$40 digital readout

[Kelly.s]

i see there are$40 digital readouts advertised with scales. Is this for real? Anybody tried this yet? I’d put it on my mill.

 

[Gordon]

i see there are$40 digital readouts advertised with scales. Is this for real? Anybody tried this yet? I’d put it on my mill.

I have had a cheap digital scale with remote readout on my lathe for a couple of years and it works great. Other than changing batteries and cleaning there has been no maintenance. Making mounting brackets is the hard part. I got the scale from eBay.

 

[WOB]

If you mean one like this, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006SNL0JI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_bia_widget_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, I put one on my lathe tailstock quill about 4 years ago. It works well. However, it updates a little slower than expected when I move the quill. Otherwise, no complaints. You can cut the scale to length as needed.

WOB

 

[Gordon]

If you mean one like this, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006SNL0JI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_bia_widget_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, I put one on my lathe tailstock quill about 4 years ago. It works well. However, it updates a little slower than expected when I move the quill. Otherwise, no complaints. You can cut the scale to length as needed.

WOB

That is what I have except that I have a 30" travel.

 

[tornitore45]

I purchased 3. One for the lathe and 2 for the mill.
One of the scales skipped in multiple of 1" meaning it randomly jumped in 1" increment. The other two work just fine. The one on the lathe carriage is really useful since there is no dial.

I use it also for the tail stock. I mount a bar in the tool holder and place it against the TS chuck, zero, move saddle left until reach the depth indication, lock the saddle, advance the ram until the chuck hits the stop.

 

[kwoodhands]

I have been using I imaging brand

i see there are$40 digital readouts advertised with scales. Is this for real? Anybody tried this yet? I’d put it on my mill.

I have been using " I Gauge "imaging scales for at least 10 years. I have two on the lathe ,one each for Z axis on the mill and drill press. Also have another on the X axis on the mill. Other than replacing batteries once in a while these work well. You have to be careful to install the scale correctly, done wrong and you will know immediately.
I installed the scale wrong once and the display was all over the place, ran forward , backward continuously til I corrected it. The scale itself should show the aluminum face towards the operator. The back of the scale has two brown or black lines ,one at the top and the other at bottom . This face goes towards the mounted surface.
They come in different lengths and can be cut to length with a hacksaw for special needs.
Displays are connected to the scales with a wire and plugin tap. Displays are both metric or imperial, on / off switch, pre-set and zero are on the display. Not a true DRO but are well suited for home shop machinists.
mike

 

[twombo]

Kelly.
Just a few thoughts.

The imaging scales are priced well and I have had good service the last few years. I would highly recommend looking into Touch Dro as a way to achieve full DRO functionality at a reasonable cost. I built the MSP430 based unit and use a Samsung Tab 2 7”. Tablet! I have fitted a Mini Mill and mini Lathe eith scales and am making parts to fit my 9” south bend.
Yuriy’s Toys has prebuilt Boards with firmware installed at a reasonable price. for the DiyEr. BLU DRO. is selling a complete unit with Case.

Study this site well!

I have had no issues with the hardware at all. The biggest challenge is developing the knowledge of all the Capabilities of the system.
Little things like “long Press, and short press, on the tablet are small but, Powerful, keys to operation. I found a nifty Manual at little machine shop that really has opened the door for me.

There are basic concepts of DRO-ism that open the door to efficient use.

DEtermining your direction of table movement, or increase/decrease, from 0.0 Is as simple as choosing a setting that makes sense.

forget movement!! Focus in the number!

I use a left, rear 0.0, and clockwise handle movement to “ increase the number” and I set the +/- setting to match. This may seem gibberish here, but with a Working DRO, it will be A matter of Jumping in and playing a bit.

I have about a hundred bux into the DRO, by taking the 14 dollar, MSP 430 route,and a used tablet! I got a killer deal on scales at Grizzly, long time back.

Digikey and mouser, both have pretty good Search engines, so parts are not hard to find. I Don’t suggest one over the other, it is a matter of which Engine works best for you. Both have good shipping!

My unit still has ports and switches marked with the trusty Sharpie and, Messy wiring that I keep Covered up.

your web search engine is the path to much info, especially to such things as DRO theory and methodology. These 2 searches will turn up Gold!

Learning how to load firmware to the MSP on a MAC was the greatest Challenge!

Good luck, and good hunting!

Mick

 

[Bowtie41]

i see there are$40 digital readouts advertised with scales. Is this for real? Anybody tried this yet? I’d put it on my mill.

Do you have a link for the particular ad/one you are talking about?Is it a single or multi-axis?I've seen single axis like described by the others cheap at banggood,aliexpress,and as they said ebay,amazon.The single axis I have I got at a swap meet,no name,works fine for my needs,beats nothing,and even a dial indicator!

 

[master53yoda]

I used 2 on my mill and 3 on my lathe one is 36" on the lathe. I also used YURIs arduino base DRO and blue tooth to
My tablet. I have used them for about 4 years and have had little Problems I originally used the same arduino for both machines but finally set up 2 arduino so that i didn't need to swap cords. The site for YURI's DRO is https://www.yuriystoys.com/2012/09/do-it-yourself-dro-with-arduino-and.html I am also considering going to his newest version here but haven't taken the time to do it yet http://rysium.com/projects/196-arduino-dro

Art B

 

[Cogsy]

A couple of years ago I bought a cheapo Chinese 2 axis DRO for my mill to replace the single scales that were giving me nothing but trouble (mine were so unreliable they were unusable) and I have been incredibly happy with the setup ever since. It does so much more than just positioning that I never thought I'd use, but it turns out the other functions come in handy at times. I see on ebay Australia similar 2 axis units, with scales, for the equivalent of about $150 USD LINK. If my unit ever dies I'll be buying another in a flash. One day I might even put a set on the lathe.

 

[comstock-friend]

Got a good deal on iGaging's quill DRO at Little Machine Shop's (Pasadena, California) open house last week (US$60). Installed it on my 1957 vintage Bridgeport without a hitch. Only issue so far is that the fine feed hand wheel drags a bit on the display case. A trip to the South Bend cured that! http://www.igaging.com/

 

[editor123]

I put a set of the cheap iGaging readouts on my lathe. They are spec'd to be within 1 thou over 4 inches. They are better than that and even if they just met the spec, that is quite good and usually better than my machining skills.

 

[davidyat]

I have a 1947 LeBlond lathe. I bought a 12" DRO caliper at Harbor Freight. Made some brackets and attached it and ground off both of the inside measuring points to clear the tail stock. Works great.
Grasshopper