Sartorius GD503 scale problem

[Charlie Papa]

I searched for this here and on the net, and I'd call the place from which I bought it, but they won't be open again until Monday. I received my new GD503 today, and it's been calibrated and certified legal for trade. There's a door on the bottom with a tamper seal on it that locks out the calibration function, which keeps it legal. Unfortunately, it will only toggle between grams and carats.

I need to know: if I cut the seal and flip the switch, will I be able to set the secondary weight (what it will switch to when I push the blue "F" button) to grains? I'd hate to void its being legal for trade if I still won't be able to use it. Anyone with experience with this, I appreciate your input! Thanks.

EDIT: Flipping the switch was all that was needed. When I first opened the panel I didn't see the switch because it sits on top of a metal bar and just barely protrudes beyond it. I used the dull end of my knife to slide it over and then everything worked as the manual suggests.

 

[Brasscow]

Just thinking... If you're in a rush to use it and you don't get an answer you could always convert your load to grams to get through the weekend (until you talk to the place you bought it from). Not trying to be an ass.

1 grain = 0.06479891 grams

 

[shibby575]

^^^^^^^^Booya^^^^^^^

 

[Charlie Papa]

Yes, I did consider it, but my pet load equates to 2.82523248g. Would you feel comfortable trusting your rifle and your face to not screwing up with an obscure number to that many decimal places, not to mention your math?

 

[fish30114]

In short the answer is yes. Unless your load is not developed for the rifle you are planning on using, those last few places of the decimal equivalent will surely add up to less than a few %, and I'm sure if you're in that big a hurry that won't really make a difference. If you are dead set on loading today, try a few more internet searches, or check your manual extremely thouroughly and check to see how you would change the unit of measurement, you may find the answer doesn't mean opening the sealed 'door'

 

[George63]

whoever sold that to you should have asked how you wanted it set and made it in grains - it is not really designed to be a consumer changeover, but hopefully they can walk you through it - is it really worth F ing it up to try and guess?

 

[BirdEyes]

If you pull up the manual, the measurement selection is configurable by the user. Refer to your manual; menu code 212... Manual at http://www.scalenet.com/pdf/Sartorius_GD_GE.pdf

 

[Charlie Papa]

In short the answer is yes. Unless your load is not developed for the rifle you are planning on using, those last few places of the decimal equivalent will surely add up to less than a few %, and I'm sure if you're in that big a hurry that won't really make a difference. If you are dead set on loading today, try a few more internet searches, or check your manual extremely thouroughly and check to see how you would change the unit of measurement, you may find the answer doesn't mean opening the sealed 'door'

True, and it should still be to-the-kernel accurate. But, I am still tweaking the load for three different rifles, and I like to be able to correlate things: I know that 45 grains of H4350 in a 260 is no good. I don't have that kind of reference for 3 grams. It's just too easy to make a mistake and not realize it.

whoever sold that to you should have asked how you wanted it set and made it in grains - it is not really designed to be a consumer changeover, but hopefully they can walk you through it - is it really worth F ing it up to try and guess?

Yeah, that's my fault. I found a good price online, and I checked out the company to be sure there wasn't any bad press about them, but I never actually called. I knew exactly what I wanted, but I didn't know this particular detail about it. It is a jewelry tool shop, so I'm not surprised it came in carats, or that it carries the legal for trade certification, whatever that entails.

If you pull up the manual, the measurement selection is configurable by the user. Refer to your manual; menu code 212... Manual at http://www.scalenet.com/pdf/Sartorius_GD_GE.pdf

Interestingly, that pdf manual has a few pages the manual included with the unit did not. I noticed while trying to switch the weight units that the option numbers did skip. The other units are simply not selectable as it sits now. The part that is bothering me is that on the Sartorius website, it states "Can be toggled at the touch of a key between any 2 of 16 mass units, such as g and ozt or dwt and ct, etc. (legal-for-trade models may only be toggled between ct and g as required by legal metrology standards)" It says "models," not just units that are switched into that mode.

I appreciate the help, guys. I'm not dying to start using it this instant, but I was pretty stoked that it had arrived the same day I found out it had shipped, and also the same day my GemPro decided to stop working (I think it knew it was being replaced).

 

[Deadshot2]

I'm not dying to start using it this instant, but I was pretty stoked that it had arrived the same day I found out it had shipped, and also the same day my GemPro decided to stop working (I think it knew it was being replaced).

All the more reason to never part with that good old reliable and "tuned" beam scale.

 

[rsplante]

I searched for this here and on the net, and I'd call the place from which I bought it, but they won't be open again until Monday. I received my new GD503 today, and it's been calibrated and certified legal for trade. There's a door on the bottom with a tamper seal on it that locks out the calibration function, which keeps it legal. Unfortunately, it will only toggle between grams and carats.

I need to know: if I cut the seal and flip the switch, will I be able to set the secondary weight (what it will switch to when I push the blue "F" button) to grains? I'd hate to void its being legal for trade if I still won't be able to use it. Anyone with experience with this, I appreciate your input! Thanks.

EDIT: Flipping the switch was all that was needed. When I first opened the panel I didn't see the switch because it sits on top of a metal bar and just barely protrudes beyond it. I used the dull end of my knife to slide it over and then everything worked as the manual suggests.

Help!!!! I just got my GD503 and like yours, it was set up for Legal for Trade. I moved the switch and the little "Hat" over the last zero is gone (meaning not legal for trade), but it still only switches between grams and Carats.

 

[rsplante]

OK, I panicked. When I calmed down, I read the rest of the thread. THIS IS THE BEST WEBSITE IN THE WORLD!!!!! My GD503 came with a dumbed down owners manual which only contained codes for Grams and Carats. The manual supplied above has ALL the codes. I reprogrammed it and VOILA, IT WORKS!!!! The reason I panicked is that prior to turning to this website, I opened the access door on the bottom and could not see a switch (VERY obscure!) I thought, they sold me the wrong model. The paperwork says that the factory setting is "Not-for-trade", but mine was in the For Trade mode. I immediately went to the SEP site (which still had some in stock when I bought this one) and they no longer had any in stock! I thought I had already missed out. That's when I returned to this site and only because of this thread, I persisted in looking for the switch. I found it, and switched it, but still could not change the units. I was almost resigned to having to convert all my loads to Carats (with a loss of accuracy, and instantly converting my GD503 to a cheaper scale) when I was directed to the complete owners manual by this thread.

I repeat, this is the best site in the world! I'm a happy camper now.

 

[Charlie Papa]

OK, I panicked. When I calmed down, I read the rest of the thread....

...I repeat, this is the best site in the world! I'm a happy camper now.

Good to hear, glad you got it straightened out. I LOVE my Sartorius. I was whipping up some to-the-kernel loads just a couple of days ago marveling at how quickly I was able to be so precise with it. You're going to love it.

 

[usafabrad]

Whats with this "legal for trade" stuff? If you break the seal i could undrrstand a voided warrantee and no guarantee of accuracy, but if the seal is broke doesnt that just mean that caveat emptor applies? Im just finding it hard to swallow that theres some kind of a federal trade law for this...

 

[rsplante]

Whats with this "legal for trade" stuff? If you break the seal i could undrrstand a voided warrantee and no guarantee of accuracy, but if the seal is broke doesnt that just mean that caveat emptor applies? Im just finding it hard to swallow that theres some kind of a federal trade law for this...

Nah, it's simpler than that. As long as it remains in the "legal for trade" mode, it ONLY works in carats and grams. Yeah, they don't tell you that stuff when they are trying to sell it to you. That's why it is such an unpleasant surprise when you have just spent $1,500.00 and find out that it won't even do what you want it to. Sure, as someone else mentioned, you can always perform the conversions manually; however, since grains are 15.4 times smaller than grams, and it only reads to 3 decimal places, you still aren't able to take advantage of it's inherent accuracy if you work in grams. I misplaced my calculations, but if you want to reproduce 25.0 grains in grams, you enter grams to three decimal places and it comes out something like 24.985. Sure, .015 gn is pretty accurate until you consider that you aren't getting what you paid for. You can get a scale accurate to .02 gn for $600. You pay $1500 only if you want to measure to a single kernel of Varget.

 

[Charlie Papa]

...it is such an unpleasant surprise when you have just spent $1,500.00 and find out that it won't even do what you want it to. Sure, as someone else mentioned, you can always perform the conversions manually...

No, they will all weigh in grains, no calculations or conversions necessary. You just can't use it in your jewelery shop selling loose diamonds after you de-legalize it. I only sell diamonds on the black market when I'm not out shooting, so it doesn't bother me.

 

[rsplante]

No, they will all weigh in grains, no calculations or conversions necessary. You just can't use it in your jewelery shop selling loose diamonds after you de-legalize it. I only sell diamonds on the black market when I'm not out shooting, so it doesn't bother me.

I stand corrected. AFTER finding the semi-hidden inside switch, and after being alerted to both the switch and the full owners manual by this thread, I was able to get it to read in grains. I was only referring to the posting by usafabrad where he was questioning the big deal about the legal-for-trade setup, and without this thread, I would have been doomed to legal-for-trade and been required to perform calculations and conversions.

 

[Charlie Papa]

Right on, brother. The internet has pretty much killed retail customer service. I saved $100-150 buying from SEP tools out of Chicago, and though the scale is perfect and shipped relatively fast, customer service was pretty much non-existent. That's where the savings went. With the internet, though, who needs customer service?