Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter
that looks like an odometer and can be reset with the push of a
button. With each turn of the handwheel something on the handwheel
hits the counter and increases it by one. I don't know what these
parts would actually be called or where they could be purchased. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Peter

I must have only seen those at surplus stores for less than five bucks
about 300 times. How hard have you looked? -
GWE

Peter Michaux wrote:

Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter
that looks like an odometer and can be reset with the push of a
button. With each turn of the handwheel something on the handwheel
hits the counter and increases it by one. I don't know what these
parts would actually be called or where they could be purchased. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Peter

Checkmate wrote:
On 8 Dec 2003 14:36:16 -0800, Peter Michaux put forth the notion that...


Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter
that looks like an odometer and can be reset with the push of a
button. With each turn of the handwheel something on the handwheel
hits the counter and increases it by one. I don't know what these
parts would actually be called or where they could be purchased. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Peter


Just a trip-action counter? Try eBay first, then McMaster-Carr:

http://www.mcmaster.com/


Page 1381 in the dead-tree edition

On 8 Dec 2003 14:36:16 -0800, (Peter Michaux)
brought forth from the murky depths:

Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter
that looks like an odometer and can be reset with the push of a
button. With each turn of the handwheel something on the handwheel
hits the counter and increases it by one. I don't know what these
parts would actually be called or where they could be purchased. Any
ideas?

I've seen the little chromed manual counters available on Ebay
for several dollars. Ticket takers use them to count heads of
cattle going into places like fairs. Rig one up with a long
paddle and install a too-long roll pin in the handwheel to
actuate it. That would be 1-way only.



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Gee, ain't religion GREAT?
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A lot of surplus dealers sell these, as someone mentioned. You might try
searching for totalizing mechanical digital counters, or even digital
counters. It seems that the last time I was looking for digital counters, I
encountered several dealers offering these.

They can have different types if actuation, some have a shaft that clicks
over to the next digit when its partially rotated, like a micro-switch
lever. These can be cam actuated. For industrial applications, these might
have a 10k or higher count. They're not tiny, so having space to mount them
could present a problem.
You might find a 3 digit counter of this type, but I've mostly seen higher
counts.

Another type has a revolution counter that looks like an odometer (driven by
a small belt or friction wheel) which would need to be set up for the
diameter of the handwheel for a 1:1 count.
The last one I saw was on a downrigger for fishing at a specific depth. It
was small, about 2" x 1 x 1 and 3 digits.

That Shack electronics store used to have a digital LCD totalizing counter
module that could count switch closures. These were small (about the size of
a D-cell's L x W dimensions) and used a single AA battery for power. Two
momentary switches for count and reset would be required, and another for
on/off.
It had a total of 99,999 count, I think.

We've got answers..
From a recent Letterman show.. We don't know what it does, but it's very
compact.

WB
...............

"Peter Michaux" wrote in message
om...
Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter
that looks like an odometer and can be reset with the push of a
button. With each turn of the handwheel something on the handwheel
hits the counter and increases it by one. I don't know what these
parts would actually be called or where they could be purchased. Any
ideas?

Thanks,
Peter

"Peter Michaux" wrote in message
. com...
Hi,

I would like to rig up a low tech, cheap handwheel counter for my
manual milling machine. I'm picturing a three or four digit counter

I checked Ebay last night and found several "hand counter" listings
starting at $0.99 each. Cheap enough for ya?


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