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Digital Scale for tracking weight?

M

mrkmpn

Active Member
I need to get a scale for checking the tracking weight on turntables so I've been looking into what they cost etc... However, when I 1st started looking into setting up a turntable I saw a youtube video where a guy used a regular little digital scale. I was wondering if there would be anything wrong with using one of those rather than a real tracking weight scale?

I know they make digital scales for tracking weight, but I figured a regular digital scale could be used for more than just turntable set ups. I just didn't know if it might be inaccurate being a little taller.
 
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The expensive 'audio digital scales' are often nothing more than relabeled inexpensive little digital scales.

I use this one, similar to the one Balifly references:
http://www.amazon.com/0-01g-100g-Di...7690623&sr=8-39&keywords=digital+pocket+scale

Mine is accurate, but order a 100g calibration weight just in case. Only a few bucks on amazon.

I like that the platform is about the same height as a record while using it (if I take the platter mat off first) which is important to get the tracking force measured correctly.
 
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I use a relatively inexpensive digital scale, it works perfectly . . . it is, after all, simply a scale.

Cheers
 
tubeboob said:
I use a relatively inexpensive digital scale, it works perfectly . . . it is, after all, simply a scale.

Cheers
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Yep. Mine came from the bay in a case that looks like a mini iPhone.

I often balance an arm manually and later compare it to the digital scale and we rarely disagree by more than .05 or .1 grams. These cheap ones are just fine and even if their accuracy was +/- 10% that matters somewhere between diddly and squat.
 
Great. thanks everyone. My main concern was if a difference in height would affect the results or not, sounds like a lot of people use them, so I ordered one of the ones recommended on ebay last night.

Thanks again
 
mrkmpn said:
Great. thanks everyone. My main concern was if a difference in height would affect the results or not, sounds like a lot of people use them, so I ordered one of the ones recommended on ebay last night.

Thanks again
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I can accept the theory that a difference in height would affect the measurement but... :D

Can any body here demonstrate that the small differences we are talking about would make a significant difference?
 
When measuring this, it's the weight at the tip of the stylus which would include any movement of the cantilever right ? Not with any kind of protection over the needle.
 
John James said:
I can accept the theory that a difference in height would affect the measurement but... :D

Can any body here demonstrate that the small differences we are talking about would make a significant difference?
Click to expand...

I actually plan to try changing the height and see if there is any measurable difference.
 
Montycat said:
...I often balance an arm manually and later compare it to the digital scale and we rarely disagree by more than .05 or .1 grams. These cheap ones are just fine and even if their accuracy was +/- 10% that matters somewhere between diddly and squat.
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I agree that most tables won't notice a "diddly or squat" of a difference between a .2 gram difference, as many other factors need to be considered first... but, people like me that have a difficult table to dual in, like my Sherwood, could use a scale to help make things easier. It's also nice to verify that your manual settings are correct.
 
Beatnik said:
When measuring this, it's the weight at the tip of the stylus which would include any movement of the cantilever right ? Not with any kind of protection over the needle.
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I would imagine the stylus guard would skew the results, but then again I suppose you could zero out the scale with the guard sitting on it, and then measure tracking force with the guard in place.
 
janikphoto said:
I agree that most tables won't notice a "diddly or squat" of a difference between a .2 gram difference, as many other factors need to be considered first... but, people like me that have a difficult table to dual in, like my Sherwood, could use a scale to help make things easier. It's also nice to verify that your manual settings are correct.
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I wondered about that, when I looked up the audio technica cart online the only value I saw (maybe I didn't look hard enough) the recommended tracking weight was 1.25g. I don't remember seeing a range for it, though I could be mistaken. I'll have to find the picture I took to get the model # and look it up again. That's part of what got me wanting to get a scale since there's no marking for .25 on either the arm weight or skate knob.
 
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EchoWars said:
Naaa...

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/index.cfm?action=Coin_specifications
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On my scale, a penny or nickel shows if it is in calibration.

However, it needs a 100g weight to recalibrate if it is off.

I've also found a few mm of difference in height with a record does not significantly alter the accuracy of the vertical tracking force. Weighing with the stylus guard flipped down will raise the tonearm a bit, but probably not enough to change the force by much.

However, if you use a detachable stylus guard, you will want to zero your tare with the stylus guard before setting VTF.
 
cgutz said:
On my scale, a penny or nickel shows if it is in calibration.

However, if you use a detachable stylus guard, you will want to zero your tare with the stylus guard before setting VTF.
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Yeah, that's what I meant... I forgot some of them have a guard that just flips up (like the accutex cart I have to replace on my SL-B2, since you can no longer find replacement stylus for it)
 
I'm thinking to hard here. The suspension on the stylus will allow it to flex and actually need more weight to measure correctly versus a fixed guard ?
 
Hmm, I'm not sure if that would affect the measured weight or not... something else I'll have to test. I would think weight is weight and once the "suspension" settled it would be the same regardless... then again, I don't know if the combination of the pivot on one end of the tonearm combined with it sitting on the "springy" stylus would affect weight or not.

Wish I'd paid more attention in Math classes in highschool. lol
 
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