ShipStation Connect is compatible with a wide variety of USB scales (here is a list of recommended scales). If the weight displayed in ShipStation is incorrect, or not reading at all, there are a few things to check.
- The scale must be connected directly to the workstation via USB (serial/com scales are not supported, and connection through a USB hub may be unreliable).
- ShipStation Connect must be installed and running on your workstation.
- Certain scales, such as the Mettler Toledo PS60 or the Fairbanks Ultegra, read a wide range of weights and must be configured for High Capacity Mode.
Configuring your scale for High Capacity Mode
Depending on how it is calibrated in ShipStation, the scale can display a weight as 26 lbs instead of the correct 2.6 lbs. To account for this, ShipStation Connect needs to be set up to read the weight in High Capacity Mode.
Head to your Account Settings (the wrench icon in the upper right).
Next, select Printing and then ShipStation Connect from the sidebar on the left.
On the ShipStation Connect page, hover your cursor over the scale's name and click on the settings icon for the scale that is off by a decimal place.
Note: to see your connected devices in the ShipStation Connect settings window, you must be logged into ShipStation using the same username and password with which you are logged into ShipStation Connect.
The Scale Settings popup will appear. Here, click Configure Settings For High Capacity Mode.
Once you configure your scale for High Capacity Mode, disconnect your scale from the USB port on your computer and plug it back in.
Hover over the scale again, but this time click the Gauge icon.
The correct weight should then display in the top right corner.
If the weight read out is still not correct. Go through the above process once more, this time using the Reset Settings To Defaults option (don't forget to disconnect and reconnect the scale!).
If you continue to have trouble with your scale readouts, please contact ShipStation support for further assistance.
Additional information about scale settings"
*The values in the above screenshot are the default values, and for most users, tend to produce the best results.
| Timeouts | The first value is the number of milliseconds ShipStation will wait for a scale reading before it times out. The second value is the number of milliseconds that ShipStation Connect will wait for a scale reading. You may need to increase both of these values if you have an older model scale, but make sure the first value is always higher than the second value. |
| Read Weight |
This the number of milliseconds ShipStation Connect will wait before attempting to read a weight from your scale. If you have a newer scale that quickly determines weight, you can decrease this value to 150, or even 100. Just make sure that this value is less than the latter of the Timeout values. |
| Retries | This value represents the number of times ShipStation Connect will attempt to read a weight from the scale. If you've decreased the value for the Read Weight, then you may need to increase this value. |
| Weight Bytes | These values represent the index of the first and second bytes of weight data, respectively. The default values match up with how most scales report data, so only change these values if you have a non-standard scale which reports differently. |
| Factors | These values multiply the first and second bytes of weight data by the specified amount. Configure Settings For High Capacity Mode changes these values from 1 to 0.1 so that large-capacity scales report weights more accurately. |