# Just ordered my 1236T, Now what DRO



## michiganman18 (Feb 4, 2020)

Hi guys,

Ordered my 1236T. I went with the 1236T over the 1340GT because I want a small, specific,  footprint and plan on ordering the 1640 or 1660 TL in a few years as I get more work. 

I use the lathe daily but or only a couple hours and am excited to see how it performs. I did order it 3 Phase, and do plan on doing a VFD conversion. I do not have 3PH in my shop and do not plan on adding it. I looked, and looked, and looked, for an industrial lathe, leblonds, clausings, worn out south bends, but went through the usual debates and had the usual issues. Looked at a couple different ones. Finally got sick of the flakes, and the worn out stuff, and lack of features and ordered new. I want to use this lathe to make parts, and make money. Not to have a project (other than the VFD set up )and to spend all my time looking for a taper attachment and etc. 

My question is what DRO should I look at, I have yet to decide if I want a light industrial quality unit or a clone/import DRO and roll the dice. Any issues with the cheaper stuff?

Thanks


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## jbobb1 (Feb 4, 2020)

Look here. You won't be disappointed! 


			DRO PROS Digital Readout beats Heidenhain Newall Acurite Sargon Fagor
		


I installed the 2 axis on my lathe.


			Electronica


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## bill70j (Feb 4, 2020)

Based on sage advice from HM contributor Bob Korves, I just ordered *this DRO* directly from AliExpress.  This is the 3-axis unit, but they also sell a 2-axis unit that's cheaper.

If you go this route, you will be dealing directly with a reseller from China, so there is a bit of a language challenge.  But that was no issue.  My unit arrived 12 days after I ordered it.  Well packaged and the scales were cut exactly as I ordered them.

The operating manual is pretty good.  And while no installation instructions were included, you can simply use the generic ones you can find on-line.  (I used the ones that came with the Easson unit on my PM lathe.)

Installation was straight forward.  I checked accuracy using gage blocks and all axes were right on.  I did have to use the Linear Compensation function on the y-axis due to my machine's characteristics, however.

HTH,  Bill

*Here's the AliExpress DRO I just installed on my 3-In-1.*






Lastly, If you take a look at the reviews for this DRO, you will see some photos showing the unit in its shipping packages, and also a photo just as it comes out of the box.  I think I am the reviewer named W***w


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## MrWhoopee (Feb 4, 2020)

I purchased the cheapest  most economical DRO I could find for my lathe.









						157.18US $ 42% OFF|Lathe Dro 2 Axis Digital Readout Display With 2pcs 50-1000mm Linear Glass Scale Encoder Measuring Ruler Milling Machines - Level Measuring Instruments - AliExpress
					

Smarter Shopping, Better Living!  Aliexpress.com




					www.aliexpress.com
				




I've had it for 2 years and have absolutely no complaints. Both construction and function are surprisingly good.


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## jbolt (Feb 4, 2020)

I have the EL400 with magnetic scales from DRO Pros om my PM-1440GT. 100% trouble free over the last three years with almost daily use. Easy to install and can be cut to a specific length if need be. I went with the costlier magnetic scales after some issues with the import glass scales going bad on another machine.


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## ddickey (Feb 4, 2020)

Consider buying from https://www.machine-dro.co.uk/ the strong dollar saved me over a hundred bucks on my Easson 12 and mag scales.


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## mksj (Feb 4, 2020)

You might look at these DRO's with mag scales per ddickey"s. I have had two of the Easson ES-12's have the ES-12B on my current lathe with glass scales. You can can now get the magnetic scales for not much more, makes for an easy install. The ES-12B is a vertical format, the ES-12C is a horizontal format otherwise they are the same. They come with three scale inputs, I used the 3rd axis on my tailstock with a mag. scale. The graphical color displays are easier to read, I do not get any flicker of the last digits which goes to 4 digits (vs. 5 on some DRO's). The yellow Xo indicates diameter mode.  I would recommend you get a 1 micron scale for the cross slide no matter what DRO you get, a 5 micron in diamter mode will jump in 0.0004" increments and with the rounding when doing calculations the error increases. On some of the cheaper DRO's I have heard of issues with the displays not working in cold temperature, but they are quite inexpensive these days.








						Ditron D80 and Easson 12B DRO Kits w/ Magnetic Scales now available
					

Ditron offers quite a few different DRO's, more recently they can be purchased with magnetic scales for not much more than glass scales. There new D80 display is a graphical interface which is a bit more adaptable to different types of machines. The pricing for a DRO with magnetic scales use to...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## DavidR8 (Feb 4, 2020)

@MrWhoopee I see the X axis is at zero. Do you have both the X and Y connected on your install?
(curious because I'm interested in DRO installs on South Bends)


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## mksj (Feb 4, 2020)

In lathe mode the ES-12B/C screen displays the cross slide as "X", in diameter mode it has a slash through the o and the screen color changes. The long bed axis is the "Y" axis button, on the screen it becomes Zo, the third axis which is the "Z" key becomes the Z1 axis that can be used on the tool post slide or the tailstock. I cannot recall on the ES-12B if it will do summation of the Zo and Z1 in lathe mode. My mill has the EL700 and it will do axis summation and also factor in the cross slide angle if you enter it. I used the EL700 on the mill because it was 4 axis, has summation and magnetic scales. It works well overall, but the touch screen is a real PTA with greasy fingers, and it was/is expensive. I helped another person install an EL700 on his RML-1640 lathe and he liked it, the 3rd axis was put on the tailstock. Had the ES-12B been available with magnetic scales it would have been 1/3rd the price and in my opinion just as good.  I also like the tactile buttons on the ES-12B/C, very positive click when pressed and  it is a sealed membrane.

I have installed both the DRO Pros and SRA magnetic scales, the SRA are very forgiving as too alignment, both scales are very accurate with no problems.


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## michiganman18 (Feb 4, 2020)

My plan was to get 3 axis, and use one for the tail stock. Great point for the 1 micron. Anyone have the cheaper DRO's fail? So far the MachineDROuk, package seams like a deal. I wasnt thrilled bout ordering from ali- express... but if the other selections were just clones/imports anyway why pay more for the same thing.  I was planning on Magnetic Scales.


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## wrmiller (Feb 4, 2020)

jbolt said:


> I have the EL400 with magnetic scales from DRO Pros om my PM-1440GT. 100% trouble free over the last three years with almost daily use. Easy to install and can be cut to a specific length if need be. I went with the costlier magnetic scales after some issues with the import glass scales going bad on another machine.



Same here. I have the EL400 on my lathe and the EL700 w/touch probe on my mill. I also decided to go with the mag scales on both my lathe and mill. Zero issues so far.


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## MrWhoopee (Feb 4, 2020)

DavidR8 said:


> @MrWhoopee I see the X axis is at zero. Do you have both the X and Y connected on your install?
> (curious because I'm interested in DRO installs on South Bends)



Yes, both are installed. I did not originally intend to install the cross-slide scale, but since I had it.....  






Coming from a scientific/mathematics background, I  have a problem with the cross-slide being the  x-axis, so mine isn't. X is the carriage and y is the cross-slide, just as Descartes intended. Right hand rule be damned! [Donning flame suit]


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## 7milesup (Feb 4, 2020)

Michiginman..... 

I ordered a DRO from the aforementioned Ali-Express vendor.  The ordering process was very straightforward, and since I was paying with PayPal, I was concerned about fraud.  Actually, Ali-Express, and that particular vendor have a very good reputation.  That being said, I had ordered a 3 axis system for my mill, but it came with a two axis head.  It did come with the 3 scales cut exactly to my requested lengths.  The seller eventually did send me the correct head and due to the shipping cost back, told me to keep the two axis readout.

20/20 hindsight, I still would have bought from the seller but instead would have ordered from him but purchased the Easson or Sinpro.  I find the numbers on the other displays hard to read in a bright area, especially with sunshine coming through the windows.
I know others will not agree with me, but DRO Pros are just repackaging the same Chinese stuff and selling it at a higher cost.  With that higher cost comes better tech support though.  It all depends on what is important to you and how much extra cash you have.
Precision Matthews also sells Easson and other brands of DROs, and they provide excellent support.


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## michiganman18 (Feb 6, 2020)

Thanks for the help. I think I will give the Ali Express a shot if they ever answer my messages. With tech like this I cant see enough of a cost/value difference to order domestic when I am skeptical that DrPros is just selling the same products but upcharged for lead time and quasi-tech support. Its not as though its anything crazy. My biggest concern was getting conterfeit items with poor quality.


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## ttabbal (Feb 7, 2020)

I bought a 2 and a 3 axis from this vendor and they work great. They generally responded to questions in a day or so, accounting for the time difference. Shipping was DHL and only took a couple of days from China. 









						NEW DRO 3 Axis digital readout with high precision linear scale / linear encoder  | eBay
					

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NEW DRO 3 Axis digital readout with high precision linear scale / linear encoder at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!



					www.ebay.com


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