RCBS Chargemaster Issue

[B y r o n]

I couple of weeks ago I had an issue with my Chargemaster in that the buttons on the dispenser would enter the wrong number. I'd push 4 and the number 1 would show up on the display. Basically any button from the middle row might show the correct number or it would show the number from the row above. I thought this was a bad key pad membrane like the one I had to replace on one of my safes. Now I knew it was out of warranty but I called RCBS anyway to see if they were willing to help in any way. Long story short is they said, SORRY! They buy them from a vendor and they don't have any parts, I would have to buy a new one. Needless to say I was miffed and went out and bought a Hornady Auto Charge instead. It was less money and had some features that the Chargemaster doesn't have. It's working great by the way.

Today I decided to open up the Chargemaster dispenser and have a look around before recycling it. After removing all the loose parts the warranty seal was removed and the 4 Philip head screws holding the top to the bottom were removed. There really isn't much inside, just the motor assembly in the top and circuit board in the bottom. The connectors are barely long enough for you to reach in and disconnect them.

The power lead connects to the two pins in the lower left corner. The feed from the key pad membrane slips over the row of 9 vertical pins near the top. Both connectors simply slip off.

So this is were my background in computers kicks in. Sometimes computers would act up, network cards, video cards, sound cards or whatever. A lot of the time the problem was resolved simply by removing the card and then putting it back in the slot. What was happening was a loss of contact between the board and slot. Oxidation would form on the connection until it built up to a point that would disrupt the connection.

Enough about computers, all I did was reconnect the power lead, it will only fit in one way as it is keyed, and the keypad connector. I slid the top back in place and plugged the scale into the dispenser and attached the power cable to test it. I powered it up and it went through the normal checks. I then tested the dispenser key pad and I was pleased to see that everything was back to normal. All that was left was to put the screws back in the bottom and attach the rails and rubber feet.

Now I know there are threads and videos about bad solder connections that need to be re-done but try this simple fix first as it takes a lot less time and you don't risk damaging anything.

As I said I was upset enough to buy another digital scale/dispenser but it also has some nice tuning features the RCBS doesn't have. All I guess I did was add to my ever growing collection of reloading equipment as well as provide a little more backup if and when something does actually break.

 

[pell1203]

An even simpler thing to first try is to unplug the unit and rub it all over with a disposable dryer sheet (yep, one of those you throw in the clothes dryer to control static), concentrating on the screen and keyboard membrane areas.

My Chargemaster began to do unpredictable things a over a year ago and using the anti-static cloth trick on it straightened it right up. The pre-use rubdown has now become part of my normal routine and it has been working fine since then. My unit dates back to when the first reprogrammable Chargemasters were introduced,,, so I am guessing about 8 years old now.

 

[samnev]

2 nice troubleshooting reports, thanks.

 

[Velocity Chad]

So do you like the hornady better? I'm about to buy one or the other, but having a hard time deciding. Seems that most reviews are better on the chargemaster, but the price is better on the hornady. Its typically tough to find someone who has had both.

 

[B y r o n]

So do you like the hornady better? I'm about to buy one or the other, but having a hard time deciding. Seems that most reviews are better on the chargemaster, but the price is better on the hornady. Its typically tough to find someone who has had both.

I've only loaded 20 rounds with it so far but I'll give you this. The Hornady has an "Auto" feature which once the weight of the pan zeros after replacing it, will automatically start dispensing the next load. If it senses an over load it displays that on the screen. You just press the "Enter" key if I remember correctly and it will show you the actual weight. It has 3 dispensing speeds. I used slow with IMR 4895 as it worked best, less over loads thrown. Although I didn't use it, you can actually press a few keys and change the trickle speed to slow it down even more for bulkier powders. One of the reasons I didn't bother yet is because it does not have a return to default setting key or sequence. I still need more time with it but I'm liking it the same if not better than the Chargemaster. I do have to say I like the larger spout that empties the powder on the Chargemaster but the Hornady did work fine, just a little slower.

 

[YetiSam]

So do you like the hornady better? I'm about to buy one or the other, but having a hard time deciding. Seems that most reviews are better on the chargemaster, but the price is better on the hornady. Its typically tough to find someone who has had both.

I went the other direction. Had a Hornady and it would constantly throw high charges and then correct itself to accurate. Then it broke after about a year. Had the RCBS about 5 years now and it's been fine. If it throws over/under it at least tells me so I can re-dispense.

 

[mdmp5]

I've only loaded 20 rounds with it so far but I'll give you this. The Hornady has an "Auto" feature which once the weight of the pan zeros after replacing it, will automatically start dispensing the next load

Chargemaster does this too

 

[B y r o n]

Chargemaster does this too

It's been so long I'd forgotten. Here is how you get it:

"Activating the Auto-Dispense Mode You can set the ChargeMaster to automatically dispense your pre-programmed charge as soon as you put the pan back on the scale. Simply press and hold the “Enter” button. The code “Auto” should then appear on the display. At this point, push “Disp” to dispense the first charge. When you replace the pan, the unit will automatically dispense the same charge. For some people this is an added convenience. You can always go back to the default manual dispense method by changing the dispense mode using the “Enter” button again."

It's easier on the Hornady you just hit the "Mode" key.

 

[flyright]

I've used them both side by side for a couple of years now. If the Hornady is set up correctly, it works just as well as the CM. They will both round up/down that .1 to give you what appears to be a spot on powder charge but I've gotten single digit SD's using both. FWTW

 

[Velocity Chad]

Well, I bought the chargemaster. Natchez has them on sale for $289 and rcbs had the $100 rebate. Surely can't go wrong for $189.

 

[JRodMT]

You can also adjust dispensing speeds on the Chargemaster as well.

 

[flyright]

Yes. The CM is easier to get going and if you follow the on line reprogramming guide it will be a bit faster. You'll like the CM and you got a good price.

 

[B y r o n]

Well, I bought the chargemaster. Natchez has them on sale for $289 and rcbs had the $100 rebate. Surely can't go wrong for $189.

The nice part, other than I was able to get my Chargemaster working again, is that I found the Hornady Auto Charge for $158.99 at MidSouth Shooters. It also didn't hurt that it is just a short drive for me so I had it the same day.