You can. I use a digital jewelry/gunpowder scale that I bought about 15 years ago for ~$50 . Similar models are cheaper today. I've changed batteries once in all those years, no issues there.
Two issues to be aware of:
1. Many scales are magnetically attractive. The magnets in a cartridge (especially the powerful magnets in LOMCs) will pull the cartridge toward the scale - skewing results and even risking cantilever damage.
2. Most scales are much thicker than an LP, which would put your tonearm at a more upward angle than when playing music. On most tonearms, an upward (or downward) angle will change the downforce on the stylus. Again, this would skew results.
Both of these issues can be addressed simply and at virtually no cost by using a weighing step... a doohickey that sits on the weighing platform of the scale, projects off the side, then drops down to a step that's at LP height. You put the stylus on the step, not on top of the scale.
You can DIY a weighing step from any rigid, hard, non-magnetic material. You could cut up several credit cards and glue the pieces together. That would make a workable step and save a fortune in future debts, lol!
***
With a little forethought, a weighing step can provide an additional benefit. Digital scales use a load cell to detect downward pressure. Load cells are most accurate in the middle of their range, less accurate near the extremes. The tiny pressures we're measuring with stylus downforce fall far below the midpoint of most load cells, near the low extreme where they're least accurate.
You can address this by making the mass of your weighing step equal to one half the capacity of the scale, minus 2gm or so. (Example: for a scale with 50gm capacity, make your step weigh 23gm.) Voila! Now you're weighing downforce at the load cell's midpoint, maximizing accuracy. Place the step on the scale, tare to zero and away you go.
***
Or you could do what Elizabeth says. I'm personally more comfortable with my digital scale than a cheap plastic balance, but whatever works for you. Just remember, a scale cannot tell you what the right VTF for any cartridge is. It can only put you in the ballpark. After that, you must fine tune by listening.
Two issues to be aware of:
1. Many scales are magnetically attractive. The magnets in a cartridge (especially the powerful magnets in LOMCs) will pull the cartridge toward the scale - skewing results and even risking cantilever damage.
2. Most scales are much thicker than an LP, which would put your tonearm at a more upward angle than when playing music. On most tonearms, an upward (or downward) angle will change the downforce on the stylus. Again, this would skew results.
Both of these issues can be addressed simply and at virtually no cost by using a weighing step... a doohickey that sits on the weighing platform of the scale, projects off the side, then drops down to a step that's at LP height. You put the stylus on the step, not on top of the scale.
You can DIY a weighing step from any rigid, hard, non-magnetic material. You could cut up several credit cards and glue the pieces together. That would make a workable step and save a fortune in future debts, lol!
***
With a little forethought, a weighing step can provide an additional benefit. Digital scales use a load cell to detect downward pressure. Load cells are most accurate in the middle of their range, less accurate near the extremes. The tiny pressures we're measuring with stylus downforce fall far below the midpoint of most load cells, near the low extreme where they're least accurate.
You can address this by making the mass of your weighing step equal to one half the capacity of the scale, minus 2gm or so. (Example: for a scale with 50gm capacity, make your step weigh 23gm.) Voila! Now you're weighing downforce at the load cell's midpoint, maximizing accuracy. Place the step on the scale, tare to zero and away you go.
***
Or you could do what Elizabeth says. I'm personally more comfortable with my digital scale than a cheap plastic balance, but whatever works for you. Just remember, a scale cannot tell you what the right VTF for any cartridge is. It can only put you in the ballpark. After that, you must fine tune by listening.