DRO Question – RF45 / Chester SuperLux scale length

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Hi all,

Does anyone have a Chester SuperLux / RF45 clone with a DRO?

I’m trying to find out if I need a 600mm or will a 550mm scale for the X travel?

My travel is 570mm absolute max and reading the scale details it says that they actually read 20 – 30mm more than the listed travel length (length of read head I suppose).

Or shall I just get the 600 to be on the safe side?

I’ve sold the radial arm saw so have just enough funds left over for a cheapy chinese DRO 😁

Cheers in advance!

Taf

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

My travel is 570mm absolute max

Then chances are that a 550 mm scale will be terminally unhappy at some point !

I don’t recall working with any glass scale having much excess travel over its rated capacity.

You could use a 550 scale if you put hard stops in place to restrict the travel to within the scale capacity – but chances are that you will then get a job that is just within the machine physical capacity, but just outside the scale capacity.

If a 600 scale will fit in the space available, just get the safe length – can’t see there being much difference in price. If you intend to use reference marks on the scale it would be as well to know where these are on the scale travel – some have one mark in the middle of the scale, but others have a mark close to each end of travel. If the latter, it may be necessary to bias the scale one way when you mount it such that it is “safe” from overtravel damage but still allows the reference mark to be traversed at one end.

Nigel B.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Cheers for that Nigel, I only asked as in the suppliers Q&A is this –

Q4 : if i need a scale like 255mm , can you offer it ?
Answer : 250mm is enough , its measuring range can reach up to 270mm，so you can use if you need to measure 255mm.

So just wondered if anyone had fitted something like that but you are right, just fit a scale that covers the travel. It’s going to stick out regardless, what difference will an inch make …. on second thoughts, don’t answer that!! 😬😂

 

[Ex contributorParticipant @mgnbuk]

I remembered that I have an un-mounted Chinese glass scale in the garage – a “Jing” branded item that is the Z axis scale for my mill that I really should get around to fitting ! I guess that I haven’t got around to fitting the Z scale over a year after fitting the X & Y units confirms what others said earlier about the “necessity” of a Z axis readout !

This scale has a rated measuring length of 400 mm & I have just measured a total mechanical travel of 420 mm dead stop to dead stop so in line with the values given to you by your seller. I would be happy running at 5mm over nominal – less so at 20 mm over, which would need very careful ( accurate !  ) installation to avoid damage.

HTH

Nigel B.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Perfect, thanks Nigel

 

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

Have a look at M DRO they do kits which will fit your mill.

DRO Milling Kits

I have one for my 16V mill . They will supply all brackets and fitting instructions and they are very helpful about setting it up. I haven’t had any problems with my one and it is over three old at least and very acurate.

David

 

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Hi David,

I did look but could not see one for the super lux (Sure the Lux is the same though) and they are only 2 axis, they are also a couple of hundred pounds more than I can stretch to really.

I’m sure they are better quality but I’m afraid it’s an ebay job for me.

Cheers,

Taf

[howardbParticipant @howardb]

If you are in the situation of an inability to get the right length glass optical scale to suit the travel of your mill table, it is possible to buy a longer scale and shorten it by cutting.

Ades’s workshop shows how:-

I did this with no problem, cutting a 1000 mm scale to suit the 750 mm travel of my Wm16 B table.

 

 

[PeteParticipant @pete41194]

Fwiw, if you’ve never bought a dro before, it’s not matching the scale length plus a tiny amount extra to how far the table or anything else travels. You have to also add how much distance the reader head uses up of that scale length. Most of those reader heads I’ve seen have the measuring pickup in the middle of the reader head. So in that case, it would involve adding half the length of the reader head to each end of the scale for each dro axis. But if that pickup isn’t in the middle? Well that’s a dimension you need to know before deciding on your correct scale length. Get this dimension wrong and running the table to the ends may allow that reader head to hit the dead stop at either end of the scale. Any of those reader head assemblies are fairly delicate, and definitely not designed to take hard stops like that.

[Taf_PembsParticipant @taf_pembs]

Cheers for the info both, I was aware that it is possible to cut a glass scale but hopefully I have ordered well enough (fingers crossed!)

We’ll see when it comes to fitting

🍻

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

will this give you more information.    https://www.touchdro.com/resources/adapters/diy/

A friend has this system which he installed and it uses a tablet and Touch dro software and the scales are Bluetooth and dont need cables etc and the software alows all the usual settings and hole centers etc set on the tablet. He used similar scales to these which plug into the Touch Dro unit which will take up to 4 scales.         https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32826807324.html?src=google&pdp_npi=4%40dis!GBP!20.94!12.39!!!!!%40!10000000838017829!ppc!!!

David

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