Troubleshooting Flow Chart

Digi-Star & Avery Weigh-Tronix

Wide chart — drag it, or use the red bar below to slide across.
Start Symptom Check Fix
NoYesYesNoYesNoYesNoNoYesYesNoYesNoWhat's the scaledoing?No display /no powerNo weightwhen loadedDrifts /won't zeroReads steadybut wrongError code /flashing10.5–14.5 V DCat the head?Known-good headworks in its place?Cable or plugdamaged / loose?One bar dead,others respond?Steady (±5 lb) oncebars unplugged?Frame binding orbridging to ground?All bars evenly off(agree, but wrong)?POWERLoad-test battery; checkcable, fuse, grounds;re-check 12 V at head.REPLACE / REPAIR HEADIndicator is faulty —bench-repair or replace.REPAIR POWER HARNESSBreak is in the cable /connector to the head.REPAIR CABLINGReseat/repair; intactgaskets & strain relief;re-test with weight.REPLACE DEAD BARThat weigh-bar or itscable — isolate & swap.J-BOX or INDICATORCheck J-box continuity,then swap known-goodhead to decide which.INDICATOR DRIFTSDrifts with cells unplugged— repair or replace head.FREE THE FRAMEClear anything bridgingthe scale to ground;then re-zero.ISOLATE FLAKY BARTap-test each bar; replacethe bad bar / repair cable.CALIBRATIONMatch cal # to decal; noupside-down bar; re-calto a known weight.ISOLATE OFF BAROne bar/side off —replace that bar / cable.OVERLOAD / CALClear load, confirm cal,look up code in manual;re-cal — else service.

← drag the red bar to slide across the chart →

Weigh-Bar / Load-Cell Wiring Pin-Outs

When the chart points at a bar or cable, this is the color code. On the Digi-Star family, Transcell, and Salter / Tru-Test bars, excitation is Red = +Excitation, Black = −Excitation, and only the signal pair changes by brand. Avery Weigh-Tronix is the exception — a 5-pin bar wired Green = +Excitation, Black = −Excitation, so don’t assume red is always excitation. If the weight counts backward after a clean install, swap the two signal wires.

Brand+ Signal− Signal+ Excitation− ExcitationShield
Digi-Star / TopconWhiteGreenRedBlackBare / gray
Avery Weigh-Tronix (5-pin)WhiteRedGreenBlackOrange / bare / gray
Dinamica GeneraleGreenWhiteRedBlackBare / gray
Salter Brecknell / Tru-Test *GreenWhiteRedBlackBare / gray
M12 Ez-Mate — Digi-Star / Topcon
Pin 1Red+ Excitation
Pin 3White+ Signal
Pin 4Green− Signal
Pin 5Black− Excitation

* Salter Brecknell bars use C16 load-bar connectors and the Tru-Test signal arrangement (signal pair flipped vs. the Digi-Star family) — confirm on the bar and swap the signal pair if the weight reads backward. Full connector types, RS-232 serial (TX/RX/GND), and the cable catalog are on the Cables & Pin-Outs page.

Decision logic adapted from the Digi-Star GT400 troubleshooting flow chart (D3831) and worksheet (D3711) and the Avery Weigh-Tronix agricultural scale troubleshooting guide (7600720). General guidance for grain-cart and livestock systems — confirm against your indicator's manual and finish by calibrating to a certified known weight.