Problems with my powder dispenser.

[C-130 Dude]

My 1.5 year old Hornady Auto Pro is starting to give me fits. The back light goes out intermittently. The panel buttons freeze intermittently not allowing me to change options. And it won't stay zeroed.

Are you guys having any problems with your dispenser? What kind do you use? How long have you had it?

Let us know your experience.

 

[just_jon]

I have had really bad luck with auto powder dispensers. I had a RCBS chargemaster lite and Frankford Arsenal Intellidropper fail shortly after the warranty expired. After finding no one who services those models, I bought a RCBS Chargemaster 1500 solely because I can have them serviced. It worked great for 18 months until it started undercharging about three weeks ago. It's out with Lone Mountain Communications being repaired.

 

[Sockeye66]

My Chargemaster Lite is on the fritz currently, changing power cords with a Hornady scale has helped, runs slower, but it's working for now. Looking for a new one now.

 

[Reelamin]

I ran away from those after trying a few. I can load precise measured loads regardless of weight easily twice as fast as the RCBS, Hornady, Franklin, etc. Nope not going to spend 4K on a electronic powder dispenser. Stick with a charge thrower and trickle the last .2 gr in....done no extra expense and frustration.

 

[Hatrick]

Have you tried a different location. Sometimes radio frequencies can cause problems with electronic scales.
Tom

 

[C-130 Dude]

Have you tried a different location. Sometimes radio frequencies can cause problems with electronic scales.
Tom

It's in my workshop across the yard. No electronics there except for LED lighting overhead and one incandescent light/magnifier on the bench. Voltage and frequency have been checked. I use a power conditioner here due to wonky power at times.

 

[Coyote Shadow Tracker]

Call Hornady. They may fix for free even if it is past warranty. We had a Hornady Brass Prep Station ($500+ tax) in today's price. Had issues with and called Hornady. They sent us a prepaid return label. About two weeks later they sent us a BRAND new one. I ended up selling on Craigs List for $300.00 before I took out of the new box. I think that I may have tried selling on here but no-one contacted us.
Sometimes you can get a great Customer Service person and they put the company name ahead of anything else.

 

[C-130 Dude]

Call Hornady. They may fix for free even if it is past warranty. We had a Hornady Brass Prep Station ($500+ tax) in today's price. Had issues with and called Hornady. They sent us a prepaid return label. About two weeks later they sent us a BRAND new one. I ended up selling on Craigs List for $300.00 before I took out of the new box. I think that I may have tried selling on here but no-one contacted us.
Sometimes you can get a great Customer Service person and they put the company name ahead of anything else.

I'll call tomorrow. I was curious about others experiences with this and other powder dispensing machines. Particularly in their longevity.

 

[Sockeye66]

Hopefully this helps someone in the future, my issue with the Chargemaster lite was the green button was stuck in the down or close to down position which was affecting all the other functions. This morning I disassembled the unit and after loosening the screws holding the board over the button, the button began working normally and the unit appears fixed after testing multiple charge weights. If you take apart a Chargemaster lite there's a screw in the middle on the bottom that is covered by a label.

 

[105Coues]

Try it with the Led lighting off. It may seem counterintuitive but they can cause interference with RF signals. I doubt this is your problem but it's worth a shot. Even Led lights added to cars can significantly impact your radio ability to pick up stations. Most the electronics associated with the junk we get from China, which probably includes your garage lights, do not have the additional circuitry to reduce noise. Good luck brother!

 

[338 dude]

I'll call tomorrow. I was curious about others experiences with this and other powder dispensing machines. Particularly in their longevity.

I use an RCBS charge master then verify with a Lyman Accu touch 2000 scale. My first charge master lasted a little over a year, I was given a new one under warranty. I'm still running the second one with no problems at all nine years later.

 

[BiggBeans]

Have been running this one the past 2-3 years and no problem with it. Works like the day it was new.

 

[338 dude]

Electric scales are sensitive to many things phone signals especially do not have your cell phone even in the same room. Also fluorescent lighting, will affect them.

 

[C-130 Dude]

Have you tried a different location. Sometimes radio frequencies can cause problems with electronic scales.
Tom

See my post #6.