Advice on DROs for a mill

[Paul H 1Participant @paulh1]

[Paul H 1Participant @paulh1]

I am looking at buying a DRO for my mill, a SPG 2217-30 (about the same size as a Warco WM18). As I am doing a lot of workshop upgrading the budget is not vast and it will have to be a 2 axis package. I have been looking at the systems from Machine DRO, their own M-DRO packages and those from Easson. I don't want to buy direct from China as I would appreciate a British supplier with someone to call if I have a problem.

I interested in members advice on reliability and useability. I am I being an idiot just going for a 2 axis system? I do have the LCD depth gauge on the quill.

Are there other reasonably priced systems I should look at.

Thanks,

Paul

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

Paul,

Take a look at this thread

**LINK**

I installed a LCD depth gauge on the quill, when I had teh two axis Easson unit, but when buying the new console, I bought a 3 axis one, with thie thought that I may upgrade in the future.

Stuart

[nigel jones 5Participant @nigeljones5]

My budget would only stretch to glass rails and from china, the whole package being under £180 for 2 axis. Whilst there were no instructions I can honestly say that I cannot fault it now that it is set up.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Even if the budget won't stretch to 3-axis it may well be worth owning the 3-axis encoder display if budget will stretch. My mill came with 2-axis and I do wish it had the third… it'd be easy to add it later if the display can take it.

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

I have a dro that will do far more than I will ever likely understand, let alone use! However if it was a two axis, I doubt it would have cost so much less (apart from the scale) … and not easily upgraded.

My others are simply readouts, not calculator for PCD, curves, etc. If you only need it for centring and hole positioning, what accuracy do you really require? One of mine indicates to 0.01mm, but is only accurate to 0.05mm. Close enough for purpose on that machine, I think.

[Paul H 1Participant @paulh1]

Thanks Stuart for the link. The comments there make fascinating reading. I have the impression that perhaps the Easson display has the edge on the M-DRO for its capabilities, Am I correct? Obviously the LCD version is perhaps a game changer (and budget buster).

I would like to get 0.01mm accuracy (~1/2 thou).

For those that have it, how useful do you find the third axis?

[Clive HartlandParticipant @clivehartland94829]

First off you can forget all about backlash, just use the readouts to get position. The MDro's are fine and work very well and the read out display has all functions you will ever need.

You need to get one of the contact spindles to set zero and then re-set the displays as you need. You will not look backl once fitted.

Clive

[MWParticipant @mw27036]

Arc Euro do a great one that I've used for a couple of years now, I grant you it wasn't cheap but I've put that through the mill (pun intended) and it's probably full of swarf in places yet it's still going well. It's better to rotate the scales upside down so that it prevents the ingress of swarf, although you will have to redesign how you install it slightly.

I think the unit was around 300 and each scale was about 80-100 pounds a piece.

Michael W

Edited By Michael-w on 30/12/2016 14:53:17

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

I sometimes have the wish for dro but manage fine without. I get the impression that magnetic scales are getting more popular and also have an interest in one that can be found by googling Yuiry's Toys.

The neatest one I have seen for relatively easy tidy installation is one by Newall. The price though – ouch. I got the impression that Renishaw might do something similar at some point but no signs of it last time I looked.

John

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[Graham Williams 5Participant @grahamwilliams5]

Have a look at ems-i over Leicester way. Just fitted a magnetic tape system to my Tom Senior, real helpful guys

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

Posted by Michael-w on 30/12/2016 14:51:39:

Arc Euro do a great one, I grant you it wasn't cheap

Michael W

I have two of the Arceurotrade dro's…..one on my 626 mill and the second in my 11 x 27 lathe…..

Mounting was fairly straightforward…..well worth the money….

Usual disclaimer……just a satisfied customer…

[NJHParticipant @njh]

Santa ( in the guise of my wife) left me a DRO for the lathe. Came from ARC and looks the business.

In recent years I have abandoned the workshop during the winter but, as soon as the festivities are over, I will put some gentle heating on and establish a better temperature. Maybe hire a dehumidifier too to to ensure all is good and dry.

Norman

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I've got 2 axis MDro on my mill, but as advised by several above bought 3 axis display to allow for future expansion. This is becoming more pressing as I find myself using metric more and more, and mixing with imperial Z axis is asking for errors (none yet, famous last words)

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

When I decided to fit DRO to my mill I originally chose 2-axis, but friends at the club were unanimous in the view that I'd regret not getting 3-axis. I succumbed and spent the extra for the 3rd axis – they were right. The 3rd axis is appreciated long after the cost is forgotten. Go for it, you will NOT regret it.

[Paul LousickParticipant @paullousick59116]

I have an Easson DRO and would reccommend them. Would also suggest that you get a 3-axis display, even if you only get 2 scales first, allowing you to add another later.

Originally fitted to my Sieg SX3 mill on the X and Y axis slide and on the Z-column slide. I have recently sold my SX3 and Santa brought me an RF-45 mill and will fit the DRO to it. (The glass scales are long enough for the new mill).

All of the DRO installations which I have seen for the RF-45 have the Z-axis scale attached to the column of the mill but I intend to attach it to the quill slide as I have found that this is more important. (The SX3 was already fitted with a digital scale on the quill and is more accurate for adjusting depth of cut than lowerring the mill head on the column).

Paul.

[Stuart BridgerParticipant @stuartbridger82290]

Worth noting that M-DRO do an axis summing box. I certainly will be looking at this when I upgrade to a 3rd axis. This means you can have a scale on the column and the quill and combine the readings to a single Z display. Obviously it is extra cost with an additional scale and the cost of the summing unit. Does anyone have any experience of this?

As for consoles in general, I suspect for most it is the 80/20 rule in that 80% of the time you are using 20% of the functionality. I think I have used the PCD function on mine once. Most of the time it is centering and general positioning. I just have to dig out the manual to remember the advanced functionality. While the graphical display of the LCD Easson would make use of such functions easier, if they are needed. Conversely if you are using the advanced finctionality regulalry you wil soon get to know them without needing the graphical hints. Very difficult to justify the extra cost of the LCD unit IMHO.

[Douglas JohnstonParticipant @douglasjohnston98463]

When I bought my DRO for the mill a few years ago I was also going to buy a 2 axis display, but since the 3 axis one was not much more expensive I opted for that and am very pleased I did.

I fitted the X and Y axes with glass scales from M-DRO and they have been flawless ever since. After a while I fitted a magnetic one micron resolution scale to the Z axis and that too has been superb. I am quite a fan of the magnetic scales since they can often be fitted more neatly than the glass scales

Doug

[Paul H 1Participant @paulh1]

I must say Santa has been very generous with some members this year! Paul, I had no idea of what an RF45 looked like so I had to do some googling. A very solid piece of kit I must say. What I did notice though is it seems to be a rather popular machine for home cnc conversion, (yes I know I am going off topic).

I have had a good look at suggestions offered here for other DRO suppliers and they seem to be more expensive overall than Machine DROs M-DRO and Easson systems. Taking on board the opinions of having at least 3rd axis display available for expansion, I have been doing some comparisons and it is a hefty leap from just 2 axis to 3 axis. However for saying that the leap from 3 axis with LED display to the Easson ES-12 colour LCD display as currently advertised is £120, not that vaster sum for a lot more ease of use. As someone who rather likes a proper display this unit starts to become very interesting. I had a look at the videos and it certainly makes PCDs much easier. A lot of food for thought.

As home workshops (mine particularly) are often not insulated and minimal heating if at all, how are members DRO systems standing up to winter conditions and how many years have you owned them? What electronics problems have been experienced?

Paul

[Anonymous]

Posted by Paul H 1 on 31/12/2016 14:54:05:

As home workshops (mine particularly) are often not insulated and minimal heating if at all, how are members DRO systems standing up to winter conditions and how many years have you owned them? What electronics problems have been experienced?

I've run my vertical mill DRO for the best part of 15 years in a minimally heated garage. I've only had two hiccups. First the system got itself into an odd operating mode. Discussion with the manufacturer revealed a hidden key on the front panel that allowed one to reset the system parameters. This issue was almost certainly caused by an iffy incoming mains supply, with power spikes to match. Although my local feeder is underground the feeds to the village are overhead. Every time we have a thunderstorm we have a flickering lights, or worse a power cut.

The second issue was a flickering X-axis display, after some years, which then went away, only to reappear as a total failure. Entirely my fault, as my installation with tiewraps had damaged the outer sheath of the sensor cable, and eventually broken the wires.

I run a 2-axis system, and don't miss the 3rd axis. But I have a knee mill which has a reasonably accurate dial on the knee. If I need better than a few thou in depth I use a micrometer.

So basically I've had no intrinsic problems with the DRO electronics. The catch is that I have a Newall DRO, designed for industrial use with full flood coolant, and priced to match. But I wanted a system that is accurate and reliable. In metric it reads to 0.005mm but came with calibration charts showing a scale accuracy of better than 0.01mm. If you can't trust the accuracy of a DRO then it's about as useful as a chocolate teapot, and not as tasty.

Andrew

[Raymond AndersonParticipant @raymondanderson34407]

Don't know a thing about the lets say "less costly " brands, as my 2 lathes and 2 mills are all Newall. all Newall's are built to last. My oldest one is getting on for 16 years old now and never missed a beat. The downside is as Andrew points out, they are very spendy. I have heard a lot of good things about some of the less costly makes, ie Easson Also you could look at Goodwin Technology they have quite a few systems. Once you have got used to a DRO you would never want to return to looking at the machine dials and thinking about backlash. They are a great addition to a manual machine.

[SpurryParticipant @spurry]

My first mill was a Warco VMC to which I had fitted a Mitutoyo 3 axis 0.001mm DRO system. It never gave an ounce of trouble, or even a gram, but it did cost more than the mill. You could say that I was a bit spoilt by that.

My new Warco WM40 mill is equipped as standard with only a Sino 2 axis 0.005 system, and it drives me mad. It was supposed to be upgraded to a 3 axis but that never happened, neither did the 0.001 scales.

The new DRO I have bought is an Easson with 0.001 scales. I have just completed a new mounting system for the readout unit as the old one was combined with the machine push-buttons. This also did not prove very easy to use, as the DRO never seemed to be in the right place. Warco are still advertising the WM40 with two separate units, viz DRO and push buttons, which would be a doddle to modify.

The only downside so far, with the Easson, is that I had to open up the case to change the voltage to 110v, but Machine DRO said it would not invalidate the guarantee.

Pete

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

I have machine-dro hardware on both by Colchester Student, ML7 lathes and Chester Mill complete with their digital readouts. No connection other than being a satisfied customer.

When I wished to fit DRO to a Cowells Mill and a Cowells Lathe I again used their Magnetic scales as they can be fitted very neatly and do not take up much space. I could not justify the cost of the readout to go with them.. I saw a posting re the Touch-DRO Android app from **LINK** This site has all the information required to build your own controller to use with whatever scales you desire. The Touch-DRO app is then downloaded from his site and loaded onto an Android tablet. I had a suitable Android tablet doing nothing and the components to build the controller cost me less than £20 (possibly around £15). The controller could be shared between several devices if required. I in fact built two one for mill and one for the lathe. Android tablets can be had quite cheaply if you do not have a suitable device available.

Colin

[Paul H 1Participant @paulh1]

The posts talking about Touch-DRO have opened up a bit of a Pandora's box for me, hence I have been doing some research on Yuri's site and others. Santa brought me an Arduino kit, much lighter on his sleigh than a complete milling machine!! This makes a very interesting option to a conventional DRO and really does put DRO in the realms of the home engineer.

However from all that I have read, it seems Yuri concentrates only on his TI Launchpad design now for most types of scales. The Arduino work seems to be only supported now by his friend at rysium.com and this seems to be only for the IGaging scales. This is an interesting option for a DRO but will take a hit on accuracy due to the IGaging spec compared to glass/magnetic.

So, Colin, I am very interested to know the Arduino code you used for your magnetic scales from machine-dro as it would provide the ease of sourcing Arduino parts here as opposed to the Launchpad with Yuri's proprietary code.

Paul

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Paul,

I'm sorry but I did not mention using an Arduino anywhere in my posting. I am using the TI Launchpad. These can easily be purchased direct from Texas Instruments web site in the States. I paid $9.99 for the Launchpad and $14 for shipping, so total of $23.99.

I used a case and resistors from Maplins, 9 pin 'D' connectors, Veroboard and wire from IT spares box, Power supply from old mobile phone, Bluetooth modules are anything from around £4.50 to £6.50. You should be able to build the whole thing for less than £30.

Regards,

Colin

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