FE - thank you for the link - I'm going to try batteries to see if maybe my power source is defective and if it isn't I'm going to bite the bullet and get one of the USB scales.
On a side note, I bought three of these for $1.00 each a few years ago when Staples was having a clearance - they were on the $1.00 shelf and I grabbed all they had
SALTER BRECKNELL [PB500] Handheld Balance Scale - eBay (item 320076215343 end time Jan-15-09 09:34:14 PST)