I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Beachcomber

Lincoln cents from 1982 to date weigh about 2.5 grams.

from
http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint...in_composition

3rd paragraph

I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...
Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?
There's a set of new calibration weights on Ebay for a buy it now
price of 20.00. Looks like an excellent deal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-16-Piece-Set...QQcmdZViewItem

(and no, I'm not the one selling them)

"Beachcomber" wrote in message
...

I believe my postal scale is reading a bit
high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it,
say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Beachcomber


weigh it empty and set zero

I don't know how your scale can be adjusted (2-point; single point...),
but I believe a nickel masses 5.000g...

Hmmm...here's the specs...

http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint...specifications




Beachcomber wrote:
I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Beachcomber

Beach,

penny: 2.509 grams
nickel: 4.995 grams
dime: 2.263 grams
quarter: 5.706 grams

Dave M.

Beachcomber wrote:
I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Beachcomber


Is your scale convertible to grams? A US Jefferson nickel weighs
exactly 5 grams.

And I think 25 dimes weighs exactly 2 ounces.

Hope this helps,
Bob

Beachcomber writes:

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Say you confirm the scale is off. Whaddya gonna do about it? It doesn't
have any calibration adjustments or enough resolution to calculate a
compensation.

I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

If only you knew how much an ounce of water weighed....

Goedjn wrote:

I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?


If only you knew how much an ounce of water weighed....




At what temperature?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented."

Beachcomber wrote:
I believe my postal scale is reading a bit high...

Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?

Beachcomber


You can use shot. Depends on the size as to how
many make an ounce, but any gun store should be
able to tell you. But I like the idea of coins.
Any book on coin collecting will tell the size and
weight of coins.

Richard J Kinch wrote:
Beachcomber writes:


Does anyone know an easy way of calibrating it, say with coins or some
other standard system of weights measure?


Say you confirm the scale is off. Whaddya gonna do about it? It doesn't
have any calibration adjustments or enough resolution to calculate a
compensation.

Gees, Richard, you are suppose to be an engineer.
Adjust it with a paper clip, make a mark, etc.

George E. Cawthon writes:

Gees, Richard, you are suppose to be an engineer.
Adjust it with a paper clip, make a mark, etc.

You assume the error is linear, repeatable, and no hysteresis. Typically
not the case. Compounded by digitization error.

On Wed, 05 Oct 2005 21:23:57 -0500, Richard J Kinch
wrote:

George E. Cawthon writes:

Gees, Richard, you are suppose to be an engineer.
Adjust it with a paper clip, make a mark, etc.

You assume the error is linear, repeatable, and no hysteresis. Typically
not the case. Compounded by digitization error.

Thanks for all the good suggestions. I used the 20 nickles is about
100 g. reference and converted to ounces. (1 kg = 2.2 lb 16 oz = 1
lb).

As it turns out, the postal meter reads high, but just by a fraction
of an ounce. I wonder if they construct it that way on purpose to
"round up" the purchase of postage to the next oz, maybe to compensate
for inaccuracies in other meters.

Beachcomber

Richard J Kinch wrote:
George E. Cawthon writes:


Gees, Richard, you are suppose to be an engineer.
Adjust it with a paper clip, make a mark, etc.


You assume the error is linear, repeatable, and no hysteresis. Typically
not the case. Compounded by digitization error.

Wow! You're right I never thought about hysteresis
or digitization error.

I didn't assume anything, but apparently you
assumed it was an electronic scale. Apparently
you never heard of standard weights and interpolation.

Course the easiest solution for weighing light
objects is a yard stick with a hole to hang it in
the center, and strings to hold the weighed object
and a known weight.

But I admit I'm a mess, I don't even consider
parallax when I eat with a fork.

Years ago, I took a scale down to the regional office of the U.S.
Bureau of Standards, and they calibrated my scale for a five dollar
fee, with a dated calibration stamp. I understand that state and county
"weights and measures" will provide a similar service for a fee. For
some businesses, such as produce departments of supermarkets, and gas
stations, periodic calibration is mandatory. -Jitney

David Martel wrote:
penny: 2.509 grams

Watch that. Real old (pre-1982?) pennies were three grams. Recent pennies
I've measured at two grams. But yes, between the two periods they were
2.5 grams.

--
If John McCain gets the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination,
my vote for President will be a write-in for Jiang Zemin.