I want to put a 2 axis DRO on my Heavy 10 I'm looking in the $500 or less range. I don't know a lot about what's decent in that price range or if there is Suggestions please Thanks Tim
Tim, Im also looking to do a similar installation in the next couple of months. Below are links to the ones I'm considering. I've not used either vender but have read positive reviews for both. Im also considering magnetic scales. They are more impervious to fluids. If your running coolant or a flush system, they may be worth the extra cost. Im considerind the easson 12c for my mill to replace an old accurite that is gettig flakey. Condidering using one for the lathe as well. I'd recommend using a 0.001mm resolution scale for the xslide. http://www.precisionmatthews.com/product-category/accessories/lathe-accessories/lathe-dros/ https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...170.html?spm=2114.12010615.0.0.3d42f96fXbbMjA New Easson ES-12C 3 axis DRO system mill lathe 3 axis digital readout and 3 pieces GS10 digital linear scale for lathe milling http://s.aliexpress.com/mAr6F3au (from AliExpress Android)
Tim I used both mag scales& glass scales for over 30yrs. Glass scales give more trouble because chips will eventually get in them.buy a good mag scale readout and don't look back Steve Call me if you want to talk about this
I realize this is an old thread but am cleaning out my saved threads and thought I'd add a comment before deleting it. I ended up buying the Sino in the link below with 1 micron scales. Installation was straight forward and it works great. I was not able to use the supplied bracket and just made my own. It turned out to be a good weekend project. Communications was a little confusing, I thought I ordered a 1 micron for the x and 5 micron for the z but actually received both axis with 1 micron resolution. It arrived at my doorstep from China a few weeks after it was ordered. For the price I think it is a good value. Although not a necessity for a lathe, I wish I bought it sooner than I did. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/pr...170.html?spm=2114.12010615.0.0.3d42f96fXbbMjA
Blu-Dro on my SB, I used Accuremote scales... Within your budget. I actually built my first "Yuri's" DRO (for my mill) from scratch- not really difficult, but a bit time consuming. Buying the Blu for my SB made sense to me. You can calibrate for accuracy after installation (Yuri's videos explain), and readouts correspond to travel when checked with indicators. South Bends are obviously "pre electronics" age and don't lend themselves well to this- especially the all-important X-axis- due to lack of cross-slide clearance. Takes a lot of head scratchin' (at least on my part)... Never looked back. Even though my cross-slide screw had less than ten thou backlash, it was always hit or miss when trying to hold tight tolerance due to inevitable uneven wear on the screw on an old machine. Depending on the diameter of the part, you're working off different areas of the screw- and dialing, say, .040- might actually move the slide .039... DRO, measuring actual movement, doesn't lie...
