A&D-ej 123 scale question

J
I can’t seem to find much difference in resolution, sensitivity and drift between these models and the Fx120i..
What I am I missing ?
 
Only thread on it here I found quickly was this one, we were both in a few years ago.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/digital-scales.876281/page-2

If you are wanting to get one of Adam’s tricklers, you should drop him an email and ensure it’s compatible with his system.

As they have different specifications between the two interfaces.

120i
E1C264C1-C92E-49D2-A65E-3EAADE235FCE.png
123


F0A8F9FB-7493-4FA7-BAF3-B75BD2AE498B.png

May not be an issue but I wouldn’t spend a nickel before I was sure, if that’s what you are wanting to do.
 
Last edited:
I’m more of a tuned beam scale guy myself, however I have an electric scale I’d like to replace. I like portable as I’m very limited on space.
 
Well, we do need someone to get one to review. You’re up. :)

That said, I’d sell you my fx120i for $50 more, it’s never even had the protective cover off of it.
 
J
I can’t seem to find much difference in resolution, sensitivity and drift between these models and the Fx120i..
What I am I missing ?

The EJ123 is a battery powered SCALE with a Load Cell at its core. The FX-120i is an AC powered BALANCE with an electromagnetic force restoration BALANCE at its core. In principle, a BALANCE is less prone to drift than a load cell based SCALE, and calibration is more reliable and incrementally scalable for BALANCES, moreso than load cells.

Serial port controls, memory functions, etc - aka, a lot of stuff which reloaders don't use, except those of use using the SuperTrickler or AutoTrickler equipment - are other feature differentials. For what you're doing, assuming you can confirm speed and drift reliability (which I honestly expect to be better than, say, the scale used inside an RCBS Chargemaster), AND confirm there is no measurement lockout (which I assume there is not), then I'd bet on it serving you well. I used relatively similar Mettler Toledo models in some mobile labs I ran back in 2010-2017; we had an entire fleet of fixed asset Mettler Toledo analytical balances, but we were breaking down and setting up $4000 machines sometimes multiple times per day on multiple locations, so I converted my "firefighters" to use this kind of battery powered unit. They worked fine, and were a quarter of the price of our standard lab balances. We did have some lesser units, sub-$200, which I can't say I recommend, but I think you're approaching a relatively safe price point, from a relatively well proven brand.
 
The EJ123 is a battery powered SCALE with a Load Cell at its core. The FX-120i is an AC powered BALANCE with an electromagnetic force restoration BALANCE at its core. In principle, a BALANCE is less prone to drift than a load cell based SCALE, and calibration is more reliable and incrementally scalable for BALANCES, moreso than load cells.

Serial port controls, memory functions, etc - aka, a lot of stuff which reloaders don't use, except those of use using the SuperTrickler or AutoTrickler equipment - are other feature differentials. For what you're doing, assuming you can confirm speed and drift reliability (which I honestly expect to be better than, say, the scale used inside an RCBS Chargemaster), AND confirm there is no measurement lockout (which I assume there is not), then I'd bet on it serving you well. I used relatively similar Mettler Toledo models in some mobile labs I ran back in 2010-2017; we had an entire fleet of fixed asset Mettler Toledo analytical balances, but we were breaking down and setting up $4000 machines sometimes multiple times per day on multiple locations, so I converted my "firefighters" to use this kind of battery powered unit. They worked fine, and were a quarter of the price of our standard lab balances. We did have some lesser units, sub-$200, which I can't say I recommend, but I think you're approaching a relatively safe price point, from a relatively well proven brand.
I’ll be replacing a small strain gauge scale. It woks ok on ac or battery’s but subject to drift and nowhere close to my tuned beam scales resolution or lack of drift. Where I get a bit fuzzy is the load cell to electromagnetic force restoration differences and what that meant. I want quality but need small footprint.
 
Load cells are commonly just 4 strain gauges arranged in a Wheatstone bridge - so we’re bending something and measuring how its resistance changes as it changes shape. So we have a piece of conductive material, which has a specific resistance, then as weight is applied to the pan, it ever so slightly deforms and the resistance changes - the computer reads that resistance change against a known calibration to convert to the digital readout. An electromagnetic force restoration balance is effectively measuring the current required to balance the downward force on the load pan with electromagnetic force to lift the shank back into alignment - like a balance beam, but without a fulcrum. In a balance beam, like an 505, we have weight pushing down on the pan, then the counterweight pushing down on the opposite end. Electromagnetic force restoration balances work the same way, the weight of the mass in the pan pushes down, but instead of counterweight and leverage, electromagnetic force is used to counterbalance the gravitational weight on the pan. The computer monitors the required current to balance the weight, and converts that through a known calibration into a weight in digital readout.

In principle, we expect more inconsistency in power supply and resistance read in load cells and strain gauges, and we expect more fatigue as the strain gauges/load cells age - more drift and more inconsistency. We also expect greater non-linearity with varying weight, compared to a BALANCE.

In theory though, moving a balance, which has more moving parts, risks more damage. Most balances do have physical lockouts so they can’t damage themselves by being moved, but… So yeah, for what you’re doing, hauling around in the truck and continually moving it for portable loading, a load cell based SCALE is likely the better option.
 
@Walkalong
Do you use any line conditioners or surge protectors ?

I use a UPS with battery backup and line conditioning for my balances and my annealer. I have not found my FX-120i or my Mettler Toledo MS603B to be terrible sensitive even to variable power supply, I used both units for years in mobile labs in my past life in trailers (picture MRI trailers) which had as dirty of power as I have ever seen - but I did use my power monitoring data and the extreme replacement costs of the gear on board to justify expenditure for clean power UPS’s. Moving into my own “lab,” I paid for the UPS’s before ever plugging in.
 
That’s a lot of information to digest but I think I get it and I certainly appreciate the explanation, I’ll have some time when I get back to go over a few things and evaluate my program and hopefully I will have made some progress.
 
Looks like this second unit is a more precise scale, but remains a load cell - and beyond a level of precision we could ever use, as it’s sensitivity is about 1/5 of a kernel of Varget. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not really good either, and I’d wonder about speed enough to ask before I bought it. If I’m remembering correctly, smaller range, higher precision, so I MIGHT be interested in the second unit to be able to do NON-reloading stuff also, and having other balanced capable of +/-0.015grn precision already, but otherwise, I wouldn’t.
 
Last edited:
That’s about what I figured too, I’m not sure I need extra bells and whistles and I know a lot of guys use the FX 120 and that’s a good scale. it just might be a little overkill for what I have in mind. And as you say it might not like traveling whereas the load cell may do a little better.
 
This is the scale I want to replace, I use it for sorting cases and primers and occasionally double check my charges against my tuned beam scale/balance.
Some days this thing just will not display the same weight twice ( on grains ) it does better on grams of course but I really need a precise scale.
 

Attachments

  • D6199A5B-CF21-402D-AE05-F30B7736360E.jpeg
    D6199A5B-CF21-402D-AE05-F30B7736360E.jpeg
    94.4 KB · Views: 8
We’ll need to chat about that. How big are those units ?

This is it next to a 505.



That said, “portable” to me is take it out of the spot I made in Mrs. Morris’s China cabinet and set it dow to use it.

If I transported it around, I would probably put it back in its original shipping container and that’s a sizable footprint.

2DB94405-360A-4C73-A53D-81CABC81E467.jpeg
 
I have a couple that are very portable not much larger than a primer box.

BC46F523-0FEF-4F7E-86CB-554737D547B3.jpeg

They don’t have the same resolution as the tools you are looking at though.
 
Back
Top