The quickest way to understand how electronic balances work is to first understand how they are constructed. There are two basic types of electronic balance designs: 1. Electromagnetic balance; 2. Resistive line type (load cell type).

These principles are based on completely different principles, but what they have in common is that they cannot measure mass directly, they measure the force acting down on the pan. This force is converted to an electrical signal and displayed on a digital display.

As a means of measuring force, the electromagnetic balancing method utilizes the electromagnetic force generated from the magnet and the coil, and the resistance wire method utilizes a change in the resistance value of the strain gauge connected to the metal piece, the metal piece being responsive to the force.

So why do electronic balances show quality values when they are not measuring them? This is because the reference standard for quality is weight, which is placed on a pan to inform the electronic balance that the given force is equal to a given number of grams, which is used for conversion. Therefore, an electronic balance that does not accurately perform this conversion cannot display an accurate quality value.