Electronic stylus force gauge question


I recently bought my first electronic stylus force gauge. It's a generic type made in China, but looks and feels a surprisingly decent quality. It was purchased from Mehran at SoraSound for those who happen to have it.

I noticed that when I try to measure the VTF, the gauge begins to display a minus reading of -0.01-03 g as I'm lowering the tonearm to place the stylus on the black dot. It then displays a steady reading once the stylus is placed on the dot, which appears to be accurate by comparing with the Shure gauge I used in the past.

I make sure that the platter is secured so I'm not quite sure why the gauge displays the minus reading before the stylus lands in the measuring spot.

Has anyone else experienced this with their electronic gauge? I realize the minus value is arguably negligible, and the issue might be of no practical significance, but I'm trying to get my Delos to track as close to 1.75 as possible so I wonder whether I need to adjust for the minus value. I'm also curious why this is happening.

actusreus
Is there a way to reset the value to 0.00? There is on my Micro-Tech XMT-200 electronic gauge. I also just checked it and if it is not level, it sometimes shows a negative reading.
Why do you want to track your Delos as close to 1.75 as possible? Maybe it sounds better a bit heavier or lighter...that's why I think the Shure scale is totally fine. You get it close with that, and then experiment by listening. I don't really care what my cartridge tracks at.
I can't explain the reason for your problem, however I know and have experienced the same issue, as I'm sure countless others have here.
It seems like you're describing the guage marketed by many but manufactured by one, which I won't name.
My specimen would never 'settle' down. It would constantly fluctuate. It's a piece of trash.
Get a $80.00 Mapleshade, pretty damn accurate, uses AAA batteries, works great. Then, listen with your ears.
My guess is the strength of the cartridge magnet is somehow affecting the scale accuracy. It reads ZERO until you place the cartridge over the scale then as it lowers the values start to flucuate.

That's my best guess!
Peterayer,
The gauge is set to 0.00, but begins to show a negative reading as the tonearm is half-way down toward it, no matter how gently and carefully I lower it. At which point would you reset it? The platter is definitely level.

Stringreen,
The Delos is designed to perform best at 1.75 g. You can read about it on the Lyra site, but it essentially aligns the signal coils precisely parallel to the magnets during play. That's also what I've found. As far as the Shure, I have two of those and their readings were inconsistent so it was obvious that at least one of them was inaccurate. That was the reason I decided to get an electronic scale.

Slaw,
The gauge does not really fluctuate, and does settle down fine. It really appears to work well and provides consistent measurements. I don't think the negative reading is a defect; I think it's probably the result of the scale being very sensitive. It also looks well made.

I of course listen with my ears, but as I explained above, I should know what VTF I'm actually tracking at. I noticed that weather, prolonged non-use, and sometimes simply inexplicably, the setup gets re-adjusted. An accurate stylus gauge is just a basic necessity in our hobby.

Eddie,
The minus reading displays when the tonearm begins to move, not when the stylus is on the dot, or very close to it. So I think it's highly unlikely that it has anything to do with magnetization, but I suppose stranger things have happened...