My scale, and single drops

[bwh79]

I have this scale: 500g x 0.01g High Precision Digital Scale SF-400D2 Counting w/ USB Wall Adapter and I've noticed something odd when weighing individual drops. If I'm at the end of an ingredient i.e. the scale has some weight on it already after the tare, I can add one drop at a time, and the weight will go up by around .02-.03g for each individual drop. But, if I add a single drop after I tare, it still reads 0.00. Another drop, another, another...until I had done ten drops and still it read 0.00g after each one. After ten drops it should be about .25g but since I did them individually, none of them registered. It seems it will usually read two drops at once, and three or more has always worked, but if I do ten individual drops and then drop two on at once, it will only register the weight of the last two (.05 or so) and the ten before do not register at all. It seems you have to drop the second drop before it "settles in" on its reading, or the first one won't count. After it registers a weight (2+ drops) I can then add individual drops and get each one to read, but those first two or three have to be all together.

I found this out the hard way when I tried to make a 10ml tester batch of a recipe with 1% of a particular flavoring. I'm trying to measure out .11g so I'm doing it one drop at a time, and I'm like...how many does it take before it registers? Three? No, four? Five? Siiix....seveneightnine? Oh okay nine drops, and it reads about .08, I guess that must just be the limit of its threshold or something like that. I'll just add another few more drops then to get to .11 here, and...waitaminute...

Yeah. I had already put in more than twice the flavoring I needed, and then I added about half that much more. I tried the juice anyway, and let it steep, and tried it again, and it was still no good. So, I found out that now I have to be sure that I get a good "squirt" in of each and every ingredient at the very start of each one. If I really need to add drops one at a time, I can tare the scale, put something else on it (like a coin or a pen cap or whatever is small and handy), wait for it to settle, and then I can register a single drop, note the change, and then add additional drops as needed. After the second or third drop, I can remove the object if I want and it will register the weight of what I've added, but not if I remove it after only one drop (it goes back down to zero, and if I put the object back on the scale it reads just it's weight and not the weight that it showed immediately prior to removing the object, which included the single drop as well. That drop's weight just "vanishes" and doesn't get registered at all.)

I don't think there's anything that can be done about this, but maybe that little workaround can save someone some headaches in the future if theirs is doing something like that as well.

 

[Firestorm]

I have the same scale and I've been mixing by weight for a few weeks now. I've actually encountered the problem that you've mentioned once and I haven't seen it again. I kept putting in drops for a specific flavor and the reading on the scale didn't budge from 0 even though I knew that it should have. I kept putting in more drops even though I know that it was too much, and then finally the scale registered and confirmed what I already knew: I had exceeded my target weight and I had to throw the mixture out and start again. Fortunately, it was only a 10ml bottle and I haven't had that problem again.

 

[beckah54]

I have the same scale and noticed the same problem. It is not a good scale for measuring drops.

 

[jambi]

My scale's different, but it acts similarly, though it kicks in at 3 drops, way before yours. If I add the 3 drops together without waiting, it registers right away.

My gripe with mine is at the opposite end. It takes awhile to catch up when it's already got weight and I'm going for the last few drops. It was a hassle at first, but now that I'm in sync with my scale, it's not a problem.

 

[bwh79]

My scale [...] kicks in at 3 drops, way before yours.

No that's how mine does too, if I add them all at once. Otherwise, if I add them one at a time, it never "kicks in" no matter how many drops I add. (The ten drops was just an example, but no matter how many I add one at a time, it doesn't register anything until I add a few at once.)

 

[sofarsogood]

I may eventually mix by weight but plan to use the scale for PG, VG, and may be the nic and do the flavoring in a graduated cylinger because the amount is so small. A typical 100ml batch uses only 1.5 ml of flavoring. I'll drip that into a 5 ml graduated cylinder as I do now. I've also used a 3 ml syringe as a graduated cylinder by sealing off he bottom.

 

[bussdriver]

Scales will have a function built-in called 'auto-zero'. The scale will automatically zero off very small weight changes if they occur around the zero point. This keeps the scale from changing/drifting due to temperature, compensates for small zero changes in the load sensor, and for small amounts of material that may drop on the weighing platform. This auto-zeroing function only occurs within a division or two of the zero point, and disables itself when the weight on the scale goes outside this 'window'. That's why it doesn't occur after weight has already been applied.

To prevent this, you can zero the scale, lift up the liquid container momentarily and put a few drops in it, then set it back down on the scale. Continue as before.

 

[Firestorm]

I may eventually mix by weight but plan to use the scale for PG, VG, and may be the nic and do the flavoring in a graduated cylinger because the amount is so small. A typical 100ml batch uses only 1.5 ml of flavoring. I'll drip that into a 5 ml graduated cylinder as I do now. I've also used a 3 ml syringe as a graduated cylinder by sealing off he bottom.

Why not just put the empty bottle that you plan to put your mixed eliquid in on the scale and then just add all of the ingredients, taring the scale in between each one? You can then put the cap on the bottle, shake it up, and put everything away without needing to wash granulated cylinders or other equipment. If one is concerned with measuring drops, I would think he would be concerned with many drops of measured flavoring left behind in an intermediate vessel.

 

[bussdriver]

Each time you zero the scale, such as between ingredients, you bring your scale back to that 'window', the point around zero in which the automatic zeroing function will work again. That would be the reason to NOT zero/tare the scale between each ingredient.

Another way to fool the scale is with motion. Since the automatic zeroing will only work if that small amount of weight remains stable on the scale, simply blowing gently on the scale as you add your first few drops will cause the scale to sense this motion, and it will not automatically do its thing. As soon as you get a few drops applied, stop blowing.

Even though I have access to weighing equipment that measures down to .0001 gram, I don't use them. I prefer using 1 and 3 ml syringes when measuring flavors. The flavors may vary as much as 50% in weight per volume, depending on the carrier. Based on a given volume, PG is 30 percent heavier than alcohol, and VG is 60 percent heavier.

 

[Capt.shay]

I think most economy scales do this to some degree. If I want to do a real small amount like just .9mg or something, I tare and then put a nickle (that I have hanging around just for that purpose) on the scale and then add the two or three drops and subtract the 5mg of the nickle.

 

[sofarsogood]

Why not just put the empty bottle that you plan to put your mixed eliquid in on the scale and then just add all of the ingredients, taring the scale in between each one? You can then put the cap on the bottle, shake it up, and put everything away without needing to wash granulated cylinders or other equipment. If one is concerned with measuring drops, I would think he would be concerned with many drops of measured flavoring left behind in an intermediate vessel.

I mix into the storage bottle already. Without a scale I've needed to rinse out three measuring devces. I don't mind that. When I start using a scale, if it measures all the ingredients accurately, I'll stop using all the cylinders. Actually I already have a commercial quality table top digital scale that I used in a business. It should be accurate enough for this purpose but it's a bit large. Now you've got me thinking I have to test it for mixing.

 

[jambi]

No that's how mine does too, if I add them all at once. Otherwise, if I add them one at a time, it never "kicks in" no matter how many drops I add. (The ten drops was just an example, but no matter how many I add one at a time, it doesn't register anything until I add a few at once.)

What I was saying was that my scale will always register a weight after 3 drops, no matter how slowly I've added the drops. It jumps right to .04-05, but lower than that, I can get no reading at all from it. It has never, as you described, failed to register any quantity I've added. It just does it in a quirky way at the beginning. Apparently it isn't sensitive enough to register a total weight less than .04. .04 is roughly 2 drops, so it's not a problem. In the few recipes I have that call for such minute amounts, I simply list them as drops.

 

[bwh79]

What I was saying was that my scale will always register a weight after 3 drops, no matter how slowly I've added the drops.

Oh I get it. Yeah, that's not how mine works then.

 

[IDJoel]

I have this scale: 500g x 0.01g High Precision Digital Scale SF-400D2 Counting w/ USB Wall Adapter and I've noticed something odd when weighing individual drops.

I just received this exact same scale from the same ebay seller/storefront on Monday. I hadn't put it to use yet when I saw your post. You made me concerned; so I filled an empty dripper with tap water (so I wouldn't waste product) and fired the scale up.

Mine behaves just like your. I place a glass bottle on the scale, tare it to zero, and can add drop after drop and the scale will continue to show zero. (note: the first drop will show .03 for just a fraction of a second and then revert to zero. After that it is just zero.) I actually added 2.5 mL worth doing this with the scale still showing zero.

If I put a "squirt" (roughly 5 or 6 drops worth) it will start displaying the weight. But, if I have 5, 10, 20 drops already in it, they are NOT included in the weight with the squirt.

I did try your suggestion of adding a small item prior to adding the drops (I used the little plastic protective tab they used to insulate the positive post of the included batteries), then add a drop or two, and then remove the item; and that seemed to work.

I have to say I am more than a little disappointed. But, I guess, that's what you get for a $23 scale. I was somewhat relieved to read Bussman's post about the mfg's intentional "auto zeroing. I was beginning to think I had a defective item.

On an unrelated topic; does your scale say SF-400D2 anywhere on it? Mine only says SF-400D. The Item page refers to both seemingly interchangeably. I don't know what, if any, difference there is; or if it matters. It's just kind of confusing to an OCD like me.

 

[beckah54]

Mine just shows model # SF-400D.

 

[IDJoel]

Mine just shows model # SF-400D.

Thank you for checking!

 

[Firestorm]

It only happened to me when I was trying to measure just a few drops of flavoring because my recipe called for a small percentage in my small 10ml batch. Otherwise with PG, VG, nicotine, or larger amounts it's not an issue. I'll just have to remember to put my finger on the scale after taring when I only have a small amount (a few drops) to measure.

 

[c3scott]

Or consider getting an Aws lb501

 

[OlderNDirt]

I got the same scale as well when I started DIY recently. Only mixing single flavor juice at the start, but also starting with a small (10ml) batch, it seemed to be really difficult to measure the few drops it would take. I never paid close enough attention to notice if my scale was doing the same as mentioned. But since, according to the calculator, a 30ml mix was costing me between about $.40 to $.75, I went to mixing my tests in a 30ml batch. I can't say I have noticed any of these problems doing that since my first component takes a fair amount to "squirt" into the bottle. But will certainly pay closer attention my next mixing session.

 

[Mactavish]

The scale that was recommended by many a mixer. $25.

One drop from large glass dripper = 0.05. I tested it in a small vessel, then directly on the top of the scale. Does take approximately TWO seconds to register.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005UGBG20/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1