How to Calibrate an A&D FX-123 (External 50 g / 100 g)

pete8781
1 day ago
4 min read

The A&D FX-123 is an external-calibration Fortis balance. It does not hide a motorized internal weight. That internal-cal sibling is an FZ. If you bought the FX-123 from All Scales USA, the box includes a 100 g Texan-tested stainless steel weight so you can run sensitivity adjustment after install, a move, or a season change on the bench.

Buy the A&D FX-123 — $675 → Package price includes the 100 g Texan-tested weight.

External, not internal

A&D splits Fortis the same way it split FX-i. FX models use an external calibration mass. FZ models have an internal weight for sensitivity adjustment. Mixing those letters is the most common ordering mistake we hear. The live FX-123 page says it plainly: this SKU is externally calibrated and does not contain an internal calibration weight.

A&D’s published adjustment masses for the FX-123 are 50 g and 100 g. The All Scales USA package includes the 100 g weight because that is the mass we check in Texas against our own weights and send with the scale. It is Texan-tested, not certified. Do not write it up as a certified, NIST-traceable, or class-legal mass unless you separately buy that paperwork. Extra masses and replacements are on our calibration weights page.

Use the A&D Fortis manual, not a dealer PDF

Button sequences change with software version. We will not invent a key-press dance that A&D later revises. Host and follow the manufacturer book:

Those files live on weighing.andonline.com, A&D Weighing’s site. We do not send customers to a competitor-hosted manual. The All Scales FX-123 product page also points at the Fortis series documents.

What to do before you press CAL

Treat this as bench craft, then open the A&D manual for the exact sensitivity-adjustment sequence on your software version.

Give the balance time to warm up on the AC adapter. A milligram sensor that just came out of a truck is not ready.
Level the instrument. The FX-123 has leveling feet and a level indicator for a reason.
Put it on a solid, dedicated surface. A wobbly reloading bench or a table that shares a punch press will waste the calibration.
Seat the small breeze break. Air movement is the enemy of 0.001 g work.
Use a clean, dry 50 g or 100 g adjustment weight. Handle it by the knob or with a cloth, not with salty fingers on the polished surface.
Keep HVAC, open doors, and fans off the pan. If the last digit hunts, fix the room before you chase the menu.

When the manual tells you to place the weight, place the one the display requests. If it asks for 100 g, use 100 g. If it asks for 50 g, use 50 g. Do not substitute a random object that “feels close.”

What Texan-tested means

All Scales USA checks the included 100 g weight in Texas against our own weights before it leaves Cypress. That is a shop check so you can calibrate after install. It is not a certification, not an ISO/IEC 17025 report, and not a substitute for a certified mass if your quality system requires one. If your lab or QC procedure demands a certified weight, say so when you order and we will talk about a certified mass from the calibration weights catalog. Do not assume the included weight covers an audit.

When to run it again

Run external calibration after shipping, after you move the balance to a new room, after a large temperature swing, and any time the last digit no longer agrees with a known 50 g or 100 g mass. Reloading benches in a garage or shop bay see more of those swings than a climate-controlled lab. That is why we put the weight in the box instead of telling you to buy one later.

If the balance will not complete sensitivity adjustment, or the reading will not settle with the breeze break on and the room quiet, call the shop. Do not keep stacking homemade workarounds on a 0.001 g sensor.

Also listed at MNM Scales. More milligram and toploading instruments: precision balances.

FAQ

Does the FX-123 have internal calibration?

No. Internal calibration is the FZ side of Fortis. The FX-123 is external. The All Scales USA package includes a 100 g Texan-tested weight so you can do that work on the bench.

Can I calibrate with 50 g instead of 100 g?

A&D lists 50 g and 100 g as applicable adjustment weights for the FX-123. Use the mass the balance requests during the procedure in the official Fortis manual. We include 100 g because that is the weight we test in Texas and ship with this SKU.

Is the included weight certified?

No. It is Texan-tested — checked in Texas against All Scales USA’s own weights. If you need a certified mass, ask before you order.

Buy the A&D FX-123 — $675 → All Scales USA, Cypress, TX. (832) 766-5410 · pete@allscales.com.