Nope. Your biggest problem is mounting. The extra scale length won't
bother you. I once mounted an older glass scale from a 54" table to a
42" table by cutting the aluminum extrusion and snapping the glass shorter.

Engineman1 wrote:

I have a Rutland mill-drill about 15 yrs old that I'm thinking of putting an
X-Y DRO on.
I'm looking for reccomendations as to brand. I see one advertised by Enco as
having a travel of 10" x 20". My machine only has a travel of 10" x 18" . Would
this cause a problem?
Engineman1

In article ,
says...
I have a Rutland mill-drill about 15 yrs old that I'm thinking of putting an
X-Y DRO on.
I'm looking for reccomendations as to brand. I see one advertised by Enco as
having a travel of 10" x 20". My machine only has a travel of 10" x 18" . Would
this cause a problem?
Engineman1


No, the encoder housing is perhaps 4 inches longer than its
travel. With 18" travel, your table must be longer than
that. As long as there is a place to mount the encoder on
the table and the reader head to the frame you should be
OK.

Acu-rite has pretty good instructions for mounting their
encoders online. If you download the manual for the enc150
series, you should get a pretty good idea of what's
generally required.

http://www.acu-rite.com/act_Download.cfm?FileID=117
&/enc150.pdf

Ned Simmons

On 11 Jul 2003 00:15:38 GMT, (Engineman1) wrote:

I have a Rutland mill-drill about 15 yrs old that I'm thinking of putting an
X-Y DRO on.
I'm looking for reccomendations as to brand. I see one advertised by Enco as
having a travel of 10" x 20". My machine only has a travel of 10" x 18" . Would
this cause a problem?
Engineman1

I was thinking of doing hte same thing myself but didn't want to pay
out the $$$. Here's a link to a cheap solution. The digital quill
kits (up to 20" IIRC) can be mounted on the mill/drill. They also
have a remote readout so you don't have to stoop over to see the
readout on the DRO itself.

John


Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

The scales you mentioned are a great low-cost option! But...

I haven't used the specific external display unit that CalAero sells but I
did try a similar one from a local supplier and was very unhappy with it.
It does exactly what they say it will do but they don't tell you that it
updates very slowly and I hated that!! Fortunately, just a day or two after
I purchased mine a guy posted a message here about his DRO-2 unit and I
ordered it and returned the first one.

I couldn't be happier with the DRO-2! Instead of the slow update he uses
the scales' fast mode which gives seemingly instantaneous updates plus it is
a dual display for 2 axes. There are also several options available that
the unit you mentioned does not have. For example, I mounted a cheap 6"
scale on the cross slide of my JET 9x20 lathe and I can tell it to either
display the direct value for the radius or double it for diameter and it can
even negate it if I prefer. It does metric as well and IIRC you can set
limits for it to send a trigger signal to stop a power feed.

Also, with the addition of a spindle sensor for just $10 extra you can put
RPM on either of the displays or in the case of a lathe you can have it
display cutting speed based on the cross slide position and RPM.

I've also been very happy with the service I received from the maker of the
unit, Klaus Zietlow. The upper channel of mine died right after I received
it so I returned it and within a couple of days he notified me that he had
received it and had found a broken resister and it was on its way back to
me. It's worked perfectly ever since.

The only slightly negative thing I can say about the deal is that he charges
$10 for shipping and ships FedEx ground which is about as slow as you can
find. I returned the bad unit to him via USPS priority, insured for about
$5-$6 and it reached him in 2 days. He had it fixed that same day and it
took about 8 days for me to get it back after that. :-( He didn't charge me
shipping for the repair but the delay was a PITA. :-(

Here's a link to information on the DRO-2:

http://www.zietlowdesign.com/products/products.htm

On the DRO-2 page there's a link to the manual and to a data sheet that
explain everything it will do. He also has a very nice solution for
mounting it on my lathe! :-)

And no, I'm not affiliated with the company in any way. I'm just a very
satisfied customer! For about $200 I put a single axis DRO and RPM display
on my lathe and I can always add the other axis whenever I want to spend the
money on another scale. Klaus can answer questions about the units much
better than I can but if you have any on how easy it was to mount and setup
let me know. :-)

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow Passes, 1934
"John Flanagan" wrote in message
...
On 11 Jul 2003 00:15:38 GMT, (Engineman1) wrote:

I have a Rutland mill-drill about 15 yrs old that I'm thinking of putting
an
X-Y DRO on.
I'm looking for reccomendations as to brand. I see one advertised by Enco
as
having a travel of 10" x 20". My machine only has a travel of 10" x 18" .
Would
this cause a problem?
Engineman1

I was thinking of doing hte same thing myself but didn't want to pay
out the $$$. Here's a link to a cheap solution. The digital quill
kits (up to 20" IIRC) can be mounted on the mill/drill. They also
have a remote readout so you don't have to stoop over to see the
readout on the DRO itself.

John


Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk
email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

In article ,
says...
Generally one wants one to be near the size - if it is not adjustable...
The nice thing about the shooting star is the long rods are cut to
length
and the sensor rides on what length needed. Custom lengths or not.

These Glass types - stable and such - have a total scale value of a
count -
maybe 4095 or so maybe 2 or more times that many.

That would be true of an absolute encoder scale, but not
the scales we're talking about here, which are incremental.
The length of the scale has no bearing on the resolution.

Ned Simmons

I wonder how they react to coolant? I have a $20 digital caliper from Harbor
Freight. It is very accurate, but coolant screws it up. I got it dried out
and working, but I suspect corrosion is eating the battery. It is a few
months old and already blinking. But maybe this is normal battery life.

--

Ron Thompson
On the Beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast
USA

http://www.plansandprojects.com

"The educational system in this country has made the high school diploma
worthless and it can no longer be used for a standard. However, a potential
employee that has enough interest in their chosen craft to go to a trade
school may be more valuable to a manufacturing business that an engineer...
In today’s world the skill to operate a computer is always a plus. A
potential employee who has taken the time to teach themselves a skill on
their own and purchase the tools used is a major plus." Joe Martin in MAKING
MONEY THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
"John Flanagan" wrote in message
...
On 11 Jul 2003 00:15:38 GMT, (Engineman1) wrote:

I have a Rutland mill-drill about 15 yrs old that I'm thinking of putting
an
X-Y DRO on.
I'm looking for reccomendations as to brand. I see one advertised by Enco
as
having a travel of 10" x 20". My machine only has a travel of 10" x 18" .
Would
this cause a problem?
Engineman1

I was thinking of doing hte same thing myself but didn't want to pay
out the $$$. Here's a link to a cheap solution. The digital quill
kits (up to 20" IIRC) can be mounted on the mill/drill. They also
have a remote readout so you don't have to stoop over to see the
readout on the DRO itself.

John


Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk
email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

"Keith Marshall" wrote in message .com...
The scales you mentioned are a great low-cost option! But...

I haven't used the specific external display unit that CalAero sells but I
did try a similar one from a local supplier and was very unhappy with it.
It does exactly what they say it will do but they don't tell you that it
updates very slowly and I hated that!! Fortunately, just a day or two after
I purchased mine a guy posted a message here about his DRO-2 unit and I
ordered it and returned the first one.

I couldn't be happier with the DRO-2! Instead of the slow update he uses
the scales' fast mode which gives seemingly instantaneous updates plus it is
a dual display for 2 axes. There are also several options available that
the unit you mentioned does not have. For example, I mounted a cheap 6"
scale on the cross slide of my JET 9x20 lathe and I can tell it to either
display the direct value for the radius or double it for diameter and it can
even negate it if I prefer. It does metric as well and IIRC you can set
limits for it to send a trigger signal to stop a power feed.

Also, with the addition of a spindle sensor for just $10 extra you can put
RPM on either of the displays or in the case of a lathe you can have it
display cutting speed based on the cross slide position and RPM.

I've also been very happy with the service I received from the maker of the
unit, Klaus Zietlow. The upper channel of mine died right after I received
it so I returned it and within a couple of days he notified me that he had
received it and had found a broken resister and it was on its way back to
me. It's worked perfectly ever since.


http://www.zietlowdesign.com/products/products.htm

I mounted a DRO-2 on my Clausing mill and I have been very satisfied.
It is probably the least expensive way to get DRO capability on
equipment.

On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 10:52:16 -0500, "Ron Thompson"
wrote:

I wonder how they react to coolant? I have a $20 digital caliper from Harbor
Freight. It is very accurate, but coolant screws it up. I got it dried out
and working, but I suspect corrosion is eating the battery. It is a few
months old and already blinking. But maybe this is normal battery life.

No idea since I've never bought one of their remote readouts. To get
two axis' you'd have to buy two of them so it would actually make more
sense to buy a DR)-2 like Keith mentioned. It looks like a much nicer
readout. It could just need a new battery, get a good quality one.
The ones they ship with may be cheap or 10 years old or something.

Currently I'm using a 6" digital caliper on the quill of my
mill/drill, it works great, I can't imagine not having one now. I
have some photos showing how I did it. I still use the dials for the
table.

Keith since it only has two displays how do you read the two axis
*and* the rpm of the headstock?

John

Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

Keith since it only has two displays how do you read the two axis
*and* the rpm of the headstock?

You can't at the same time but you can program both displays with two modes
and you just push the center button to switch between modes. Usually you
would only need to view RPM as you are setting it. Then you can switch back
to the position displays.

I currenly only have one scale on my lathe so I have the first mode setup so
that the top display shows radius and the bottom displays RPM. If I press
the center button the top switches to diameter and the bottom displays
cutting speed. The RPM isn't really important for me now because it's based
on pulley selection but I have a DC motor and controller that I plan to add
and then it will be very nice to have.

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow Passes, 1934
"John Flanagan" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 10:52:16 -0500, "Ron Thompson"
wrote:

I wonder how they react to coolant? I have a $20 digital caliper from
Harbor
Freight. It is very accurate, but coolant screws it up. I got it dried
out
and working, but I suspect corrosion is eating the battery. It is a few
months old and already blinking. But maybe this is normal battery life.

No idea since I've never bought one of their remote readouts. To get
two axis' you'd have to buy two of them so it would actually make more
sense to buy a DR)-2 like Keith mentioned. It looks like a much nicer
readout. It could just need a new battery, get a good quality one.
The ones they ship with may be cheap or 10 years old or something.

Currently I'm using a 6" digital caliper on the quill of my
mill/drill, it works great, I can't imagine not having one now. I
have some photos showing how I did it. I still use the dials for the
table.

Keith since it only has two displays how do you read the two axis
*and* the rpm of the headstock?

John

Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk
email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:56:18 GMT, "Keith Marshall"
wrote:

I currenly only have one scale on my lathe so I have the first mode setup so
that the top display shows radius and the bottom displays RPM. If I press
the center button the top switches to diameter and the bottom displays
cutting speed. The RPM isn't really important for me now because it's based
on pulley selection but I have a DC motor and controller that I plan to add
and then it will be very nice to have.

I've bookmarked his website and will be getting one of his readouts
before long. He's got a great idea using the already available cheapo
quill kits and just making a faster and more versital remote readout
for them. Great idea.

How did you mount/shield the scale? Just a piece of AL angle to cover
it?

John

Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

How did you mount/shield the scale? Just a piece of AL angle to cover
it?

I happened to have a piece that was like angle with an extra L on it that
looked something like:

___
| |
|

and I mounted it over the scale. I need to redo it though because it's
about 1/8" too high so the compound slide hits it if I turn it too far.

I also cheated on the speed sensor. If you looked at his site you probably
saw that he made a ring with a notch in it for the optical sensor to detect.
Instead of that I just mounted a small tab on my pulley based on the
assumption that it would just count pulses and wouldn't care what the
duration was and it works great!

I hope to post pictures when I'm through working the bugs out of it. :-)

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow Passes, 1934
"John Flanagan" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Jul 2003 01:56:18 GMT, "Keith Marshall"
wrote:

I currenly only have one scale on my lathe so I have the first mode setup
so
that the top display shows radius and the bottom displays RPM. If I
press
the center button the top switches to diameter and the bottom displays
cutting speed. The RPM isn't really important for me now because it's
based
on pulley selection but I have a DC motor and controller that I plan to
add
and then it will be very nice to have.

I've bookmarked his website and will be getting one of his readouts
before long. He's got a great idea using the already available cheapo
quill kits and just making a faster and more versital remote readout
for them. Great idea.

How did you mount/shield the scale? Just a piece of AL angle to cover
it?

John

Please note that my return address is wrong due to the amount of junk
email I get.
So please respond to this message through the newsgroup.

I suspected as much. This is the battery that came in it.
I will install the second one that came with it soon.
For $20, I am still very happy with it.

--

Ron Thompson
On the Beautiful Mississippi Gulf Coast
USA

http://www.plansandprojects.com

"The educational system in this country has made the high school diploma
worthless and it can no longer be used for a standard. However, a potential
employee that has enough interest in their chosen craft to go to a trade
school may be more valuable to a manufacturing business that an engineer...
In today’s world the skill to operate a computer is always a plus. A
potential employee who has taken the time to teach themselves a skill on
their own and purchase the tools used is a major plus." Joe Martin in MAKING
MONEY THE OLD FASHIONED WAY
"Gary Coffman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 11 Jul 2003 10:52:16 -0500, "Ron Thompson"
wrote:
I wonder how they react to coolant? I have a $20 digital caliper from
Harbor
Freight. It is very accurate, but coolant screws it up. I got it dried
out
and working, but I suspect corrosion is eating the battery. It is a few
months old and already blinking. But maybe this is normal battery life.

I just replaced the battery in one of mine (using the extra battery they
supply). The thing draws current all the time, the on/off switch just
turns
the display on and off. To demonstrate that, set it to a particular size,
note the reading, now turn it off and move it to another size. Turn it
back on, and it shows the new reading. It was counting when it was off.
A few months' battery life appears to be normal.

Gary

Steve Worcester wrote:

So I bit the proverbial bullet and bought a digital caliper style DRO. I
want to put it on the quill of my mill drill but I guess I don't quite
understand something.
I could mount the bottom bracket to the bottom of the quill and stationary
mount the readout to the side, but can I leave the top unmounted without the
bracket?
Anyone have suggestions (or better yet, pictures? I learn by visual better
than conceptual!)

Take a look at
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/_1998_retired_files/Smithymods.txt
for a description and drawing of what I did. I'll e-mail you a photo
separately.

The scale rests on a bent piece of aluminum hose-clamped to the quill.
I was in a hurry to get on with a project. Making something "better"
has been on the list since I mounted the quill kit but my kludge has
worked so well that other things always seem to be higher priority.

Ted

I don't know if he has info on mounting them on the mill portion but for
mounting them on a lathe I haven't seen anything nearly as sensible as the
following instructions:

http://www.zietlowdesign.com/product...O-2_manual.htm

Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page for the mounting instuctions and
there's a link to drawings under the last image.

I also can't say enough good things about their display! I have one on my
lathe and love it! The digital scales are very slow to update on their own
but they have a fast mode that you can apparrently only access via the
connector. The Zietlow DRO-2 takes advantage of this. Also, on a lathe can
automatically calculate and display cutting speed based on cross-slide
position and RPM if you mount their speed sensor which is only an extra $10.
Read the "Features" section of the page for more info.

The usual disclaimer applies: I have no connection with the company. I'm
just a very satisfied customer!

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"The universe is full of magical things,
patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
-Eden Phillpotts, A Shadow Passes, 1934
"Steve Worcester" wrote in message
...
So I bit the proverbial bullet and bought a digital caliper style DRO. I
want to put it on the quill of my mill drill but I guess I don't quite
understand something.
I could mount the bottom bracket to the bottom of the quill and stationary
mount the readout to the side, but can I leave the top unmounted without
the
bracket?
Anyone have suggestions (or better yet, pictures? I learn by visual better
than conceptual!)

--
Steve Worcester
www.turningwood.com
Better Woodturning through Technology
(And a hell of alotta practice)