PM-1127 X-Axis DRO slide stopped working

[Pcmaker]

I bought my machine 4 years ago from PM with DRO installed.

I was using it and all of a sudden, my X-Axis on the DRO stopped working. I swapped both X and Y axis and if I put the Y Axis scale on the X axis input, it works just fine.

So, I figured out it's the X axis scale that's broken. I took it apart. I slide off the PCB board out of the housing and I do not see anything out of the ordinary. I tried blowing it with my air compressor. The glass scale inside looked good. The number would try to change on the last digit, but doesn't. I move it from one end to the other on the scale and nothing.

Money is tight right now, I do not want to buy a whole new scale from PM. Does anyone have any idea of how to fix this issue?

 

[Ken226]

I bought my machine 4 years ago from PM with DRO installed.

I was using it and all of a sudden, my X-Axis on the DRO stopped working. I swapped both X and Y axis and if I put the Y Axis scale on the X axis input, it works just fine.

So, I figured out it's the X axis scale that's broken. I took it apart. I slide off the PCB board out of the housing and I do not see anything out of the ordinary. I tried blowing it with my air compressor. The glass scale inside looked good. The number would try to change on the last digit, but doesn't. I move it from one end to the other on the scale and nothing.

Money is tight right now, I do not want to buy a whole new scale from PM. Does anyone have any idea of how to fix this issue?

Have you taken the reader shuttle out and cleaned both it, and the scale.
A small amount of alcohol on a clean cloth should work.

At this point, you have little to lose. If it doesn't work, replacement scales aren't expensive.

 

[davidpbest]

Have you cleaned the scale and encoder?

 

[Pcmaker]

I just cleaned it with a Q tip and alcohol. Both the glass scale and the the encoder but no luck

i was really hoping that was it

I'm looking at it very carefully and I just do not see anything out of the ordinary

 

[davidpbest]

Try swapping one or the other (scale or encoder), not both. All you know at this point is that either the scale or the encoder on the X is not working properly. Isolate futher. Try swapping the cables on the Display - see if that changes things.

 

[MikeWi]

When you took the reader out, you should have seen that there was a spring wire with a ball on the end attached to the metal base of the reader. This fits into a socket on the circuit board half. It can slip out, and cause problems As long as you reassembled it with that ball and socket assembled, I'd say the reader has gone bad if all the other remedies here have been tried.

 

[Pcmaker]

When you took the reader out, you should have seen that there was a spring wire with a ball on the end attached to the metal base of the reader. This fits into a socket on the circuit board half. It can slip out, and cause problems As long as you reassembled it with that ball and socket assembled, I'd say the reader has gone bad if all the other remedies here have been tried.

yeah the ball is still inside the retainer