# Super cheapskate X2 DRO



## dgjessing (Apr 5, 2011)

...using a 6" (x) and 4" (y) HF digital caliper. Started with the x axis this evening. The stainless part of the slider is nice and soft, easy to cut and drill: 







The scale part (on the other hand) is hard and so needs to be cut with an abrasive wheel rather than a saw: 






So far all I've got is a block to mate the slider to the table : 






I'll need to drill & tap a hole in the table to mount this. The other end will be clamped in an aluminum gizmo that will mount in the existing holes on the end of the table.


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## dgjessing (Apr 10, 2011)

The X axis is more or less done: 






The plastic shield is sort of a temporary thing until I think of a better way to do it - it is glued to the clamp on the right end, making it impossible to remove the clamp's screw... But it works pretty well at keeping chips off the scale. You flex it up to get your finger in there to push the buttons. 

Should have got an 8" instead of a 6" - I may do that and use this one for the Y axis instead. 

Not very pretty, but it does work, and only cost fifteen bucks ;D

The right end is attached to the existing hole (where the pointer was mounted) via a 1/2" x 5/8" x 1 1/4" aluminum block with clamp on top. The right end is mounted to a new threaded hole via the block above.


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## krv3000 (Apr 11, 2011)

thats good


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## bentprop (Apr 11, 2011)

I wouldn't call it cheapskate,more like inventive,and economical ;D
Well done,that man!


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## dgjessing (Apr 13, 2011)

The Y axis: 

The slider is held by a steel bracket which mounts behind the steel strip which holds the bellows (using only existing holes)






Kinda goofy, but is was just so easy to put a bracket for the scale on the bench rather than on the machine:


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## ahooper (Sep 26, 2011)

really nice mod!


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## picclock (Sep 26, 2011)

Very similar to mine, but I used a bracket off of the base of the machine to mount the read head. The plastic really needs to be a U shape to prevent ingress of swarf/lubricant. I've been doing some fine aluminium cutting and the particles get everywhere, even under the plastic. 

Other thing is sometimes the work will obscure the display(s) so a remote display is highly desirable if you can get one.






Best Regards

picclock


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## Blue_Rock (Sep 26, 2011)

I've ended up with this possibly over-engineered coolant-proof Y-axis el-cheapo DRO. I tried mounting the scales in a few different positions and also tried a some different ways of protecting the scales from coolant. Sooner or later, coolant got on the them and they would start doing some crazy self measurements. I dried them out and all was again good until coolant agin found its way on to them. My final setup seems to have the problem solved.


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## dgjessing (Dec 27, 2011)

Finally got around to the Z axis today, using a 12" caliper. Heated and bent the slider, drilled a mounting hole, and milled the resultant mounting lug square:






It's stainless, so I used a carbide end mill to both drill the hole and square it up. 

The slider mounts to the existing stud where the original pointer went, and I made aluminum things to hold the scale to the existing sheet metal scale rail:






The finished installation:






I expect it to be really handy! 

The other two have been pretty good so far - certainly better than counting turns on the hand wheels! They both suffer from chip incursions though - I have to take them apart and clean them from time to time (sometimes right in the middle of a job). Better shields are needed... The 6" one for the X axis is too short - it needs to be 8". I also bought a new 8" caliper today to replace the 6" but it doesn't hold it's position when it's "off" - I'm going to exchange it for another. The 4" and the 12" both do that, and it's pretty much a requirement as far as I'm concerned. (The existing 6" doesn't do it either, and that's been quite the PITA...) Lighted displays sure would be nice - I have to keep a flashlight handy to read them sometimes.


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## Troutsqueezer (Dec 27, 2011)

You get an "A" for thinking outside the box. 

I wonder though, how much more it would have cost to buy the cheapo Grizzly/iGaging DRO's. That way, the readouts are easier to see and the mounting methods are similar. All three axis for mine was under $100.


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## dgjessing (Dec 28, 2011)

Troutsqueezer  said:
			
		

> I wonder though, how much more it would have cost to buy the cheapo Grizzly/iGaging DRO's. That way, the readouts are easier to see and the mounting methods are similar. All three axis for mine was under $100.



Well poop - I didn't realize they were so inexpensive... That would be much better :


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## yeorgjx (Dec 30, 2011)

Amazing things there...
I think I will try to copy ...
Thanks for sharing...


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