Recommendations for Cafes, on Bar / High Volume

In this article, we’ll go through the important things to remember and benefit from when using an Acaia scale within a busy cafe setting. High-volume bars can be messy, fast-paced places. There is always plenty to do during rush hour. Keeping the flow going smoothly is a juggling act of speed, cleanliness, and equipment being aptly used and functioning. We’ll explain how to keep your scales in their best shape and using their features to better your bar work.

Charging and Protection

 When charging, storing, or transporting multiple scales, make sure to not stack them. Stacking or leaving anything heavy on top of the scale will engage the load beam, which is active even when the scale has been turned off or run out of power. Heat pads are fine to leave on the scale because of the minimal weight.

For extra scale coverage, there are the options of a fortified base for the Lunar scale and extra protective film for the Pearl series.

While our Lunar scale is water-resistant, our Pearl series are not. If it does happen that your Lunar scale ends up underneath a flushing group head or otherwise, we recommend letting the scale air dry away in a cool place. We do not recommend drying it on top of an espresso machine, as this may corrode the glue that connects the base of the scale to the shell.

 Calibration

To make sure your scales are doing what they do best, we recommend regularly calibrating them, especially if you are using multiple units on a busy bar. On all of our scales, you can perform a quick calibration. Busy scales should be calibrated on a daily basis.

1. Make sure your scale is in “weigh-only” mode. This mode displays the weight and nothing else, as “0.0”. You can switch modes by long-pressing the power button./li>
2.  Rapidly press the T button 6-7 times until the scale displays “CAL”. It will then display a number like “100” or “500”, but any F1 or F2 class weights that are 100, 300, 500, 1000, or 1500 grams will work. So, if it is displaying “500” but you only have a 100 g weight, it is still good to use.
3. Place your weight on the middle of the weighing surface until the calibration is complete.

 If you find your scale is still drifting after calibration, follow this link on how to diagnose the issue.

Toggling Sensitivity to Environment

Did you know you can tweak your scales settings to their environment? While we recommend using your scale on a stable, solid surface, busy bar setups can prove otherwise. This can mean that your scales may have difficulty settling on one value for the weight you've placed on it. You can alter the weighing filter to make your scale more usable.

Enter the setup menu. Hold down the Power button on startup until you see "SEt" and the scale beeps, then also hold down the T button until the scale beeps and shows "F.0000". Long presses of T change digits, while short presses will change the value of the digits. Enter "0000" to reach the setup menu. Here, short presses of T will cycle through the available settings, while a long press will enter the setting to change it. Cycle to "Filt." This is the weighing filter. This setting can have values from 2 all the way to 128. The default is 16. Higher numbers take a longer rolling average of the scale's sensor and handle vibration better at the cost of slower response time. Smaller numbers average a shorter period of time, rendering the scale more responsive, but more susceptible to vibration.

If you're having a problem with the instability of the scale's reading, we recommend switching to a higher number.

Using a Heat Pad for Pour Over

 While our Lunar scale has an aluminum base that distributes heat quickly after a brew, our Pearl series scales do not. This is why we strongly recommend using the heat resistant pads on your scale, which is included in the box that the scales are packaged in. Heat from longer brews can directly affect the accuracy of the load beam, which is the mechanism that makes our scales so precise. As well as affecting the load beam, the exposure to heat can shorten the life of your scale.

Auto-Start Modes 

For the Pearl series and Lunar scales we have several auto-start modes. Pearl model modes are designed with filter or pour-over in mind, and Lunar is designed for espresso. 

Pearl modes

Lunar modes

Access Settings and Remove Modes

For busy bars where you only need to use some functions of the scale, you may want to remove certain modes to suit your workflow so there are no accidental switches between them. We recommend removing modes based on how you brew, such as removing the Lunar mode which begins counting when liquid hits the cup but you count from the beginning of brewing.

1. With the scale powered off, press and hold the Power button. 
2. When "SEt" displays, continue to hold down the power button and press the T button until the scale beeps and shows "F.0000". This is the password menu for the scale.
3. Long presses (press and hold) of the T button advance to the next digit, while short taps change the value of the digits (1-9).
4. Enter "0000" by pressing the tare button for half a second four times to advance through each digit.
5. The scale will display SLEEP, and you are now in the settings menu
6. Tap the T button to cycle through the settings
7. To enter the sub-menu of the setting, you would like to turn off, press and hold the tare button
8. Tap the tare button to change the mode from On to Off
9. Once you made your selection, press and hold the tare button to exit the sub-menu
10. Tap the Power button to exit the settings.

Check the manuals here for detailed descriptions of modes and which you would like to use.