Hurley's Gold

Brand new RCBS Chargemaster Lite not dispensing

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  • Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    So, I finally decided to pick up one of these and was beyond excited when it got here. I went through the set up and calibrated it, but when I went to actually use it, I ran into a problem. Nothing I do will cause the motor to kick on and dispense powder. I can punch in the charge I want, set it to "auto", and hit "go", but nothing happens. If you manually (by hand) add powder to the scale, it will beep once you hit the set charge. It just won't dispense any powder on it's own. The manual setting and holding down the "trickle" button don't do anything either.

    Am I just a dumbass, or did I get a defective unit?
    Target Sports
     

    unicom

    Well-Known
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    May 19, 2016
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    Just going out on a limb. Does the hoper turn left and right to open and close like Lee’s perfect powder measure? That could be the problem maybe


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    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
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    No on/off feature for the hopper that I can see. It's just a straight shot down to the bottom, and there's a drain on the side that's just a plastic cover. It's brand new. I'm giving Natchez a chance to fix the issue before I go to RCBS. They were surprisingly fast to ship it, so I'm hoping they'll be fast to replace it.
     

    Rathmatik

    Member
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    Jun 25, 2019
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    Dallas
    What happens if you put it in Manual mode, type the power charge, and hit Go? If that works, after the charge is dispensed, change the mode to Auto and it will dispense again when it is zeroed.

    Another thing, is it zeroed when you’re trying to make it go? It will not start unless it’s zeroed, in auto or manual mode. It should dispense either way with trickle though, so that seems weird.
     

    unicom

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    May 19, 2016
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    No on/off feature for the hopper that I can see. It's just a straight shot down to the bottom, and there's a drain on the side that's just a plastic cover. It's brand new. I'm giving Natchez a chance to fix the issue before I go to RCBS. They were surprisingly fast to ship it, so I'm hoping they'll be fast to replace it.

    Well there went that idea. Sorry I could be more helpful. Good luck to you on a quick resolution to your problem


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    Maverick44

    Youngest old man on TGT.
    Rating - 100%
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    What happens if you put it in Manual mode, type the power charge, and hit Go? If that works, after the charge is dispensed, change the mode to Auto and it will dispense again when it is zeroed.

    Another thing, is it zeroed when you’re trying to make it go? It will not start unless it’s zeroed, in auto or manual mode. It should dispense either way with trickle though, so that seems weird.

    It's zeroed when I try to make it go, and I tried the manual setting. It just doesn't want to do anything. At this point, I'm fairly certain that the motor is fried or something.
     

    Dawico

    Uncoiled
    Lifetime Member
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    14   0   0
    Oct 15, 2009
    38,009
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    Lampasas, Texas
    The only thing I would try is manually trying to turn the dispensing tube. See if you can break it free.

    But really call RCBS. They may have a solution.
     

    kbaxter60

    "Gig 'Em!"
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    0   0   0
    Jan 23, 2019
    9,913
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    Pipe Creek
    No on/off feature for the hopper that I can see. It's just a straight shot down to the bottom, and there's a drain on the side that's just a plastic cover. It's brand new. I'm giving Natchez a chance to fix the issue before I go to RCBS. They were surprisingly fast to ship it, so I'm hoping they'll be fast to replace it.
    Maybe they sent you the "ChargeMiser" model by mistake?
    Sorry, I don't reload, so don't really have help to offer.
     

    Mills

    TGT Addict
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    Mar 22, 2020
    3,682
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    Texas
    So, I finally decided to pick up one of these and was beyond excited when it got here. I went through the set up and calibrated it, but when I went to actually use it, I ran into a problem. Nothing I do will cause the motor to kick on and dispense powder. I can punch in the charge I want, set it to "auto", and hit "go", but nothing happens. If you manually (by hand) add powder to the scale, it will beep once you hit the set charge. It just won't dispense any powder on it's own. The manual setting and holding down the "trickle" button don't do anything either.

    Am I just a dumbass, or did I get a defective unit?

    Sadly, like most anything with electronics, all indications are it’s made in china.
    No different than say a Hornady electronic scale, made in china.

    Natchez will most likely make things right , if not RCBS will.
     

    MTA

    TGT Addict
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    40   0   0
    Mar 10, 2017
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    Fannin
    Hey Mav. I feel like you may have bought this based off of me raving about my chargemaster lite. Id call RCBS if natchez gives you the run around

    sorry for your troubles though. Sucks to get a dud
     

    Rathmatik

    Member
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    0   0   0
    Jun 25, 2019
    116
    11
    Dallas
    It's zeroed when I try to make it go, and I tried the manual setting. It just doesn't want to do anything. At this point, I'm fairly certain that the motor is fried or something.

    Yeah, sounds fried. I’d just ask for an exchange. I doubt they’ll give you any trouble. If so, it’s under warranty for a year by RCBS. It’s a great machine, sorry you got a bad one. Don’t let it turn you away, the Chargemaster Lite is definitely a solid part of my precision reloading process.
     

    ed308

    Well-Known
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    3   0   0
    Dec 31, 2013
    1,764
    66
    DFW
    I've read of another person having a problem when using a plastic pan. He tried three different unit and they wouldn't throw to a plastic pan. Once he switched to a metal pan, his units worked.
     

    HCS

    Member
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    0   0   0
    Oct 8, 2020
    198
    26
    Llano, TX
    t
    I've read of another person having a problem when using a plastic pan. He tried three different unit and they wouldn't throw to a plastic pan. Once he switched to a metal pan, his units worked.


    that is strange, I have both a Pact & Hornady set ups and they both work fine with the plastic pans,
    I would have never thought about that causing an issue
     

    Txhillbilly

    Active Member
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    2   0   0
    Aug 2, 2008
    966
    76
    North Texas
    Aaron, You should've let me know you were wanting one of these. I've got a Hornady unit setting on the bench collecting dust. I would sell it cheap!

    I've given up on all of these cheap Chinese powder dispensers, I've tried 4 different brands. They do work, but I can load 50 cases by hand in the time it takes to set the electric dispenser's up to work semi - perfect. They all over or under throw charge weights, you can watch the readout and see it happen pretty often.
     
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