Forum Member Rigs Video Display for Balance Beam Scale
AccurateShooter Forum member Allan, aka “1066”, has improved the performance of his RCBS balance-beam scale with some simple hardware modifications. In addition, Allan has cleverly fitted an inexpensive video camera to one end of his scale. This camera outputs a signal to Allan’s laptop computer, giving Allan a magnified, “big-screen” view of the pointer tip of his scale. That lets Allan observe ultra-small movements of the beam. With the hardware upgrades and video display, Allan has crafted a system with usable sensitivity to a single grain of Varget powder.
Hardware “Mods” Enhance Scale Reliability and Sensitivity
To upgrade his scale, Allan first fabricated a new U-shaped pan suspension hanger on the end of the scale. This allowed the pan to center more reliably and consistently. Next Allan extended the pointer arm at the opposite end, and attached a very fine graduated vertical scale to provide a more precise visual read-out. This scale has marks corresponding to 0.1 grains (one-tenth of a grain).
To improve the function of the beam itself, Allan “cleaned-up” the knife edges on which the beam moves, and Allan also fabricated a simple “approach to weight” fixture (with foam cushion) that gives the beam a smoother transition as it nears max travel.
Inexpensive Video Camera Displays on Laptop Screen
Allan’s real genius was in fitting an inexpensive video camera to display a magnified image of the pointer at the end of the beam. Seeing the “big picture” really helps get the best precision from the scale. Allan acquired a cheap web-cam and attached it via a simple bracket to the RCBS scale. A USB cable delivers the video output to Allan’s laptop. Allan says the web-cam cost less than $20.00 on eBay and required no special software. It was a “plug and go” installation. With the video camera running, the onscreen image is “super-sized” so Allan can track the smallest movements of the pointer tip. You can see how the whole system works in the video below. To dispense powder, Allan uses a slick automated trickler, explained next.
TargetMaster Automatic trickler Uses “Electric-Eye” for Automatic Shut-off
The final element in Allan’s high-tech balance beam scale system is a Targetmaster automatic trickler. This unique UK-made trickler is very advanced. It has two components — a dispenser, and a remote sensor that “watches” the movement of the balance beam. Allan pushes a button to start the powder flowing. As the load in the pan approaches the correct weight, an electric eye senses the position of the balance beam. Once the beam “hits the mark” for a correct load, the remote sensor shuts off the trickler. It sounds complicated but it works perfectly.
TargetMaster Trickler Components and Operation
The TargetMaster automated Trickler is a pretty impressive piece of kit that can be adapted to a wide variety of balance beam scales. The components and functions of the TargetMaster automated trickler are shown in the video below, provided by the manufacturer in the UK. To learn more about this reloading accessory, visit TargetMasterUK.com.
Similar Posts:
- Monitor Balance Beam with Magnified Image on SmartPhone
- New M1000 Balance Beam Scale from RCBS
- Tech Tip: Better Viewing with Magnifier for Balance Beam Scales
- Tuning Balance-Beam Scales For Precision and Repeatability
- Tuning Balance Beam Scales for Precision and Repeatability
Share the post "Forum Member Rigs Video Display for Balance Beam Scale"
Interesting device… too bad they can’t yet sell to anyone outside the U.K. I was going to ask some of the U.K. forum members if they’d ship one to me but as TM only sells one device to a customer, that limits their distribution pretty well.
Or you could just purchase the RCBS chargemaster. Pretty cool though!! Lee
Even though I seldom reload at home any more (at the range for my 6PPC), after reading about using a web cam to make reading a balance scale easier, I just had to try it. I went to the local Office Depot and bought one for $30. If you load at home, have a computer,and do a lot of throw and trickle, you just have to try this. It works very well, making reading the scale much more precise, faster, and more convenient. This inspired me to do some more work on trying to figure out why one of my scales did not reliably return to zero, and I finally solved the problem.
With continued copying of Prometheus, you might just reach the functions of a Chargemaster.
But why?
The short answer is money. My latest self tuned balance scale read with the aid of a webcam, deflects progressively as each single piece of Varget is placed in its pan, and with the scale set up so that its pan, and one of my powder measures are right next to each other, my speed for dropping and weighing is well under 20 seconds. Compare this with a Chargemaster’s sensitivity, and speed, and my $40 used scale, well used powder measure, and $30 web cam look pretty good. The only advantages that the Chargemaster retains are compactness and portability, which do come significantly into play when loading at the range, but are less important at home. Then we come to the Prometheus, which is after all based on a very finely made balance scale, and a trickle and dump mechanism that is very clever and extremely well made, but for the money is should be. More as a technical challenge than out of practical need, I figured out how to dump a charge directly from my measure into the scale pan, without powder bouncing out, and was able to complete charges in around 16-17 seconds. Given the level of precision and difference in cost of equipment, I would say that that is not too bad.
Does anyone have any actual data or experience to share that says this level of charge weight control is actually beneficial?