This list (within half a % of accuracy) actually took me about 200 hours to compile <_<;
I measured what frame each character would die at the bottom of the screen from, after being fast-falled from the respawn cloud. (I paused the game, then held down on the control stick, and when I unpaused, the first frame he is off the platform is the first frame that he fast falls off of it. I started this test from there). I even used Giant and Tiny Melee as comparisons sometimes (but not as often as normal mode, but I still used them sometimes as extra backup. Tiny Melee was used a lot). Example, if we compare character A to character B, and character A dies on frame 53, and character B dies on frame 75, then we REALLY know that it could have been anywhere between 52.0001 and 53.0000 and for character B it would be between 74.0001 and 75.0000. Then we divide 53 with 74, and 52 with 75, and get a range of which these 2 characters would be different from.
Do you understand why? Basically the idea is... let's say they move like 17 pixels per frame or something (just for the sake of arguing...) then we know that it only necessarily had to be within a range... What if on frame 52, you only needed 3 more pixels to move to die? That would be more like 52.2 rather than 52 or 53. So, we know that it's within that range. That's the basic idea.
Other notes: (keep in mind I did not use action replay for this, so it took countless painstaking hours to do this using strategies such as what I will name below)
-Fox's laser rapidness comes out every 10 frames apart (6 per second) except for the first one which comes out on frame 12. I used Falco's lasers sometimes too, but I don't remember his exact numbers off the top of my head. I believe his is frame 23 and then every 24 frames apart. I use Fox's more often than Falco's of course for frame testing purposes.
-Half the spot dodges take 22 frames (frame 23 you would shield) and if you hold down on the C stick (while also holding R obviously) then it comes out 1-frame-off from as fast as possible. In other words, it continuously goes like this: (starting from a shielding position...) 22 frames of spot dodging (frames 1 to 22)... frame 23 is shield... frames 24-45 is another spot dodge, then frame 46 is shield.... etc.
-for rolling the concept is the same pretty much.
-If you do not use the C stick, but instead use the control stick (you have a small buffering window.. idk exact number... but it's not very large) then you can do your spot dodges and rolls with perfect fluid speed without the 1 frame of shield in between them... however I usually don't do this because it's harder to get consistent tests with so I usually use the C stick.
-Every other frame the respawn cloud gives off the flashing light
... so you can kind of get the idea of how I did most of my frame tests now
it was a LOT of work
(and I recheck my work countless times, using different methods to make sure it's accurate).
it was really annoying since I had to make sure I paused at the same frame you died on, so you can imagine how many retests this took. I had to memorize the animations too (especially the Death Explosion).
For this specific test, it was difficult to use certain stages. For example I could make a few comparisons using the Mushroom Kingdom level and fast falling to get comparisons between a few characters (Jigglypuff is the easiest of course), but I have to kill all the blocks first, and then aim them between the platform and the bricks WHILE using one or two other controllers at the same time and making sure to pay attention to my test so I get accurate measurements and measurement ranges. I'd usually be holding at least 2 controllers at once but it's not rare that I'll use 3 at once. Tiny Melee was useful to get more tests and more stages compared from.
As far as your question about Weight goes, Weight determines a few things. Mostly, it determines how far characters get knocked horizontally. 2ndly, it determines hitstun often (of course, once characters become into the air-tumbling-animation their hitstun increases quite a bit). I am not sure exactly how it works for vertical KOs formula-wise, however, I will tell you there are 3 factors, and those are weight, falling speed (not fast falling speed), and falling speed acceleration (falling speed acceleration is by far the least important for measuring when characters get KOd though).
In Melee it seems that falling speed is the main factor for dying off the top of the screen, and then weight 2nd, and then falling speed acceleration as 3rd, in terms of importance.
In Brawl, I believe the order of importance would be weight, then falling speed, then falling speed acceleration (don't quote me on this but I think that's how it is for Brawl at least).
The easiest way to compare these differences is to take a character like Samus, and see how much easier she is to KO at the top of the screen in Melee, and how much harder it is to KO her at the top of the screen in Brawl, even tho she is similar in terms of weight and falling speed.
