Part Counting Scale

One of the worst jobs with the 2.x Open Source laser is the hardware kit.  I hate counting out all the parts.  Some of the part counts are like 150+.  The MakerSlide reward kits have a lot of parts too for the wheels and spacers, etc.

I finally decided to get a part counting scale.  Essentially what this scale does is weight things in part weight units.  The scale has a resolution of 0.0001 lb.  It can only weight up to 3.3lbs, but that is fine for what I do.  You can get higher rated scales, but the resolution goes down.  When weighing light things like nylon spacers, you need the resolution.

First you zero the scale with the container you want to use, then you go through a calibration routine.  The scale tells you how many parts to load.  It has a few options for this, but I generally use the 10 piece count.  You then load the 10 pieces in and tell it when you are done.  It then tells you if the scale has enough resolution to do the job with a “PASS” message.

You can then dump parts in and it tells you how many are in the container.  You actually get quite good at estimating hand fulls, so you get quite close with the initial toss.  You then know how many more you need.

Awesome….my new favorite toy!  About $125 on eBay.

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