There is a far better solution available in that many manufacturers now offer hand held controllers that duplicate the display and control features that are available on the crane scale. There are, however, significant differences in the techniques used to communicate between the scale and the handheld. Some suppliers use infrared devices which are similar to TV set controllers and are line of sight devices. These hand held controllers must be pointed at the scale and have limited range capabilities. A more robust solution is to use a radio frequency solution that allows far greater range and eliminates the need to point at, or see the scale.
Some manufacturers duplicate all of the controls and the display so that the hand held device can be used to completely control the scale. An example of this type of hand held controller can be seen on our website. In this instance one may logically ask “why put the controls or display on the scale?” The answer is simply that the hand held controllers are almost always offered as an option to an existing scale. If the hand held has an rf capability why not link it to the administrative computer system as well? Some suppliers offer software to aid in linking to a network.
The hand held controllers are battery powered and thought should be given to recharging the batteries, preferably at the same time the crane scale battery is recharged and in the same physical area.
One of the negatives to using the hand held controller is the fact that safety can become more of an issue as the operator will have a natural tendency to watch the controller and not the scale and load. One of the positives is that the operator can stand back from the scale and load and in this way stay out of harms way.
The opportunity to control multiple scales from one hand held controller, all of the scales not having displays or controls, is there, but to the best of our knowledge no one offers this solution commercially, but they may in the not to distant future..