Would this be unsafe?

[ccjcc81]

Hey guys, my wife wants me to take my computer desk out of our bedroom and put it in my reloading room. Computer, monitor, and a small sound system. Do you think it would be unsafe to have all of this electronic equipment in close proximity to my reloading bench?

Thanks guys.

 

[rcmodel]

No.

It may play hell with your magnetic dampened scales though.

rc

 

[ccjcc81]

You're quick! Thanks. Would it create a problem even if the system is off?

 

[rcmodel]

Only if you have power-packs, like for the sound system or printer, plugged in that never get shut off.

The speaker magnets might affect the scales too if they are fairly close to it.
I'd just try it.

You might want to make sure everything is well grounded to prevent residual static electricity making powder stick to things like plastic scale pans and measure hoppers.

And don't get distracted doing on-line stuff while you should be concentrating on reloading.

rc

 

[Steve C]

No worry about a PC in the loading room but the RF could cause interference with a digital scale and vise verse. Wouldn't worry at all with a balance even with magnetic dampening. Just keep the magnets away from any magnetic media.

 

[essayons21]

As long as the RF interference is constant, and the scale is zero'd and cal'd, I wouldn't think it would cause much fluctuation. I reload with a Chargemaster1500 in a RF hell, and haven't noticed any issues. I just make sure not to turn anything on or off after I have zeroed and cal'd the scale.

+1 to not getting distracted by THR while reloading. Pulling a bunch of powdered, seated, but unprimed cartridges is a PITA.

 

[noylj]

The things people worry about.
No, there will not be any interference and, if there is, it would mean there is something seriously wrong with what ever is impacted. Exactly how powerful do you think your speaker magnets are? Do you stick iron objects on the side of the speakers?
Heck, I know some people who use a computer with moniter and an internet video camera to inspect the powder in their cases.

 

[rcmodel]

Exactly how powerful do you think your speaker magnets are?

Maybe as powerful as a fluorescent light ballast transformer?

They for a fact have been known to cause problems with magnetic dampened beam scales.

rc

 

[cpaspr]

RC -

I have a fluorescent light directly above my reloading bench. Maybe 18". Are you saying that may be screwing up my beam scale?

 

[rcmodel]

It has been known to do so.

Your mileage may vary, depending on the brand of scale & the brand of light you have.
Older lights probably were worse because they had a huge wire-wound ballast & starter switch cans hanging out the bottom.
The new lights don't have either anymore.

You can test it by zeroing the scale and weighing some test weights with the light on.
Then check it again with the light swinging on the chains.
Then again with the light off.

rc

 

[Doogledog]

I have the big flourescent lights like you see in large retail stores (6 ft. long) above my bench and I noticed how much they made my electronic scale fluctuate. I bought a couple of 500W work lights and mounted them on the ceiling at angles on either end of my bench. I don't get near the interferance I used too.

 

[cpaspr]

Wonderful.

Mine is a big, old swing-arm fixture with twin 15" bulbs. Ballast lives above the bulbs, I think. Either that, or in the base where it's clamped to the bench.

I'll check for variations with and without the light turned on.

Oh, and I'm using an RCBS 5-0-5 beam scale by Ohaus.

 

[Blackrock]

So lemme seehere. I have a computer AND a flourescent lamp in my reloading room. Both are in close proximity to my loading bench. I haven't noticed any problems yet but I have only been using this system for the last three years.

 

[raddiver]

I have 3 Servers, 1 desktop computer, an ATT Microcell (mini cell tower for the house) and a few external hard drives in the room where i reload. I have a fluorescent light also, but i generally keep that off when using the scale. I turn it back on when im checking charges.

 

[rcmodel]

I never said it would effect your scale.

I said it could, depending on the scale & the light you have.

It's just something to at least be aware off.

rc

 

[ranger335v]

"As long as the RF interference is constant, and the scale is zero'd and cal'd, I wouldn't think it would cause much fluctuation."

Ditto. At least for a beam scale.

Beam scales are electrically dead and have no magnetic components except the magnets themselves. The only time ANY magnet can act on a beam scale is when the beam is swinging. Then the copper vane extends into the magnetic field and creates a counter EMF (Electomotive Force) that resists movement but that effect completely dissappears when vane movement stops. Ditto the effects of any other near by magnetic fields, so speaker magnets, etc, have no effect when the beam comes to rest.

All that's not so with the low level, high gain active electronics in a digital scale so they can be unpredictably quirky around strong sources of magnetism or electrical 'noise'.

Any magnetic effect decreases by the square of the proximity, so moving things away a little bit will have a large effect. (Doubling the seperation distance decreases the field's strength to one quarter of its initial strength.)

 

[jmorris]

I reload in my office/reloading room with computers, fax machine, copy machine, radio and florescent lights. The only thing I have seen effect my scales is draft from the AC or if a fan is on.

 

[ccjcc81]

Thanks for the info guys. My main concern, as silly as it may sound to some, was electrical equipment near flameable solids. I am glad to hear that some of you have had no problems with computers in your reloading room.

Thanks again guys.

 

[MrOldLude]

As stated, no.

And you'd only have to worry about RF or magnetic interference if you were INCHES away from the sources.

 

[Hondo 60]

While my computer desk doesn't double as my reloading bench, they have both been in the same room for well over a year.

Still trying to figure out how to get the opening & closing of the cd drawer to actuate the lever on the reloading press.

 

[ranger335v]

" My main concern, ... was electrical equipment near flameable solids."

If it was a hazard there would be gov. mandated warning stickers all over everything electrical.

 

[ccjcc81]

While my computer desk doesn't double as my reloading bench, they have both been in the same room for well over a year.

Still trying to figure out how to get the opening & closing of the cd drawer to actuate the lever on the reloading press.

Let me know when you do!

 

[CoRoMo]

The TV, radio, and the refrigerator tend to interfere with my reloading... or distract me from it, I should say. Interesting books have the same effect.