Abstract: There is disclosed a balance based on the principle of the electromagnetic compensation of force with a cylindrical permanent magnet system, with a magnet cover and with a coil for generating the counteracting force that an emitter and a receiver of the optical position sensor be housed inside the magnet cover. The slit diaphragm of the optical position sensor, which extends from below into the area between emitter and receiver, then forms a compact unit with a carrier, e.g., the end of a translation lever, and with a coil and mutual shifts at temperature changes and temperature gradients occur only to a minimal extent.