What Should I Consider When Buying a Digital Scale?

Digital electronic scale is an electronic scale that uses a load cell to measure the load weight, passes the electronic device, and displays the weight value digitally. According to the international recommendation R76 of the International Organization for Legal Metrology (OIML), digital indicating scales are non-automatic scales (scales that require human operation during weighing). According to the use function, it can be divided into: weighing scale, pricing scale, counting scale, barcode printing scale, etc. Features of digital indicating scale: high accuracy, intuitive display (to avoid visual errors), easy to use, and rich extended functions.

Digital indication scale

Classification of digital electronic scales (product structure / features):

1. Electronic Case Scale (ACS): It is an electronic scale placed on a table, weighing within 40 kg, with small weight and high division. Weighing unit: kilogram (kg).

2. Electronic platform scale (TCS): Use on the ground, weighing range is within 30 ~ 500 kg, medium weighing and indexing. Weighing unit: kilogram (kg).

3. Electronic Hanging Scale (OCS): Use lifting hooks of the scale body to weigh objects using lifting equipment. The weighing range is about 0.5 to 20 tons. The weighing unit is ton (t).

4. Electronic ground scale (SCS): Large and medium-sized electronic scales (indoor / outdoor) installed on the ground or in the ground, with a weighing range of about 0.5 to 200 tons.

5. Other electronic scales: belt scales, checkweigher scales, canned scales, etc., explosion-proof scales, electronic scales adapted to the special use environment.

New safety standards

To avoid the hazards caused by transient high voltages, safety must go deep inside the DMM, in other words, there must be sufficient safety design inside the DMM. The IEC (International Electro-Electrical Commission) defines a new set of international safety standards for test instruments. Previously, the traditional industry standard for a long time was IEC348. This standard has now been replaced by IECl010. The digital indicator designed according to the IECl010 standard has a much higher safety index than the IEC348.

in principle

If you are considering updating your DMM, then you may want to take a few minutes to analyze the worst case of the use environment before purchasing. See what type of overvoltage standard is sufficient. In the selection process, first select the overvoltage standard, and then select the withstand voltage index under the same overvoltage standard. Do not forget to test the test leads. IECl010 is also applicable to test test leads. The overvoltage index of the test test leads cannot be lower than the digital multimeter.

Understand what is rated safe voltage

The test process of IEC1010 includes three main possible factors: stable voltage, peak overvoltage, and source impedance. These three factors are considered to obtain the true rated safe voltage value of the multimeter.

What does UL certification, CSA, TUV, VDE certification represent?

When you see symbols such as UL, CSA, TUV, or read words such as "Design meets ...", you often think of independent testing organizations. Of course, the actual independent test is not the wishful thinking of the instrument design engineer.

How do you prove that the multimeter you designed meets Type 3 or Type 2 safety standards? The manufacturer may not verify that the product meets Type 2 or Type 3 indicators without being tested by an independent testing agency. The IEC committee merely develops and recommends its standards, but does not enforce them. Only when a product is tested and fully meets the standards of an independent certification body, can the markings of such certification bodies as UL, CSA, TUV, etc. be marked on the instrument. Whether there are these signs is not the best in the fish and dragon instrument market, but it may be the most direct method of identification.