You'll typically find two types of scales in bathrooms: mechanical scales and electronic scales. You can usually tell which one you have by looking at the readings? Does it have a dial with hands to indicate your weight as a number, or does it have a digital display?

     Bathroom electronic scales work completely differently and are generally considered more accurate and reliable than comparable mechanical scales. Of course, a really high-tolerance mechanical scale can be very accurate, while a low-quality digital scale can be as varied as a mechanical case. So how do digital scales work? They started with a small piece of electronics called a strain gauge. A strain gauge, a device that has been around since the late 1930s, is really nothing more than carefully arranged layers of metal foil. The meter is located on a so-called load cell, which also includes sensors and transducers.

    When you step on the scale, your weight is evenly distributed over the entire surface, and you push down on the strain gauge. This converts your weight into electrical signals. This signal is measured, and circuitry in the device converts this measurement into an accurate reading of the weight on the scale.

    This makes the scale more compact than mechanical scales, while still maintaining reliability. It's also the same system used in postage scales to reliably measure just ounces.

    Electronic scales are accurate and reliable, provided they are properly created and calibrated. Most electronic scales have a method in the instructions (probably as simple as stepping and stomping on) to "zero" the scale. Zeroing the scale tells the scale what level of signal or no signal should be considered "zero". After all, the face of a scale has its own weight that needs to be taken into account.

    Xiangshan Zhengtai Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. is a mechanical scale manufacturer from China. The company designs, processes and sells personal care scales, bathroom electronic scales, and other electronic scale products.