Touch DRO

[Andy from WorkshopshedParticipant @andyfromworkshopshed]

A friend on twitter mentioned this project, it joins digital scales with a small box with optional bluetooth and an old android phone or tablet to produce a touch screen DRO.

**LINK**

I hope to join this up to a rotary sensor project some point next year.

[Andy from WorkshopshedParticipant @andyfromworkshopshed]

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi Andy,
This is how I did it with an Wixey angle gauge.

Les.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Andy,

If you look in my album 'Twizseven's Bits and Bobs' you will see I have used this software (TouchDRO from YuriysToys) for my magnetic scales on a Cowells Mill and Lathe.

Colin

[Andy from WorkshopshedParticipant @andyfromworkshopshed]

I think it’s great that others have found use for the project, I think it’s excellent

[Paul MartinParticipant @paulmartin77419]

I am hoping to set this up, I have been reading about it, but I have no electronics knowledge at all to build the Bluetooth sender unit.

[David JennerParticipant @davidjenner61726]

Does anyone have any recent experiance of the Touch DRO interface (good or bad)?

I am considering going in that direction after the demise of a second "iguaging" style readout module.

The alternative is to start again with a conventional three axis DRO.

David

[Harry WilkesParticipant @harrywilkes58467]

David I think this guy link

had some success you may have to look through his play list to find the info

https://www.youtube.com/user/lsidave

H

[Martyn DuncumbParticipant @martynduncumb88863]

For encouragement, I built the Touch DRO circuit on a piece of veroboard about three years ago and it has worked extremely well since. I had to have two attempts on building the electronics as my knowledge is rather basic and I don't suppose the result can be called 'elegant'.

However with three digital readout scales from ArcEurotrade fitted on my SX2P mill I have found it extremely useful and would not like to go back to relying just on the basic readouts as supplied. I bought a cheap(ish) Lenovo tablet £50 for the display. I do not do a massive amount of work but milling now is a joy and far more accurate than I could manage before.

Martyn

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

David

This a previous thread on the Touch DRO system.

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/postings.asp?th=158471

I have made two, one for my mini lathe using cheap digital calipers and the other for my mill using dro scales from ArcEuro. I built the circuits using info from the internet and other members on here. This is the one for my mill.

https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/albums/member_photo.asp?a=50081&p=859167 

Stuart

Edited By Stuart Smith 5 on 06/08/2022 21:29:58

Edited By Stuart Smith 5 on 06/08/2022 21:30:55

[ZanParticipant @zan]

I am a bit confused here. What’s the advantage? I touch my DRO consoles to change any setting by pressing the buttons. Why is touching a screen better? Will greasy fingers or gloved hands still work it?

Then there’s a tablet to ensure it’s charged, and will probably need turning on rather than automatically comming on with the machine

seems to be a lot of effort for not a great return. Please explain

[Stuart Smith 5Participant @stuartsmith5]

Just a cheap way of obtaining a dro with large display, if you don’t want to spend the money on a ‘proper’ dro.

Stuart

[HowiParticipant @howi]

Posted by Zan on 06/08/2022 22:26:28:

I am a bit confused here. What’s the advantage? I touch my DRO consoles to change any setting by pressing the buttons. Why is touching a screen better? Will greasy fingers or gloved hands still work it?

Then there’s a tablet to ensure it’s charged, and will probably need turning on rather than automatically comming on with the machine

seems to be a lot of effort for not a great return. Please explain

it's cheaper, repurposes old items you may have lying around, works with cheap scales and does what it was intended to do.

if you are lucky/rich enough to already have or can afford a commercial setup, lucky you.

Others may not be so fortunate, or prefer to use a diy solution and derive great pleasure from building it themselves.

after all, isn't that what we do?

it's not always about how deep ones pockets are.

Quote "there are non so blind as those that do not want to see"

[Steve FParticipant @stevef]

Hello

One big advantage

You can add a 4th scale maybe to the quill. The App then allows you to add this axis value to say the Z and show the combined value.

The unit has a Tacho feature. Handy if your mill doesnt have this like eg mini mill

regards

Steve

[Jacques Van DammeParticipant @jacquesvandamme27160]

Hello,

I installed TouchDRO on my Myford ML7 lathe, combined with wire encoders instead of digital scales. It all works quite fine!

Please find the article in MEW No 305, july 2021.

Best regards,

Jacques

[Richard MillingtonParticipant @richardmillington63972]

I have a Touch Dro on the Tom Senior E Type I bought, just fitted the Tacho to it, as above you can have Z and Quill axis combined. Mine has the capacitive scales (3.3v), flicker on the last digit of 0.01 mm readings, thous Ok. Can be changed to glass or magnetic scales (5v) which I may do in the future if Vevor get some more in.

[Author]

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