# Grizzly $25 DRO Query



## Troutsqueezer

Hey Guys, 

I ordered a couple of Grizzly's cheap DRO's and should receive them this week. http://www.grizzly.com/products/0-6-Digital-Fractional-Horizontal-Vertical-Remote-Scale/T21577

There were a few posts a while back with some reference to these but unless I missed it, I don't believe there was much posting about how the installs went. I know at least a few folks have played around with them and was wondering if you had any advice or pictures as to how it went for you. These will be installed on my X2 mill, X-Y.

Thanks. 

-Trout


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## websterz

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> Hey Guys,
> 
> I ordered a couple of Grizzly's cheap DRO's and should receive them this week. http://www.grizzly.com/products/0-6-Digital-Fractional-Horizontal-Vertical-Remote-Scale/T21577
> 
> There were a few posts a while back with some reference to these but unless I missed it, I don't believe there was much posting about how the installs went. I know at least a few folks have played around with them and was wondering if you had any advice or pictures as to how it went for you. These will be installed on my X2 mill, X-Y.
> 
> Thanks.
> 
> -Trout



I am waiting for the longer scales to become available before I mount mine on my x2. 6" just isn't enough X travel for me.


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## Troutsqueezer

It's not much travel, I agree. Looks like it will handle 90% of the stuff I am milling, however. When the longer scales come out I thought I'd transfer the X direction DRO over to the mini lathe. Meantime, I could see if they do the trick. I'll keep this thread updated as I go along.


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## cfellows

I ordered a couple of these as well, probably 4 or more months ago. I haven't installed them yet since I have too many other irons int he fire at the moment. As you say, 6" is probably more than enough travel for most of my needs. I just need to figure out a floating mount system so I can move the x-scale from one end to the other if I need to.

Chuck.


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## SAM in LA

I attached magnets to each end and to the linear transmitter. That way I can move it around when needed.

Linear transmitter th_wtf1

I can't think of anything else to call it.

SAM


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## bearcar1

Uh, a linear scale perhaps ??? :big:

BC1
Jim


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## black85vette

Installed 2 of them on my X2 and really like them.  Just have them on the X and Y axis. I will change them out for longer ones when they become available. At that time I may put one on the Y as well.  Love the way they work. They are well worth the price in my opinion.  I did make some swarf shields to keep the metal bits out of them.

I also put a third one on my lathe carriage with a magnetic mount. Since I have a 48" bed I didn't think a permanent mount was a good idea for a 6" scale.  It does work well when I need it. Don't keep it mounted all the time.


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## SAM in LA

bearcar1  said:
			
		

> Uh, a linear scale perhaps ??? :big:
> 
> BC1
> Jim



That works too.

My brain got stuck.


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## shred

I have one on the tailstock of my 12x36 lathe. It works well there, though the mount is currently bodged up from the old caliper-DRO mount I had there previously. I've been meaning to fix it up a little with a proper ball joint and post some info.


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## black85vette

Here are two shots of mine. I take no credit for the idea for the mounting. Found it on line elsewhere and just made the brackets to do the mounting.


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## Troutsqueezer

Thanks B85V, I just came in from the work shed where I spent a hour or so figuring out the best way to mount these. The idea of laying the X axis DRO flat like you did, occurred to me. Good to see that it can be done. I started on an idea I had about mounting it on the back side of the table, using the two screws that hold the rubber accordion to hold a bracket too. That attaches to the sensor. I started making an aluminum bracket that should fit the bill. I will also have a way to mount a long piece of plexi glass to shield the assembly. I'll post some pics later if it works. 

Your Y axis pic looks like the one on the side of the box the DRO came in. I tried to think how that particular bracket could be used to hold the sensor and the technique didn't jump right out at me and then I got sidetracked with the X axis install.


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## black85vette

Rather than something thick or stiff I made my swarf shield out of Xray film material.  About 7 thou thick and really tough. Just laid a rule on it and scribed it to make the folds.  Easy to work with and really cheap (free). I have some other pics of the mounting if you want to see them.

BTW; caught your comment about the Rat Fink and posted a picture over on that topic. You will need to go see it!


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## Troutsqueezer

Seems like everything takes me longer than I anticipate and installing the X axis DRO was no exception. I decided to mount it on the backside, out of the way of the gib screws and locking lever. It took a few passes and test fits but I finally got the shape of the bracket to a workable state. The bracket will mount using the screws that hold the rubber guard and with that in mind I milled out a strip in the aluminum to ensure the screw would still engage the threads in the table. The two small holes is where the DRO sensor mounts to. 






A test fit revealed I needed to cut out some more of the bracket so as not to impede the travel of the sensor unit. 






The final fit. 






Installing the assembly onto the mill, I noticed the plug for the wire was loose where it goes into the DRO. I jiggled it slightly and what do you know, it came completely off and fell inside the plastic case with the wire still attached. th_wtf1 Well, I knew this was cheap and came from China so I can't say I was shocked. 

I carefully took the unit apart and saw some pretty shoddy manufacturing. The socket (looks like a USB type) was cold soldered. Whats more, you can see in the pic they didn't bother to clean the board of solder flux. Over time this will contaminate the solder joints. 






I cleaned out some of the flux residue from around the surface mount components. Not having a solder tip small enough for the teeny tiny PCB pads I took a PTA7 tip I had and put it to the grinder to get a fine tip. Then I re-tinned all the PCB pads for the socket, legs and pins, just by touching the iron to them briefly.The metal socket case has a coating that inhibits the wetting action of the solder flux so I took a very small file and filed the legs a little to reveal the metal underneath the coating then soldered the socket securely.







Next I briefly touched the iron to the signal pins just long enough to get the solder to join. Since both the pin and pad were tinned it was just a matter of heating the solder as opposed to heating the pin and pad. 

Now it works. I'm still thinking about notifying Grizzly to see if they will send me a new one for backup.






The installed DRO. This week I plan to install a strip of plexi glass over the top of the assembly. A couple dabs of silicon glue should do it. 






The Y axis readout should fit nicely right above this one. Dang it! I hate it when I come in the house from the workshop, download the latest pics to the compooter only to see some are out of focus!







This week I'll install the Y axis DRO. That one should be a lot easier and I anticipate it should go fast. :big:

-Trout


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## black85vette

I really like the looks of the mount on the back of the table. Does it restrict the Y axis movement to the rear?


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## Troutsqueezer

black85vette  said:
			
		

> I really like the looks of the mount on the back of the table. Does it restrict the Y axis movement to the rear?



Little to none. I didn't move the table to the max rear position after the final install but earlier I did move it back as I was holding the assembly by hand and it looked like it was either going to go back all the way or darn close to it. 
-T

Update: I emailed Grizzly with the above pic of the PCB and I just received an email from them informing me they are sending a replacement unit right away. Can't argue with that! Now I'll have one to put on my lathe.


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## websterz

Hey guys...looks like the longer scales are being made available!

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/v424-0160/shop_by_brand_-_igaging

I e-mailed them about pricing on the scales alone, without the head or readout. I will post their reply when I get it.


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## black85vette

websterz  said:
			
		

> Hey guys...looks like the longer scales are being made available!



Cool. Thanks for the heads up.  I am going to email Grizzly and see if they are going to carry them.


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## websterz

> Dear Todd,
> 
> I checked with our purchasing agent and you can not buy the scales separately at this time to upgrade your unit. I dont know if they will offer them in the future or not.
> 
> 
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> 
> 
> Betty
> 
> Customer Service Representative
> 
> Eagle America Corp
> 
> 1-800-872-2511
> 
> www.eagleamerica.com
> 
> www.facebook.com/EagleAmerica.com
> 
> www.twitter.com/eagleamerica



Well...that sux.


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## Troutsqueezer

Looks like the price at Eagle is twice the price of Grizzly for the 6". If Grizzly carries the longer one at half the price, it won't be too bad (relatively speaking), maybe around $30? Hard to buy a bag of groceries for that much.

-T


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## black85vette

Double sux;

Email from Grizzly says they are not planning on selling the longer versions.  Looks like Eagle America is the only option.


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## websterz

I wonder if a person could buy one or more uncut lengths of scale material directly from the factory. I bet we could get a group buy together and purchase a few full sticks then cut them to our own specs. I know a few machinists who could do the cutting... :big:


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## black85vette

Manufacturing is most likely in China. I had asked the distributor about this and he had to ask the factory. They were not interested in sending the parts separately.  

Looks like one way to do it is to buy the 32" scale with a display unit from Eagle America and cut it down to use with one from a 6" purchased at Grizzly. So two 16" would be $25 + $70 = $95. Then / 2 = $47.50 each. The 32" is only $20 more than the 6".  Not much point in ordering anything shorter.

Still cheaper than any other solution. I foresee an order for a 32" in my future.


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## websterz

black85vette  said:
			
		

> Manufacturing is most likely in China. I had asked the distributor about this and he had to ask the factory. They were not interested in sending the parts separately.
> 
> Looks like one way to do it is to buy the 32" scale with a display unit from Eagle America and cut it down to use with one from a 6" purchased at Grizzly. So two 16" would be $25 + $70 = $95. Then / 2 = $47.50 each. The 32" is only $20 more than the 6". Not much point in ordering anything shorter.
> 
> Still cheaper than any other solution. I foresee an order for a 32" in my future.



Well, that WOULD provide a third display and read head for use on the Z axis. In for a penny in for a pound I guess. Looks like I will have to order a 32" as well.


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## websterz

Hey blackvette...did igaging ask you about using your pictures for their advertising and product documentations? Looky here:

http://eacmedia.net/manuals/IGAGING/424-0160.pdf


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## black85vette

websterz  said:
			
		

> Hey blackvette...did igaging ask you about using your pictures for their advertising and product documentations? Looky here:



Nope, they did not ask!  It absolutely is mine. My column mods are pretty unique. Hmmmmm, now I am thinking a FREE 32" unit.  :big:


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## Artie

Damn... Grizzly wants a minimum order of $200, plus a $10 handling charge plus a packing fee and postal charges to get it to to Aus...... I think I might sulk a little.....


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## black85vette

Artie;

Try Eagle America.  They have the longer sizes and might be willing to work with you. Also do a search and see if Igaging, the company producing the product has distributors down there.

http://www.eagleamerica.com/product/v424-0160/shop_by_brand_-_igaging


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## Troutsqueezer

black85vette  said:
			
		

> I really like the looks of the mount on the back of the table. Does it restrict the Y axis movement to the rear?



I installed the Y axis DRO tonight, didn't take much effort. It looks just like yours B85v so I didn't bother to take a pic.

 I did check the Y travel to see exactly how much the rear-mounted sensor limited it and it is around .75" less now. More than I first thought but hey, for 25 bucks I'm not complaining. If I need the extra travel some day I'll remove the DRO temporarily. 



			
				black85vette  said:
			
		

> Nope, they did not ask!  It absolutely is mine. My column mods are pretty unique. Hmmmmm, now I am thinking a FREE 32" unit.  :big:



I'm thinking maybe you can get free 32" for all of us!

-Trout


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## Artie

Thanks B85V they certainly are much more user friendly. Placing an order as soon as I get home to measure which unit fits best. Top job! :bow:

Chers


Rob T


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## Troutsqueezer

Thought I would throw in a shot of the readouts. They come with magnets on the back and fit onto the mill head pretty nicely. 

Now it's back to some engine stuff for awhile...maybe a little easier this time around. 

-Trout


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## zeeprogrammer

Okay okay! I'm convinced!

I shall let my thread on building my own DRO quietly die and investigate these systems.

Besides, I can't bring myself to work on programming and electronics at home.
I'm doing enough of that at work and it's the last thing I want to do at home.

I'm surprised I can even stand the keyboard! I'm at it all day long. :big:

Ah but Phillips...you never seem to let go...

Let it goooooo........
Let it goooooo........


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## Artie

theres an echo in there Zee... thats disturbing... no voices? (yet)...... ;D :big: ;D


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## black85vette

I exchanged a couple of emails with Grizzly and it does not appear that they are interested in selling longer scales at this time.  Seems odd to me.  It would make sense to sell the 12" which would fit a lot more machines and could be cut down to any size you want. Oh well. Got one of the 32" on order from their competition.

see update


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## Diy89

So i have to ask....whats in the little black box that slides on the scales? Must be some type of encoder, so i ask whats the feasiblility of fabricating a smaller box for the scale and remoting the rest? That way, a smaller scale would have more travel, i think...


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## black85vette

UPDATE:
Just got an email from iGaging the distributor of the scales and they say Grizzly WILL be carrying the longer versions in 2-3 weeks. For those of you who want to wait, you might get a much better price from Grizzly.

Diy89 don't think there is much chance of modifying the unit. I have been inside it several times. Here is what the encoder looks like;

For you Aussies: My contact at iGaging says he will sell direct to you because he has no retailers down there. He CANNOT sell direct in the US because he cannot compete with his retailers already selling the product. I don't want to put his contact information out publicly.  If you want his email just send me a PM and I will send it to you.


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## Diy89

Hmm....bummer....
Thanks for the picture, nice to see the guts of it.


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## winklmj

Amazon has the longer scales. 12" is ~$35 US.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003JUII2A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20


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## black85vette

winklmj;  thanks for the heads up. I followed the link to other items for sale by the same seller and they have ALL of the sizes at really good prices. woohoo1


Check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1272996199/ref=sr_pg_2?ie=UTF8&bbn=228013&rh=n:228013,n:!468240,p_4:QUINT%20GRAPHICS&page=2


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## HYTECH

I wonder if this display can be wired into the cheap chinese scales I already have? From the looks of it there is power, ground, data, and clock signal(ssy). I Emailed Igageing and they can send me the display only for $17.50 shipped. I think I will order one and See if I can get it to work. 


If anyone is interested in the part# here it is They take paypal only and you can only order parts direct from Igaging.com
Item # 0008
35-706/12/24/32 digital display unit


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## black85vette

HYTECH  said:
			
		

> I wonder if this display can be wired into the cheap chinese scales I already have? From the looks of it there is power, ground, data, and clock signal(ssy).



There was another thread about these scales some time back and the same question came up. So I opened up both types of scales and had a look at the signals on my O-scope and found that they are not the same format at all.


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## HYTECH

Well that sucks.


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## websterz

black85vette  said:
			
		

> winklmj; thanks for the heads up. I followed the link to other items for sale by the same seller and they have ALL of the sizes at really good prices. woohoo1
> 
> 
> Check it out:
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/s/qid=1272996199/ref=sr_pg_2?ie=UTF8&bbn=228013&rh=n:228013,n:!468240,p_4:QUINT%20GRAPHICS&page=2



I ordered the 35" version last night...can't wait for it to get here!!!


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## black85vette

websterz  said:
			
		

> I ordered the 35" version last night...can't wait for it to get here!!!



Got my 35" yesterday. Plus my air spring conversion arrived today.  Hmmmmm.  I see some work on the mill coming up.


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## black85vette

Got my DROs extended.  Put the air spring on the mill and then cut the DRO to fit. Now have about 10" of Z axis travel and a DRO to match it.

Took a length of the remaining material and cut a section to fit the X axis.  So I now have DRO for the full travel of the X axis.

Y axis was already good as the 6" original DRO was longer than necessary.

With the spring and arm assembly removed to do the air spring install there was plenty of room for the DRO.

Here is a pic


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## Troutsqueezer

That looks like a nice fit B85V! I guess I need to look into the air spring thingie to make room on mine.

A couple of questions for you:

Was the air spring an LMS upgrade part?

Have you extended your Z axis? 

On the bar, is there a cell that denotes absolute zero? If so, did you lose that tracking ability with the cutoff piece? Not that it matters I guess. 

-Trout


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## black85vette

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> A couple of questions for you:
> 
> Was the air spring an LMS upgrade part?
> 
> Have you extended your Z axis?
> 
> On the bar, is there a cell that denotes absolute zero? If so, did you lose that tracking ability with the cutoff piece? Not that it matters I guess.



Trout; Yes the air spring was from LMS. Very reasonable price. Has all the hardware AND it has the longer gear rack to extend the Z axis included. Easy to install with just 3 holes to tap. Highly recommend this one.

I am not sure this type of DRO has an absolute zero as part of the bar. These are different than the digital calipers. The calipers send out two bits of information (as I understand it) a reference to absolute zero and a distance relative to the last time the "zero" button was hit. The scale with the remote readout sends no position information at all. Rather the sensor on the bar sends "movement" information telling the remote display how much it moved and in which direction. The display then tracks the distance.

I have been very happy with my scales, even limited to 6" of travel they were very useful.  I have placed swarf shields over them because after seeing the inside I think that bits of metal will do damage over time.


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## winklmj

black85vette  said:
			
		

> UPDATE:
> Just got an email from iGaging the distributor of the scales and they say Grizzly WILL be carrying the longer versions in 2-3 weeks. For those of you who want to wait, you might get a much better price from Grizzly.



Just for grins and to put another bug in their ear--I emailed Grizzly about when they might offer the longer versions (since they were now available "elsewhere").

Got a response that they don't have any info on when/if they might get them and that they usually only intro new products at the beginning of the year. Hmmmm, I'd rather buy 'em from Grizzly but don't know if I want to wait another 6-7 months. Hopefully the iGaging guy is more up to speed than the Grizzly reps.


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## cfellows

black85vette  said:
			
		

> Got my DROs extended.  Put the air spring on the mill and then cut the DRO to fit. Now have about 10" of Z axis travel and a DRO to match it.
> 
> Took a length of the remaining material and cut a section to fit the X axis.  So I now have DRO for the full travel of the X axis.
> 
> Y axis was already good as the 6" original DRO was longer than necessary.
> 
> With the spring and arm assembly removed to do the air spring install there was plenty of room for the DRO.
> 
> Here is a pic



So if I understand, you can cut the bar down and it will still work? I'm thinking of buying the 24" but it would be a tad too long for my mill drill. Would pobably have to cut down to 22" length.

Chuck


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## black85vette

cfellows  said:
			
		

> So if I understand, you can cut the bar down and it will still work? I'm thinking of buying the 24" but it would be a tad too long for my mill drill. Would pobably have to cut down to 22" length.
> 
> Chuck



Yep. Found no problem with cutting the bar. It appears to be a continuous strip of material.  I cut it on the band saw with a fine tooth and then touched it up with a disc sander.  If it is too long you can always leave the end hanging out past the mount, if you have room.

Considering the price of the longer one, you might do like I did and buy a 35".

Best price I have found so far is the guy selling through Amazon.


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## cfellows

Thx, I ended up buying the 12" model. Even though my milling table is 23" long, I only have 14" of travel so I figured the 12" travel DRO is more than adequate.

Chuck


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## websterz

After waiting nearly 2 weeks for my 35" DRO I e-mailed the company and told them what I thought of their shipping department. As it turns out (or so they claim) some nimrod put my fully packaged and ready to ship order INSIDE another order and sent it out. My new DRO has supposedly been jetsetting around the planet and is now en-route to me at long last, with a free gift for my troubles. Keep the damn $5 Chinese digital caliper or whatever cheap piece of crap they feel is just compensation for my wait and get me my damn DRO already! I am not a happy camper.


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## winklmj

Grizzly now has the longer scales online. Sweeeet. 


http://www.grizzly.com/products/0-6-Digital-Fractional-Horizontal-Vertical-Remote-Scale/T21577

http://www.grizzly.com/products/12-Remote-Digital-Readout-Inch-Metric-Fraction/T23012


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## black85vette

Interesting that they kept denying that they were going to add these products any time soon. Still, happy to have them at good prices. However I already bought mine from elsewhere since I didn't know how long (if ever) it was going to be.

BTW the 6" is on sale for $22.95!! Hard to beat that. Thm:


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## Troutsqueezer

Now that I've had mine installed for a few weeks I'm like a spoiled little puppy dog... :big:


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## websterz

websterz  said:
			
		

> After waiting nearly 2 weeks for my 35" DRO I e-mailed the company and told them what I thought of their shipping department. As it turns out (or so they claim) some nimrod put my fully packaged and ready to ship order INSIDE another order and sent it out. My new DRO has supposedly been jetsetting around the planet and is now en-route to me at long last, with a free gift for my troubles. Keep the damn $5 Chinese digital caliper or whatever cheap piece of crap they feel is just compensation for my wait and get me my damn DRO already! I am not a happy camper.



Want to have a good chuckle? The company I bought mine from, that sent it to the wrong address, had the guy take it to the UPS store and mail it to me. Asking a customer to cover their butts and do their shipping for them. Ain't that a hoot??!!! Any reputable place would have fired me out a replacement next day air and not kept me waiting for 3 damn weeks. I am fit to be tied.


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## Blogwitch

I am going to get trash cans thrown at me from all directions now.

We were doing all you are doing here about four or five years ago, and finally came to the conclusion it really wasn't worth the bother.

Ok, you can most probably get a DRO 'setup' for just over a hundred bucks, but for how long.

We found that about 6 months was a good length of time before they started to go wrong and you were chasing your tail trying to repair them or get replacements. Normally, it was a lot sooner than that. 

Of course, if you only use you mill only very occasionally, and you clean up every microscopic bit of swarf and dust from them and use no lubricants at all, them maybe you will have a system that will last for a fair while, but otherwise, expect all sorts of problems, especially when the damned things fail half way thru a critical machining operation, DAMHIK, but it happened many times.

When I set my 'cheapo' system up, I extolled it, just like yourselves. But time and experience soon showed me I had made a mistake, and after spending more than a top quality system to keep it going, I gave up and dug deep, changing over to that 'professional' system has really taught me, when it comes to cheap DRO's, unless you can keep them in a totally clean area (I use one on my quill) they are just not worth bothering with. 

Save you pennies a little longer, and invest in the good stuff. Even a cheapo glass scale one will knock spots off what you are trying to do with these.


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## fcheslop

Sorry guys, I agree with Mr Bogs Went down this route 2 years ago and although every thing initially worked fine it was a very short honey moon and ended up chasing my own tail spending far to much money repairing the system and have ended up scrapping it .Currently back to the fag paper until I buy a new mill . The problems my system suffered from was keeping fine particles and cutting fluid out of the scales the z axis was never any problem.Sorry
regards Frazer


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## black85vette

I am willing to be wrong here (and have been before). But also willing to take a chance at this low price. First of all these scales are NOT the same ones that were available several years ago. The electronics are remotely located and not subject to particles and fluid. Second; I have put swarf shields on all of mine and keep them very clean.  At under $25 a set I can afford to keep a spare, replace them when necessary and still be well ahead of the game.

I just can't get my head around spending twice as much for scales as I did for my mill. ??? ???

Also willing to be the crash test dummy (guess that term is appropriate) on this. If my scales go south quickly I will warn everyone else about it and give permission to all to say "I told you so". I will then eat my humble pie and claim it tasted good.

There will be no trash cans thrown at you Bogs. (maybe a nerf ball or two)  ;D


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## Blogwitch

Vette,

I was in no way saying your decision is wrong to go with them, but I had to warn people what they MIGHT come across in the future.

I hope I get to eat my words and things do work out for you, because at one time, I was in the same situation as a lot of members on here, who can't afford to spend lots of readies on their hobby. That is the reason I tried them out in the first place.

Just maybe a reminder to get them to last longer, get the read heads and scales protected as much as you can, as without that protection, you don't stand a chance, as even my expensive jobbies would soon start to fail if I took their protective covers off.


Bogs


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## Troutsqueezer

It's certainly worth noting Bogs and your wisdom is not lost on us. 

At this price ($22 for 6", $35 for 12"), it's worth testing that word "might" because if they do hold up, the gain is huge. As evidenced by some of my earlier posts in this thread, the word quality doesn't belong in the same sentence as iGage. It is always in the back of my mind that the risk for something to go wrong is high. I'd replace them once a year at that price if need be, or more. 

Like most of us here, my eyesight is not what it used to be and I sure like looking at those readouts as opposed to scratch lines. Of course it's even easier to see those brightly lit LED's like you've got there and I would say the extent that you are involved in this hobby justifies the expense. In your position I would do the same. But for an X2 mill, eh....

-Trout


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## Blogwitch

Trout,

Just to remind you, my shop was set up to do production work, and I had outside help to do just that, hence I could afford to splash out a little (even a lot in some cases).
Because I was in a position where I could pay cash for everything, I was getting a discount of around 20% on almost everything, on other things, a darned sight more. When you have around 15K bucks at your instant disposal, salesmen will do anything to get that cash off you. You just wouldn't believe what I got my fully power fed with DRO's mill for. 

Now it isn't for production because of my own health limitations, but I have been fortunately left with a shop to almost die for.

I am just upgrading a few of my old basic bits to bring them up to the spec of the rest of the shop, and maybe someone else will benefit when I get rid of the old replaced stuff. Without that initial help, I would be in the same position as a lot of the lads on here, trying to get real value for money, for which I don't blame them one bit. 

The light shone on me at the right time, I am one of the lucky ones. I just wish it would shine on everyone on here, then we would all be equal, and I wouldn't have to keep apologising for what I've got...........


Bogs


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## Foozer

Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> and I wouldn't have to keep apologising for what I've got...........
> 
> Bogs



No need for apologies. If you didn't have the tools you would be unable to share with the rest of us the pro's and con's.

Sure, I like others do the feet kicking in the dirt hollering HEY!! and wet the towel wiping the drool from my chin, but also realize that the tools do not do the job in and of them self. Its the person behind the tool, that in the end determines the quality of the work.

DRO's  ya look like a nice addition, and in theory should improve the end product. But for me, no mater how much I spend on em, they themselves will not make me a better metal turner. So I would go with ones of this thread type to see if I can master their use. if so, then an upgrade would be in order.

That Solid Gold hammer pounds nails, The old rusty cast iron one does it better.

Robert


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## atwatterkent

I finished installation of a 6" Grizzly unit on the spindle if my Bridgeport this evening and although I don't know how long it will last I'm happy with it's functionality so far. If it lasts a couple of years I'll happily replace it with another. Repeatability is within .001 so far. For the price it has my recommendation. Next, I'm going to put a cut down 24" unit on the Knee.


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## shred

FWIW, the one I installed as a tailstock DRO on my lathe has just decided it doesn't want to respond to the buttons anymore. Hopefully it's just batteries-- it takes two CR 2032's.


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## black85vette

shred  said:
			
		

> FWIW, the one I installed as a tailstock DRO on my lathe has just decided it doesn't want to respond to the buttons anymore. Hopefully it's just batteries-- it takes two CR 2032's.



One of the first ones I got had some issues powering up right out of the box. I found if I pinched the case together it worked. In taking it apart I found that the electronics were in two parts and just used pressure to make the connection. I put some tape behind the circuit board to create some more pressure and it is still working fine.  Hope yours is just batteries.


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## websterz

Well, it took 3 weeks but my 35" DRO finally arrived today. Now I just have to find the time to get it cut down to size and installed.


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## winklmj

Got one of the 12" units mounted on the Z-axis. Just drilled/tapped two holes in the column for the scale and used the leftover bolt from the torsion-arm to mount the reader to the head. Comparing it alongside an import 2" DI, it seems to be off about .001 every 1/2". It's still way more accurate than the dial on the mill's fine-feed (which is pretty much useless). Need to figure a way to mount the readout somewhere out of the way of everything yet still be visible...


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## Troutsqueezer

Greetings Guys,

I supposed I've reached the endpoint of modifications to my X2. So from here on, I'll concentrate mostly on engine building. 

The final mod was installing the 24" iGage DRO yesterday. I cut it down to fit the Z axis. I installed the LMS air spring mod and then installed the DRO. Everything went very smoothly. It works beautifully and well worth the moola. 

Couldn't help but notice the top of the air spring was a great place for a ......welding magnet..... which hangs on to the tools I need when I'm changing chucks and end mill holders. Finally they found a home out of my way and it's high enough to where it won't attract ferrous swarf nor will it magnetize the rest of the mill. 







I put a plastic bag over the DRO's. I noticed the magnets on the backs of the units attracted swarf even to the face of the readouts around the push buttons and that can't be good. 






-Trout


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## websterz

Nicely done! I have not gotten my 35" model cut down and installed yet. I have been too busy crappie fishing.


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## black85vette

websterz  said:
			
		

> I have not gotten my 35" model cut down and installed yet.



Well that's pretty crappy! (or is it crappie?)  ;D


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## websterz

black85vette  said:
			
		

> Well that's pretty crappy! (or is it crappie?) ;D



It's TASTY. :big:


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## TroyO

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> Greetings Guys,
> 
> I supposed I've reached the endpoint of modifications to my X2.



Wait.... you mean there's an end? ??? ??? The concept never even occurred to me..... ;-P


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## Speedy

wow these seem like perfect fits for sherline and taig.
anyone done that yet? pictures. wonder if the sizes are right.


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## Troutsqueezer

TroyO  said:
			
		

> Wait.... you mean there's an end? ??? ??? The concept never even occurred to me..... ;-P



Unless you can think of something worthwhile I've missed....don't want to go cnc, powered x movement might be one thing to consider. Maybe this winter. But I really should focus for awhile on the "end", as in "means to an end".


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## platypus20

I just installed one on my Jet JVM 836 mill, so far so good


Jack


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## Troutsqueezer

I've had them on all three axis for some time now and all of them are still working flawlessly. Man, they sure come in handy. 

-Trout


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## Artie

Well.. revising an older thread... mainly cause this thread started me on my current journey.... do I need DRO's? No way... Im far too careful with my measuring etc etc etc....

Well I now have DRO's on all three axis of my mill... HOW THE HELL DID I SURVIVE WITHOUT THEM????

Firstly I would like to start off by thanking Black85vete (Rick) for his direct email and kind links... as a result I have concluded 2 things... 

Firstly being an electronic bogan (redneck et al) I did NOT want a 3 axis unitised DRO. If one part failed then all would be junk....

Individual units of some quality could be had for less than half the price of a unitised DRO..

I used a Meister quill unit and so far its worked brilliantly... it also was very cheap...time will tell. BUT, if it fails, Ive lost $60 Aus.. no bank breaker....











Hafco is a reasonably well known brand and I concluded (erroniously??) that their products should conform to a quality level of some kind.... again, time will tell, but at $80 per unit... the bank will survive.... $220 for the entire 3 axis...











The downside is that the readouts are nowhere near as large or as bright as the 2 and 3 axis units I have seen. But then, they are only 1/3rd the price, are they good enough? No idea...time will tell, and so will I when I find out.....


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## Artie

BTW, have I mentioned just how much I love my mill? No?... a bit..... 8) (illicite love..aaaahhhhh)......


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## Troutsqueezer

You'll never look back, Artie. It's a game changer. 

Mine continue to work flawlessly. Looks like the Hafco is the same unit as the Igaging model that Grizzly sells over here.


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## websterz

I just finished (after several months of them collecting dust) installing the iGaging DRO's on all 3 axes on my x2 mini mill. Z and Y work great, X...not so much. It is in full speed runaway mode apparently. It behaves as if the table is in constant motion. I switched out to one of the other displays and it still does it. Apparently it is an issue in the X axis encoder itself. Has anyone else experienced this?


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## Captain Jerry

I had a similar problem but maybe not as severe as yours. Mine was intermittent. Sometime it would run wild and sometimes would just add .200 at will. I fiddled with it for a while with no real success and then it just settled down and now behaves very well. I'm not sure what the problem was or what finally fixed it. I had originally rigged an sheet aluminum swarf shield and then changed to one made of acetate film. I'm not sure that the original shield was the cause but could have been.

Jerry


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## Troutsqueezer

As mentioned earlier in this thread, when I first received my DRO's one of them had a loose connector where the cable plugs in, so I took it apart to fix it. The reason the connector was loose was because of cold solder joints. The solder did not wick up onto the connector pins nor the housing. This is caused by a lack of wetting action where oxides on the metal surfaces of the components to be soldered are eliminated by the solder flux so the solder can form a molecular bond with the metal. Solder only flows where the metal has been wetted. I had to hand file the housing surface somewhat to get the solder to take, but I digress. 

While nosing around the PCB I noticed they did not send the PCB through a cleaning cycle to get rid of the dross (flux residue). Over time, this dross can contaminate the solder joint and cause it to fail. That is one reason why the better manufacturers run their assembled PCB's through a washing cycle after they go through the wave solder machine. But I'm still digressing. :big:

I also found a few spots where the solder did not wick up onto some of the components as it should have. The solder, when heated thoroughly, should flow up onto the legs of the components and make a volcano-shaped fillet as it does so. If it looks like a blob instead of a volcano shape, it has been cold soldered (the wetting action did not take place) and will prematurely fail. I went around the entire PCB and touched each solder pad with a fairly thin soldering iron tip (PTA7, 700 degree). 

You can do the same with most any electronic soldering iron (not the gun type). I don't know if that is the cause of your malfunction but it is certainly worth the effort to rule out that being the cause of this or future intermittent behavior. 

-Trout


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## Goldigger

Here's a few shots of how i mounted DRO's to my X and Y..never did Z but I'm considering it now.
The DRO's do make life a lot easier..


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## Troutsqueezer

Nice work, Goldigger.

Do you plan on installing a shield over the DRO to keep the swarf off or is that not a problem on this model?

Can you still read it when the blue vise is overhead? 

-T


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## Goldigger

Thanks..
I never use that blue vice any more, that vice is really inaccurate so i use a 3 inch precision tool makers vice now.

I dont find the swarf on the dro's causes any problems, theres a little rubber brush on the ends of the read out that does a good job at keeping the swarf out.
I keep a brush handy and just brush swarf off the scales from time to time.

You can just see the rubber brush/flap in this pic. Here's a link to the pic so you can see it bigger
http://www.zen74279.zen.co.uk/DRO/IMAG0012.jpg





I got my scales from here http://www.machine-dro.co.uk/index.php?target=categories&category_id=16
Cheapest i could find in the uk.


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## mzetati

Goldigger  said:
			
		

> I dont find the swarf on the dro's causes any problems, theres a little rubber brush on the ends of the read out that does a good job at keeping the swarf out.
> I keep a brush handy and just brush swarf off the scales from time to time.



They do, and much more does the lubricant/coolant used for cutting.




			
				Goldigger  said:
			
		

> ..never did Z but I'm considering it now.




Here's how it all began with mine, using some digital calipers:





































Marcello


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## mzetati

websterz  said:
			
		

> I just finished (after several months of them collecting dust) installing the iGaging DRO's on all 3 axes on my x2 mini mill. Z and Y work great, X...not so much. It is in full speed runaway mode apparently. It behaves as if the table is in constant motion. I switched out to one of the other displays and it still does it. Apparently it is an issue in the X axis encoder itself. Has anyone else experienced this?



Had a serious jitter problem, with the scale display occasionally 'travelling' fast towards the out-of-range limit, caused by flex induced into the scale due to rigid mounting (see X axis pictures in my previous post).
Solved it by conecting the scales to the brackets through some feeler gages.

Marcello


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## bentprop

I have a problem with my readout in that it seems to jump up 5mm at a time.I'm sure this is because I accidentally pushed the set or ABS button.
I want to reset the display to factory default,but there are no specific instructions how to do that.
I removed the batteries for a while,and even disconnected the display from the scale,but no joy.It seems to hold the setting in memory.
Any ideas,anyone?I've emailed iGaging,still waiting for a reply.


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