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Wild Bill
 
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Default HF Digital Calipers NOPOL

I just got a new HF CEN-TECH 4" caliper, and noticed that it even has a SPC
port.
The recent sales flyer has them priced at $14.99 item # 47256-6RFH.
The inch readout is in thousandths with a 5 tenths indicator.
My gages show that the accuracy is good over the full 4" range, and the
metric measurement is a little low at 101.60mm reading 101.58mm (so I guess
I'll have to remember to use some .015mm shim for measurements over 70mm).

The slide is a little stiff, but if it doesn't loosen up with use, I might
back off the tension screws just a wee bit (hopefully not enough to cause
slop and counting errors).
There isn't a thumbwheel for slide positioning, just a ribbed thumb pad.
A spare battery and a padded hard plastic case are included. It has an
auto-shutoff feature.

I'm a little surprised that it holds the zero set even after shutting it
off. Also, it will auto-start/power-on when you pick it up and move the
slide, and still hold the zero set.. kinda cool.
It also does instant in/mm conversions, which is my main interest in this
digital (don't have a metric dial). Metric screws and nuts aren't too
difficult to recognize, but shafts and other parts trip me up frequently
enough to have to fetch the calculator often. A wall chart would suffice for
looking up sizes, but it's not practical for wrapping around a part to take
a measurement.

The main drawback is that the LCD display is so small, but WTH, it's the 4"
version.
Giant 5mm digits, easy to read with almost any microscope or 3 diopter lens.
The jaw depth is a little over 1" so it can accomodate diameter measurements
of about 2-1/4"

This point can't be stressed enough, but they didn't print it directly on
the caliper..
Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when using this tool.

WB



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Waynemak
 
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I have both the 4" and 6". Most of the time I use the 4". I have had it for
6 months and its work perfect. I paid $13.99 not to bad. the 4" seems to be
smoother than the 6", I had my brother pick up 2 of the 6" at a one day
sale, $8.99 each.
"Wild Bill" wrote in message
...
I just got a new HF CEN-TECH 4" caliper, and noticed that it even has a SPC
port.
The recent sales flyer has them priced at $14.99 item # 47256-6RFH.
The inch readout is in thousandths with a 5 tenths indicator.
My gages show that the accuracy is good over the full 4" range, and the
metric measurement is a little low at 101.60mm reading 101.58mm (so I
guess
I'll have to remember to use some .015mm shim for measurements over 70mm).

The slide is a little stiff, but if it doesn't loosen up with use, I might
back off the tension screws just a wee bit (hopefully not enough to cause
slop and counting errors).
There isn't a thumbwheel for slide positioning, just a ribbed thumb pad.
A spare battery and a padded hard plastic case are included. It has an
auto-shutoff feature.

I'm a little surprised that it holds the zero set even after shutting it
off. Also, it will auto-start/power-on when you pick it up and move the
slide, and still hold the zero set.. kinda cool.
It also does instant in/mm conversions, which is my main interest in this
digital (don't have a metric dial). Metric screws and nuts aren't too
difficult to recognize, but shafts and other parts trip me up frequently
enough to have to fetch the calculator often. A wall chart would suffice
for
looking up sizes, but it's not practical for wrapping around a part to
take
a measurement.

The main drawback is that the LCD display is so small, but WTH, it's the
4"
version.
Giant 5mm digits, easy to read with almost any microscope or 3 diopter
lens.
The jaw depth is a little over 1" so it can accomodate diameter
measurements
of about 2-1/4"

This point can't be stressed enough, but they didn't print it directly on
the caliper..
Always wear ANSI approved safety goggles when using this tool.

WB



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  #3   Report Post  
Bob Engelhardt
 
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Wild Bill wrote:

I just got a new HF CEN-TECH 4" caliper... It has an
auto-shutoff feature. ...


I have one of the HF 6" digitals. It is one of those "well worth the
money" HF tools. But, my auto-shutoff doesn't work. I didn't send it
back, thinking that I could remember to shut it off myself. Well,
sometimes I forget. I also forgot where I put that spare battery. I
should probably buy another caliper - it would be cheaper than a
lifetime of replacing batteries!

Bob
  #4   Report Post  
Larry Jaques
 
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Default

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:07:53 -0500, the inscrutable "Waynemak"
spake:

I have both the 4" and 6". Most of the time I use the 4". I have had it for
6 months and its work perfect. I paid $13.99 not to bad. the 4" seems to be
smoother than the 6", I had my brother pick up 2 of the 6" at a one day
sale, $8.99 each.


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


---
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  #5   Report Post  
WoofWoof
 
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Larry Jaques wrote:
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:07:53 -0500, the inscrutable "Waynemak"
spake:


I have both the 4" and 6". Most of the time I use the 4". I have had it for
6 months and its work perfect. I paid $13.99 not to bad. the 4" seems to be
smoother than the 6", I had my brother pick up 2 of the 6" at a one day
sale, $8.99 each.



Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


I had a 6" for 4 or 5 years that chews up
batteries. Problem is that it never turns off.
There is no "off" switch - the on switch doubles
as a zero reset so can't be used as a toggle. I
can only assume it's supposed to be an auto-off
but doesn't work properly.

In any event, I have a couple of other digital
calipers now, so I converted this one into a small
height gauge and take the battery out when I'm not
using it. (For some reason, I have more luck
remembering it now than when used as calipers).
Having done this once OK though, I might get
another cheap digital (one that works) and convert
it instead.


  #6   Report Post  
Don Foreman
 
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Default

On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:19:08 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


These things are so cheap and handy I have four of them, one each
located at mill, lathe and at each workbench. They don't eat
batteries any faster than my Mitutoyo Digimatic does.
  #7   Report Post  
Glenn
 
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I have not had the problem with the chineese calipers I have but if I forget
to open the battery case on the Starrett calipers the battery goes south
fast. The chineese batteries are about .50 and the Starret batteries are
about $5.00
I have left the chineese one on overnight several times and they were still
going strong the next day.
YMMV
Glenn
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:07:53 -0500, the inscrutable "Waynemak"
spake:

I have both the 4" and 6". Most of the time I use the 4". I have had it
for
6 months and its work perfect. I paid $13.99 not to bad. the 4" seems to
be
smoother than the 6", I had my brother pick up 2 of the 6" at a one day
sale, $8.99 each.


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


---
- Sarcasm is just one more service we offer. -
http://diversify.com Web Applications



  #8   Report Post  
Waynemak
 
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No problem with the battery.
"Larry Jaques" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:07:53 -0500, the inscrutable "Waynemak"
spake:

I have both the 4" and 6". Most of the time I use the 4". I have had it
for
6 months and its work perfect. I paid $13.99 not to bad. the 4" seems to
be
smoother than the 6", I had my brother pick up 2 of the 6" at a one day
sale, $8.99 each.


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


---
- Sarcasm is just one more service we offer. -
http://diversify.com Web Applications



  #9   Report Post  
Mike Henry
 
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"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:19:08 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


These things are so cheap and handy I have four of them, one each
located at mill, lathe and at each workbench. They don't eat
batteries any faster than my Mitutoyo Digimatic does.


But do they all agree g?


  #10   Report Post  
WoofWoof
 
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Default

Don Foreman wrote:
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:19:08 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?



These things are so cheap and handy I have four of them, one each
located at mill, lathe and at each workbench. They don't eat
batteries any faster than my Mitutoyo Digimatic does.



If your Digimatic is like mine, that's really
quite good. I've had mine since circa 1997-1998
and I can rember replacing the battery once, just
possibly twice. Used daily for most of that time
though probably only for an hour or so per day.


  #11   Report Post  
Don Foreman
 
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On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 16:25:28 -0600, "Mike Henry"
wrote:


"Don Foreman" wrote in message
.. .
On Sat, 26 Feb 2005 08:19:08 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad. Have you noticed that at all, Wayne?


These things are so cheap and handy I have four of them, one each
located at mill, lathe and at each workbench. They don't eat
batteries any faster than my Mitutoyo Digimatic does.


But do they all agree g?


Yeah they do, close enough for what I use 'em for anyway. They're
knockabout handy, like a pocket scale but easier to read. If I drop
one, oh well! They are no substitute for a micrometer or even a good
dial caliper like an Etalon when accuracy is an issue. I'd regard
them as good to .002 or perhaps a bit better.





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Bugs
 
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HF had their grand opening of a store in Johnson City TN this week. Got
a 6" caliper for $10, other great bargains.
Slapped it on my gage standards when I got home. Every size is dead
bang on.
Bugs

  #13   Report Post  
Mark
 
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I've had 3 sets of Chinese ones for 6-7 years. They get intermittent
near grinding dust; take off the cover, pull the head off the slide,
clean it up and start over - good for another 3-4 years.

Remember that the spar has only an etched copper foil pattern that
can be duplicated at home, if you need a 3-foot DRO...

/mark


Bugs wrote:

HF had their grand opening of a store in Johnson City TN this week. Got
a 6" caliper for $10, other great bargains.
Slapped it on my gage standards when I got home. Every size is dead
bang on.
Bugs

  #14   Report Post  
 
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Look at the web site www.shumatech.com There is a do it your self
project to use the Chinese calipers or scales for a DRO.

Dan


Wild Bill wrote:



The main drawback is that the LCD display is so small, but WTH, it's

the 4"
version.
Giant 5mm digits, easy to read with almost any microscope or 3

diopter lens.
The jaw depth is a little over 1" so it can accomodate diameter

measurements
of about 2-1/4"



WB




  #15   Report Post  
EdFielder
 
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Default


Some folks reported that the Chiwanese digitals ate batteries like
mad.




---

They don't eat batteries any more than others. The problem is that they
will come on with very small amount of motion. I found that out when mine
was sitting on the bench- as soon as I turned on the machine, the vibration
started the caliper- now I keep it on a seperate shelf and have no problem
with the batteries.




  #16   Report Post  
Wild Bill
 
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I'm curious about the pattern that can be etched, do you have more details?

Could the reader head be built from readily available components?

Thanks
WB
....................

"Mark" wrote in message
...
I've had 3 sets of Chinese ones for 6-7 years. They get intermittent
near grinding dust; take off the cover, pull the head off the slide,
clean it up and start over - good for another 3-4 years.

Remember that the spar has only an etched copper foil pattern that
can be duplicated at home, if you need a 3-foot DRO...

/mark


Bugs wrote:

HF had their grand opening of a store in Johnson City TN this week. Got
a 6" caliper for $10, other great bargains.
Slapped it on my gage standards when I got home. Every size is dead
bang on.
Bugs





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  #17   Report Post  
Wild Bill
 
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I haven't seen any lately, but there are remote readout displays (1 axis)
for the China SPC scales.
There was an eBay seller offering them for about $60 at one time, but I
didn't see that he actually sold any of them.
I can't remember if they were LCD or LED.

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

wrote in message
oups.com...
Look at the web site www.shumatech.com There is a do it your self
project to use the Chinese calipers or scales for a DRO.

Dan


Wild Bill wrote:



The main drawback is that the LCD display is so small, but WTH, it's

the 4"
version.
Giant 5mm digits, easy to read with almost any microscope or 3

diopter lens.
The jaw depth is a little over 1" so it can accomodate diameter

measurements
of about 2-1/4"



WB








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