundreds or thousands.

Jiri

Don't need no stinkin electronics to reload ammo. Hell, the bench rest shooters don't even weigh their charges so it must work.
(It does.)

I use two of the older Lymon Autoscales that dispense powder electronicly into a balance beam, each with a specific powder I use regularly. I also have two of the newer Lymon electronic dispensors each with a specific powder I also use weekly. I also use my old original rcbs balance beam and two electronic scales and a powder dropper. I shoot so much I use all this to stay up with all the different powders for rifles from .223 Remington to .416 Rigby. All this equipment is my pleasure to use and makes my winter nights bearable in my reloading room in preparation Shooting in the spring-summer-fall with occasional warm winter days. Just the way I do it for what is worth. Good Shooting.

Cal,

Depsite the soothsayers, I've been using a 220 Volt (European) Lyman for years without a hickup.

The remainder of my buddies all use the RCBS, also no issues.

The Lyman has a 25 mintue warm-up period, so I leave mine plugged in all the time; only turning it off when I'm away for extended periods.

They don't perform optimally in a draft, so air conditioner blowing adjacent, fans, open doors & windows, etc. will definately affect operation, especially maintaining calibration.

I put mine on a separate shelf above the bench with the shelf drilled into a concrete basement wall; as the vibration from the bench; even though it is a very stable, solid 2" thick old wooden door, would set off the calibrate function simply from using the press too forcefully. I also use an old computer mouse pad underneath it to cushion although it has a pretty hard, smoth surface, but certainly softer than the varnished wooden shelf itself ..... dunno? It works for me.

According to the instructions they also do not do well in close proximity (how far?) from neon lighting or electrical appliances. I've got a really small (18" long tube) in the ceiling (@ 10 ft. away from the dispenser) and a refrigerator and freezer @ 15 feet distant. I also use a tumbler underneath the bench, primarily to settle powder in cases as I went to the SS pin mode and
despite all this have never noticed anything untowards in the dispenser's operation.

..... and yes, there's a small brush provided with mine and cleaning out (although I'm pretty meticulous) the occaisional powder kernels that manage to somehow accumalate under the pan can cause havoc with the calibrate function as you have been advised. I give mine a good inspection occaisionally and ensure there's nothing gunked up any where and you'de be surpised where powder ends up?

Beyond that, if things still don't go Hoyle for ya; I'd ask RCBS about warranty.

Good Luck.

Sounds like the scales have bit the dust.

I use electronic and beam scales.

What ever brand of electronic or beam scales a person uses he needs to have a set of check weights, it's cheap insurance. Without them you never really know if your scales are weighing that exact amount. You beam scales can be dead on but if you set them incorrectly then you've got a problem that you won't know about unless you've checked them with the check weights. Every time I change calibers and have to change weights of my powder charges I use my check weights to make sure I've set my beam scales to the correct setting. I also check my electronic scales to make sure that it's weighing accurately to. If I need 25 grains of powder I put 25 grains of check weights in the pan and if the scales are correct then it should read 25 grains, if not then I've made a mistake or the scales are off.

try wiping the unit down with an anti-cling (static) sheet like you put in the dryer.

I have an old RCBS electronic scale that started acting up. Long story short, I found that over time the 'zero' had drifted far enough so that the autozero could not over come the error. Reading the instructions (found on line) I found that there is pot. that can be manually adjusted to bring the zero back within range. I adjusted it ( a bit of trial and error), ran thru their calibration procedure, and now the scale is working just fine. You might look at the case and see if there is a tiny hole giving access to the pot.?
C.G.B.

If you were not using an air supply to clear out any debris that may have gotten inside, you need to try that. Particles can lodge themselves into places where they will not fall out without being coaxed by some pressurized air.
Be careful with compressed air because if the air pressure is too high it may dammage delicate parts.
Good luck.

I would bet it's probably done. I don't know what more you can do if it won't calibrate properly. I'd send it to RCBS to see if they will fix or replace it.

fwiw & Ime,
I dunno how often they fix digital scales. You may get lucky and you may not. Dunno. I seem to remember the warranty on the Chargemaster 1500 was 2 years. I've owned mine 10 plus... Of course I have a better scale and dispenser so it is not that big of a deal... Natchez usually has THE best price in the US on the Chargemaster 1500. They sell that item at a loss in order to keep people coming back. I now run a $1K plus German Sartorius to say nothing of the dispenser and honestly you have be one hell of a shot, full of it, or a heck of a bench/belly shooter to tell the difference. We've actually found the scale on the RCBS CM1500 is more accurate than than the Chargemaster is as a Powder Scale AND Dispenser. Long story shorter. I dunno if I would buy anything too much beyond a chargemaster unless I was competing...

The Chargemaster is on sale at $260...

https://www.natchezss.com/rcbs...-scale-110-volt.html

I'll have to give it to RCBS, I have never spent so little, to realize such a significant improvement in speed and or quality than I have with the PRO2000 at $299 in 2002 and the Chargemaster 1500 at whatever I paid in 2007. It was well worth it. fwiw & imho.

Regards, Matt.

WOW!!! Thanks for the Link Matt.

quote:

Originally posted by wasbeeman:
try wiping the unit down with an anti-cling (static) sheet like you put in the dryer.

I've heard of that on another site.

.....unless I was competing...??
I still see a lot of competitive bench shooters using dippers. ????