Derby Talk

Thanks for reminding me to stay on topic. I like the tape idea, you will not be restricted in your scale options and it rounds to the degree you want.

I use The Axe scales. I don't think they are available anymore. They have a dual display that allows the judge and the participant to see the result. Down side is they are sensitive to vibration. We had to use a heavy table just for the scales. The folding tables were driving the judges crazy since everyone leans on the table.

SirStorm wrote:Down side is they are sensitive to vibration.

We find that a damping pad underneath (e.g., neoprene mouse pad) helps to stabilize in the presence of environmental vibrations, although it is probably no solution for a scale on a folding table.

this was a great thread and helped me with my decision. I ended up purchasing 2 of these scales:

http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-we ... black.html" target="_blank

This scale has a mode that will only display to 0.1 precision. I think it will be perfect for what we are trying to do.

I also purchased a 5oz calibration weight basically to show anyone who asks that our scale displays exactly 5oz when the calibrated weight is used. Mainly, I wanted this in case somebody complained that our scales were not accurate, we could show them.

Our inspection and race is this weekend, I'll post how well it turned out.

thanks,

birddog

Lots of good ideas here.
One more - buy two or more of the same model.
Get a 5oz calibration weight
Get the recommended calibration weight for that model scale (my two are 500g).

Put one scale at the Weigh-In, put another at The Pit.

Good Luck!

rpcarpe wrote:Get a 5oz calibration weight

These are not actually calibration weights. You would have to check your digital scale's owner's manual for the appropriate weight need to recalibrate the scale. The 5 ounce weights are more to show parents that the scale is weighing properly. If it isn't, then you have to grab the calibration weight for the scale and recal.

We use two Jennings 'CJ600' 600gram x 0.1g Precision Compact Scales. They are good, and if you use the vibration dampeners, they won't flip between .1g and .2g.

Check out Amazon.com for more information.

Scrollsawer

I said I would follow up on how this went, so here goes:

We actually had 3 scales for check-in night. The two new ones we purchased were used as "official" scales. We also had 2 "go / no-go" inspection boxes purchased from Maximum Velocity. This allowed us to have 2 inspection lines. This speeded up inspection times greatly. The 3rd scale was over at the "repair" station so over weight cars could check their work quickly without having to return to inspection line to re-weigh.

I was the "bottle neck" at the end of the 2 inspection lines where I found each racer in the db, took their picture and marked them as "passed inspection" in the software. We used the inspection sheets that GPRM prints out for you. This worked really well too.

We checked in about 75 cars in less than an hour. It went really well and everyone thought this year was the best / fastest inspection we've ever had.

birddog

If you are looking for lower resolution, then most kitchen scales don't get more precise then the tenth of an ounce. Neither of my two kitchen scales goes beyond this resolution, while my Harbor Freight pocket scale goes down to the hundreth of an ounce, and is what I use for our cars. I also have a 5 oz test weight.

If you're just looking to get people through the line faster, we've had great success having four scales. Two at the pit table for pre-check in weight adjustments, and then two at the official check-in station. I also created some custom go/no-go boxes out of 3/4" plywood. We use a wood track that was donated to us, and it mimics the dimensions exactly, as well as making sure the car fits under the timer at the end of the track. It rolls in one side and if it doesn't stop, it's good dimensionally, which also helps speed up check-in. Beyond that, we have a time-limit for check-in. It lasts 30-45 minutes, depending on how many people we have participating. As long as they are in line for one final check-in before that 30-45 minutes is up, they're good to go.

TXDerbyDad wrote: I also have a 5 oz test weight.

Check these ahead of time if you are using 0.01 oz scales. Some "usual sources" quote their 5 ounce weights as only accurate to +/-0.04 oz. At least they did last time I looked a few years ago.