Should you trust your digital scales?

[An Ankoù]

What does it matter is your hydrometer is calibrated correctly to a few percent or not? Provided you use the same hydrometer and measure at the same temperature and altitude, the difference between the two readings will be as precise as if you'd used one tuned up like a grand piano. So provided you use the correct equations for converting this difference into abv, you'll be spot on.

 

[peebee]

What does it matter is your hydrometer is calibrated correctly to a few percent or not? Provided you use the same hydrometer and measure at the same temperature and altitude, the difference between the two readings will be as precise as if you'd used one tuned up like a grand piano. So provided you use the correct equations for converting this difference into abv, you'll be spot on.

'Cos, like I'm often doin', when you are farting around trying to make something "new" it's a good idea to eliminate as much error as you can so as to see an error your something new is creating.

Or sumit like that?

 

[An Ankoù]

'Cos, like I'm often doin', when you are farting around trying to make something "new" it's a good idea to eliminate as much error as you can so as to see an error your something new is creating.

Or sumit like that?

Agreed in principle, but in practice there is no error to eliminate as the errors (in the situation I described above) cancel each other out.
.... and before you get started on pycnometers ....

 

[stripeyjoe]

Will all this make tastier beer or is it the difference in knowing your beer is 4.45% or 4.49%?

 

[An Ankoù]

Will all this make tastier beer or is it the difference in knowing your beer is 4.45% or 4.49%?

Back in the day I got interested in audiophile hifi equipment and ended up only listening to the system instead of listening to the music. I think we're in the same game here.

 

[stripeyjoe]

Back in the day I got interested in audiophile hifi equipment and ended up only listening to the system instead of listening to the music.

My former career was a live sound engineer, can’t go to a gig anymore without analysing the mix.
I spent ages trying to find a sound system for my disco shed that could hit 120dB and was reasonably flat up to 20kHz, around the same time I went with my daughter to a Brainiac show and part of it was us standing up whilst they played increasing frequencies until you couldn’t hear them and sat down, I was on my arse by 14kHz! Made getting the sound system easier…

 

[peebee]

.... and before you get started on pycnometers ....

What! Outrageous! There might be some who haven't heard my pearls of wisdom. Anyway, pyknometers. When I was ...

(What? What do you mean I'm banned for the rest of the day? ... I'll have you know I'm a

 

[Druncan]

Electronic scales use little load cells in a wheatstone bridge arrangement. The cell compensates for variations in temp and eccentric load and do a brilliant job these days. However unless it's an expensive one variations can be significant. Use the 200g weight to do an eccentric loading at the plate corners then do a repeatability (5 reps same place) Commercial trade scales had an allowance of about 2 divs. You can also do a change-over test with weights 1/10 of the scale increment to test sensitivity across the weight range. Sensitive scales also need to be calibrated at the site of use to compensate for height above sea level. I designed and ran a UKAS mass calibration laboratory long ago in a different life. Back to put another brew on - life's a lot more fun now!!!

 

[Nicks90]

This discussion reminds me of how long is a piece of string by Alan davies
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p1fpc

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

This discussion reminds me of how long is a piece of string by Alan davies
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00p1fpc

easy: just take the distance from the middle to one end, then double it

 

[dad_of_jon]

Will all this make tastier beer or is it the difference in knowing your beer is 4.45% or 4.49%?

I do use the figures for my alcohol consumption chart which was 38.7426 units this week which is the 4th lowest weekly total this year.

 

[The-Engineer-That-Brews]

I do use the figures for my alcohol consumption chart which was 38.7426 units this week which is the 4th lowest weekly total this year.

OMG don't get me started... I keep having good intentions, but by Wednesday I'm gaspin'

 

[stripeyjoe]

Just about to pour myself some lovely cloudy IPA that is somewhere between 4.5% and 5.5%, possibly... Tastes like orange juice which doesn't help!

 

[Hoppopotamus]

My science teacher got kicked out of a pub at our sixth form leaving do for hitting the landlord with a sausage roll. He proudly put his accuracy down to his detailed knowledge of scientific principles, though how believable this was given that the incident arose due to him missing the darts board and making holes in the wall - I'm not sure.

I don't know the relative densities of the roll, air or board - but the glasses were definitely being refilled with 568 ml of locally produced Marston's Pedigree

 

[samale]

Hmmmm.....




I



Reckon


You


Have

Too much time on your hands!!!!

My thoughts exactly, I have room in my brain for certain things. Mostly beer, women and food.
The order can change daily