CAS CL5000 Scale Ethernet Update

Posted on November 30, 2012 by Scale Man

Effective immediately, both the CAS Wireless (PCL1) & Wired (PCL2) Ethernet Cards are being replaced by new and improved cards.

New CL5000 Wireless Ethernet Card
TCP/IP 802.11b/g (54Mbps)
CAS Part #: PCLF

The new style Wireless Ethernet Kit is designed as an improvement to the original style with increased capabilities. Protect your data with WEP64, WEP128, WPA, or WPA2 encryption. The design of the new style kit is different than the original card type. The installation of this kit requires disassembly of the CL5000 to allow proper installation.

New CL5000 Wired Ethernet Card
TCP/IP 100 Base T (10/100Mbps)
CAS Part #: PCLD

The new style Wired Ethernet Kit is designed as an improvement to the original style with increased capabilities. The design of the new style kit is different than the original card type. The installation of this kit requires disassembly of the CL5000 to allow proper installation.

Although it is not impossible to add these kits in the field, it is recommended that if either of these kits are to be used, the CL5000 should be ordered from CAS with the Wireless Ethernet Kit (#PCLF) or Wired Ethernet Kit (#PCLD) installed. The new kits require an upgrade to the firmware of the CL5000.

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Scale Certification

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Scale Man

Every now and then we get asked about rules and regulations when it comes to selling fruits and vegetables to customers. The general rule of thumb is if you’re selling by weight, then you should use a scale that is legal for trade and has been checked by your state inspector. Here is a link below that basically backs up that assumption.

Vendors selling by weight must provide their own certified scales. Regarding scale certification, any vendor selling products across a scale must have a scale that is legal for trade and certified by the Bureau of Weights & Measures, NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food.

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Retail, Calculating, Or Certified Scales, Which is it?

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Scale Man

The scales that we usually talk about each month can be referred to as quite a few different names. Some folks call them retail scales while others prefer to say they are scales for computing the price per pound. Others like to say they are calculating scales or certified legal for trade. We generally just call them price computing scales.  These products work great at places like fudge shops, candy stores, frozen yogurt stores and farmers markets because the operation of the products is pretty simple.

You basically place the item on the scale, enter the price per pound that you wish to charge your customer, and the scale computes the price per pound on both the front display and the back display. This is great because both the farmer or the candy shop owner can see the price and the customer buying the apples or the cup of butter pecan frozen yogurt can see how much they owe. Speaking of yogurt we also should mention that some of the scales can compute price per ounce which is especially useful for sellers looking to charge patrons by the ounce.

We have always been a valuable and dedicated retail solutions site for customers. Our fresh food weighing systems product reviews and inside information has helped many customers make a wise decision about their retail scale needs.  We encourage you to bookmark our site, subscribe to our RSS feed and hopefully some of the information we provide can assist you in your restaurant or produce selling business.

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Battery Powered Commercial Food Scales Are Great For Strawberries

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Scale Man

There are many popular reasons to purchase a commercial scale for retail applications and one of the most popular reasons is to weigh strawberries by the pound. Did you know that North Carolina ranks fourth in the nation in strawberry production with approximately 1800 acres of strawberries harvested each year so there are a lot of folks placing a bucket of freshly picked berries on the platter of a scale at the farmers market.  People love strawberries because of their taste but they are also high in Vitamin C and A.

The great thing about picking berries at the farmers market is you get your berries direct from the farm. Pick your own farms are usually convenient for most consumers and you can normally expect to find at least one retail weighing scale at each of these locations.  Of course we’re biased but we always recommend buying or selling your strawberries by using a certified digital scale. We have seen some sellers who just fill up a pail but that can sometimes lead to giving a customer too much or not enough berries. That is the great thing about weight. A five pound bucket when placed on the scale should weigh five pounds, where as a full bucket of strawberries might vary depending on the size and quantity of berries placed in the container.

Of course not all of us have time to walk through the field picking berries all day. If that is the case for you, you can always go to a farm that offers picked berries or find a local farmers market.

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Digiweigh DWP-30PC Retail Scales

Posted on September 17, 2012 by Scale Man

We recently received a new Digiweigh DWP-30PC price computing scale for review. We see all kinds of retail scales so anytime a new one comes out, we can’t wait to get our hands on it so see how it performs. The scale features a 30 pound capacity and calculates the price per pound of items you place on the scale platter. The DWP-60PC is also available which has a 60 pound weighing capacity.

Our honest assessment of the scale is below. The DWP-30PC scale arrived in a sturdy cardboard box with styrofoam packing inside. Setting up the scale was pretty easy. The LCD display is easy to read and is located on both the operators side and the customers side. The scale is NTEP legal for trade which is pretty much the standard when it comes to selling fruits, vegetables or candy by the pound. The scale operates on regular AC power and there is also a built in rechargeable battery.

The scale is fairly compact, so if you’re used to a large price computing scale like the Ohaus RE15US or the old CAS TP-1, this is going to appear very small to you. Overall the scale was fairly nice and we don’t really have anything negative to say except the manual seems a bit hard to read. But since everything comes from China these days, we almost always expect the manual to be a challenge.

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Buy New Produce Scales Or Keep My Old Hanging Scales?

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Scale Man

A few times a year we’ll get an email or a call from someone who will ask about digital scales. Basically they are fishing for scale knowledge to determine if it makes sense for them to scrap their old hanging scales for weighing fruits and vegetables. In many cases they really want to buy the cool new digital price computing scale like their buddies at the farmers market. They just need a little justification in order to make it “legit”. Honestly, if the used hanging scale is still working it probably has a very long lifespan and could easily last for many years. However, the real selling point with the new and “fancy” digital retail scale is the fact that many of them can calculate the price per pound. This can be a real time savings and can make your operation seem a little more professional in the eyes of your customer.  Let’s face it your customers have other options when it comes to buying fresh produce so you want to do everything you can to accommodate them and provide them with the product and service they expect. If you were to sell them some vegetables and then you take out a pencil and paper or you reach for a calculator, the customer is probably not going to be thrilled. Especially when your neighbor two tables down from you has three legal for trade digital scales up and running. His customers orders are processed quickly and efficiently.  That is why sometimes we refer to the old hanging scales as vintage produce scales because you just don’t see too many of them. Or, they seem to show up in certain regions of the country.  Some of you might be asking when exactly are produce scales used? The simple answer would be that you may use them in a buying or selling commercial situation.

We generally don’t get into the whole used produce scales for sale type promotions because we don’t have too many used ones available.  Most of the time when we get Continue reading →

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China Electronic Price Computing Scales

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Scale Man

It is kind of fun to look through our different software programs that we use to see exactly what folks are searching for when they visit our site. We see many of the standard terms like price computing scales with printer and legal for trade price computing scales. But we also see a lot of other words and phrases that you might not necessarily think of with our site. As you know this site is completely centered around retail scales and specifically what are price computing scales used for.  Of course over the years we have gone over all kinds of subjects like what we think makes the best price computing scale and how to use these scales too. We’ve also showed you what some of the key features are when it comes to our wide selection of scales that calculate price per ounce. We have noticed a lot of people searching for price computing scales china and our hunch is that you might be looking to find one direct from China or perhaps something else. We highly recommend that you stay away from the really cheap scales that calculate price per pound. There are several reasons. First they are probably not going to be easy to use or easy to understand since the manual is probably going to be written in chinese or some type of hybrid chinese – english. Secondly and most importantly the scale is more than likely not going to be NTEP approved. We also call this legal for trade. If the scale isn’t NTEP legal for trade then you really shouldn’t use it in a commercial setting. In the majority of states, you need a NTEP legal for trade scale to use in a commercial setting and if you get caught using a non-ntep scale, the state inspector could shut you down until you get a certified scale.

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What is the best farmers market scale?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Scale Man

As the title suggests this article is going to focus on one topic. What is the best farmers market scale? This can be a tough choice since there are many good choices in the market place. Often the same brands and models rise to the top year after year.

I decided to do some research and look at past sales and how reliable certain scales have been over the past year. After doing that, the conclusion that I have come to is simple. If you are looking for a durable product that is going to last you for many years, the ideal Continue reading →

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Best Ways To Care For Fresh Picked Strawberries

Posted on May 11, 2012 by Scale Man
We all know that the best quality strawberries are the ones you pick yourself out of the field or buy from a local strawberry farmer at the market. These strawberries are almost always the freshest you can obtain. Their taste and red color are exceptional. Nothing really compares to the flavor and aroma of fresh picked strawberries.  Below are a few pointers if you are planning on picking some berries. Of course we always recommend a scale that weighs strawberries.
After you find the perfect farm to visit, you will want to pick strawberries by pinching the stem of the berry between your thumb and index finger. This will reduce injury to either the berry and the strawberry plant. Leaving the caps on helps your berries last for a longer Continue reading →
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Affordable Price And Brand Name Durability

Posted on April 27, 2012 by Scale Man

Can you buy a scale for weighing produce at the farmers market that is built tough and priced reasonably? The answer is yes and take a look at the CAS ER Jr legal for trade scale which is portable and includes a rechargeable battery which lasts up to 200 hours (without backlight) on a single charge. A low battery indicator lets you know when it is time for a charge. The ER Jr certified scale has a small footprint at 11.75 inches x 12.75 inches and will fit easily on counter tops, tables or any tight workspace. With best in class features and an economical cost, you can place multiple ER Jr price computing scales throughout your business to ensure customer satisfaction and maximum profitability. Additional standard features include lb/kg unit switching and three different methods to enter a tare weight: platter tare, keyboard tare, and programmable tare for a PLU. Continue reading →

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