Charliez,

The settings I use are optimized for my load, which is 24.5 grains of Reloader-15. This is for the .223 Remington chambering. My goal was to reduce the amount of time that the Chargemaster spent on the lower speed settings. I haven't had any success trying to adjust the actual rotation speed of the trickler tube. I tried to maximize the time the unit spends at the fastest trickle speed without also causing over-charges.

The settings I chose, based upon trial and error, are as follows:

HSP_A1 = 5.50
HSP_B1 = 2.25
HSP_C1 = 0.40

I also put a thin metal tube within the trickler tube to slightly reduce the diameter and to cover the threads on the trickler tube.

With these settings the Chargemaster drops the first 20.0 grains in about 5 seconds. It downs shifts quickly through the medium speed and then slow speed, and then finally downshifts to the "bump" trickle mode. Two or three "bumps" are all that is typically needed.

The entire charge is dispensed in about 10 to 15 seconds. Waiting for the scale to stabilize, show the count number, and then show the final weight extends the total time to 15 to 20 seconds. This is just about perfect timing, since the new charge is usually ready by the time I have seated the bullet on the previous load.

These parameters should be able to be optimized for any powder type and weight with a little experimentation.


Robert

Post edited by: Burdge, at: 2008/04/08 06:19

Thanks Robert! I'll try these settings.

Charliez,

You are welcome.

Since you mentioned that you are wanting to slow down the final trickle operation, I assume that you are having trouble with clumps of powder falling during the final trickle. I had the same problem, and I was able to fix it by "sleeving" the trickler tube.

I think having threads in the trickler tube is counter-productive in the Chargemaster. In a manual trickler, the trickler tube is level and the threads act as a screw-auger that moves the powder down the tube and forces it out the end. The Chargemaster tube is set at a slight incline and the tube rotation mainly serves to overcome the static friction between the powder and the trickler tube. Once in motion, the powder travels down the tube due to gravity and the "roll over" action of the powder.

When the powder reaches the end of the tube is encounters the threads, but the rate at which the threads can move the powder is actually slower than the speed at which the powder is moving down the tube. This causes a "log jamb" at the end of the trickler tube, and powder builds up, filling the tube. The excess amount of powder near the end of the tube causes powder to fall unpredictably during the final bump trickle.

If the trickler tube is sleeved with a thin-walled aluminum tube (a drinking straw can also be used) of the appropriate outside diameter, this covers the threads, and the powder moves more uniformly down the trickler tube and doesn't build up at the end. The inner diameter of the sleeve can be adjusted to balance between speed and accuracy. My sleeve reduces the inner diameter by about 50%, but the resulting tube diameter still works quickly with the relatively small charges that I dispense. During the final bump trickle my Chargemaster is capable of dropping one or two kernels at a time, so the final weight is very accurate. During high-speed trickle is it just as fast as the un-sleeved version.

Hope this helps.


Robert

Post edited by: Burdge, at: 2008/04/10 22:33

Very Helpful - thanks.

I have an unrelated problem that perhaps someone can assist with.

I have had a recurring problem with mine that others have experienced. When I press:

- the "2" it reads "3";

- the "5" it reads "6";

- the "8" it reads "9"; and

- the "0" resets the didplay.

I was about to pack the unit up and send it back to RCBS for warranty replacement and it corrected itself after sitting idle and unplugged for two weeks, only the re-occur right after the warranty expired.

There does not appear to be a Master Reset.

I had a similar problem. I did a couple of things. I'm not sure which one fixed it.

With the wall adapter unplugged, I opened the scale unit and unplugged the flex cable that connects the keypad from the circuit board. I left it unplugged from several minutes. I also wiped down the entire unit with an anti-static dryer sheet.

Since doing this I haven't had any more problems.

Post edited by: Burdge, at: 2008/07/21 18:54

The problem seems to be with the dispensing unit's keypad, not the scale unit's. Which unit's cable did you disconnect?

Andy,

Sorry for the confusion. I meant to say the dispenser unit, not the scale unit.

Inside the dispenser unit there is a a flat flex cable that connects the membrane keypad to the circuit board. I disconnected this flex cable from the circuit board.

While the cable was disconnected, I wiped down the unit with an anti-static sheet (the recommendation of using an anti-static sheet came from RCBS - although they only mnetioned wiping down the exterior of the unit to reduce erratic readings).

Ek wil nog steeds weet: Elektroniese Skaal watter EEN! RCBS C/M of Lyman DPS 3 nou ook nog Hornady L-N-L! Ek wil ook nou die vinnig laai ding doen! Power Measure, balkie skaal, dribbler, tregter ens. Ek skiet die goed 2-3X vinniger uit as wat ek dit kan laai!
Ek weet net nie watter een nie!
HELP, oortuig my!

Ek hou daarvan om die gewig van my ladings te sien voor ek dit van die skaal verwyder en moes altyd sit en kyk hoe die skaal na elke lading deur die hele rympie van poeier, koeël, nommer ens. ens. gaan voor hy weer die finale gewig wys. Dit is egter net 'n probleem wanneer jy die lading uit die skaal se geheue oproep. Deur die gewig in te tik en {disp} te druk wys hy dadelik die finale gewig en jy wen amper 10 sekondes per gooi.

{RCBS Chargemaster}