# The case for TouchDRO in 2022?



## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

Hey TouchDRO users...  I was wondering if anyone might summarize for me the case of using Touch DRO these days vs the deals on prepacked Chinese DRO systems.

Ill start by giving the premise that I am a simple user that while using the occasional advanced feature, center finding, Bolt pattern, i primarily want to just know my coordinates and want a reliable system at the best price possible.
And where im coming from as an electronics and software engineer, my last machines had a custom DIY system I desighed much like Touch DRO but using an ARM Cortex-M7 core over a blutooth connection to an android app, in fact inspired by the oriignal DIY Touch DRO.

That was great fun and all but the occasional OS hiccups, blutooth pairing issues, and my unfortunate selection of capacities scales, made the system a bit of a pita on occasion... So right now i just want a system that is:
- easy to use
- not has features but they are USEFUL features beyond simple coordinates (center finding, tool offsets, bolt patters)
- and most of all stable and just works 24/7/365.


And now that it doesn't seem that Touch DRO is that much of a deal anymore.  For example the somewhat popular run of the mill 2 axis DRO from Vevor can be had for LESS than 150$ delivered.








						VEVOR Digital Readout, 2 Axis, DRO Display with 250mm and 1000mm Travel Length Precision Linear Scale, for Mill Milling Machine  | VEVOR US
					

Discover VEVOR Digital Readout, 2 Axis, DRO Display with 250mm and 1000mm Travel Length Precision Linear Scale, for Mill Milling Machine, Durable Construction and Low-energy LED Screen at lowest price, 2days delivery, 30days returns.




					www.vevor.com
				




While the latest version of Touch DRO hardware with housing being 130$ alone, add the same 2 scales and a cheap android tablet and your already over 300$




__





						DRO Adapter for Glass and Magnetic Scales V2
					





					www.touchdro.com
				



(You cant even buy the slightly cheaper 2 axis version anymore)

Ive never used either the TouchDRO nor one of these cheap Chinese DROs but ive heard good about both.
What im asking is simply, given the framing above (DIY been there done that. Reliability is key), what about the TouchDRO would you say makes it a system that id want to pay double vs the alternatives?

All advise welcome

I should add that im looking for advice on DROs for both Mill and Lathe DRO


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

Disclaimer - I am biased (for obvious reasons)

Well, it's sort of like why would one buy a Tesla when 1980's Russian Lada is cheaper and gets from point A to point B.
I guess it's a complicated question. When I first started this project, the goal was to make a cheap DRO (in 2012 glass scales were still pretty expensive). Today I often tell people that if they are looking for a "budget" version, they should get a Chinese DRO and in the future, they can upgrade to TouchDRO.

With TouchDRO there is a complete DIY option (a few, actually). The schematics and firmware are available on the website. If you go that route, you can build the adapter for about $20 + many people already have a tablet or an old phone. Obviously, reliability is as good as the person building it. 

Side note: capacitive scales SUCK. I added a lot of "workarounds", but I can only polish that turd only so much. I have three TouchDRO setups in my garage with glass/magnetic scales, and the things just work. I can leave in the middle of a project, come back a month later, and pick up without needing to re-indicate the part (i leave my adapters plugged in 24/7 and the older one is 7 years old). For what it's worth, I don't hear about any issues from the customers who got glass scale setups, but I get at least one "my iGaging scales are having XYZ problem" email every week.

Pre-made adapters are not intended to be cheap. The boxed adapter for glass scales costs $130 because it's made to IPC Class II standard at ISO900x facility, I use name-brand components and quality gold-plated PCBs, I inspect each board and test it twice and if the rare case when something goes wrong (regardless of the time frame), I will fix or replace the unit.
If you go with this option, it's DIY in the sense that you have to put together the box and plug in some connector terminals.

If you are comparing off-the-shelf Chinese DRO vs. pre-made TouchDRO adapter + Samsung tablet, it will be more expensive (by far) but you get MUCH better reliability of components (my failure rate is <0.1% for the adapters) and a name-brand tablet is designed and built much better than your run of the mill cheap DRO head (there is a reason they are so cheap).

_BlueTooth (when done right) is as close to bulletproof as it can get. The protocol has layers of check and redundancy, and the issues that people run into are almost 100% related to crappy implementation (i.e. cheap devices use cheap components and bad firmware). ESP32 chip is BlueTooth certified and is VERY robust and reliable. _

Now, with this out of the way:
1. You get much more flexibility with TouchDRO. The system works with a mix of scales (you can even use capacitive and glass/magnetic scales together) and resolutions (each input is calibrated separately. The display is
2. You get more input options (up to 4 axis inputs, with axis summing), + tachometer + probe (support coming in a month or two)
3. You get (in my humble opinion) a much more intuitive and powerful user interface. (compare adding or recalling a sub-datum in a traditional DRO vs. TouchDRO, etc.).
4. You get practically unlimited storage for sub-datums, tool libraries, etc.
5. You get updates (although the new app has been long-coming, so _mia maxima culpa_. I'm working on it as we speak). I.e. there is no planned obsolescence. For example, the newest version of firmware is compatible with the very first unit I ever sold. It takes a $10 device to update it, or I will do it for you if you cover the return shipping (which I've done for many people). The new app will work on Android devices going back to version 4.2.

If you want more details on the stuff that is coming in the next app version, look at the last three blog posts here: https://www.yuriystoys.com/. For example, here is the new UI:






In essence, the benefit is that you are getting a system that can do things that many high-end DROs can barely do (in the current version; the new version goes a bit further). The downside is that I don't sell complete turn-key packages, so you don't get a plug-and-play experience.
As far as do you really need this, or can you live with the 90's-style unit, it's really up to your preferences). I know people who are very happy with their flip phones; I love my Galaxy S21 Ultra...).

Hope this helps (or at least provides comedic relief)
Yuriy


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## acruxksa (Feb 9, 2022)

Z axis summing. 

That and I like the ui way better than the other options.

Also doesn't hurt that the developer is active here and the system is constantly being improved.  Not sure you can say that with the other options you mentioned.

I haven't priced this stuff out in quite awhile, but back when I was looking at it, I don't recall the difference being that large.  Although, I never factored the cost of a tablet in because they are literally everywhere and nearly commodity priced.  Even an old phone would probably get you up and running.

I personally started out with a 5yr old kindle fire, but recently upgraded to a Samsung a7 lite.  Only reason was I hated the ads on the kindle fire, it ran TouchDRO just fine.


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

comment redacted


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

acruxksa said:


> Z axis summing.


I do like me some Z axis summing... though i would have thought most any run of the mill 4 axis systems would have 2 axis summing, no?




acruxksa said:


> That and I like the ui way better than the other options.


It certainly is pretty, but how does it do with dirty oily hands? or ones with latex gloves...
Theres something nice about a tactile blister button that doesnt care about being dirty and gives positive feedback...


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## acruxksa (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> I do like me some Z axis summing... though i would have thought most any run of the mill 4 axis systems would have 2 axis summing, no?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, but you're comparing it to a 2 axis system


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> I do like me some Z axis summing... though i would have thought most any run of the mill 4 axis systems would have 2 axis summing, no?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I haven't had any problems with dirty hands or gloves. I do agree about the switches (I love my mechanical keyboards). That said, there is a huge difference between good tactile membrane switches and the stuff that comes with Chinese devices. The panel on my laze cutter laster for less than a year before the "Run" button quit working completely and the "Origin" button started sticking.


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

Lots to digest here, thanks for chiming in.
I can appreciate the quality standard, hassle of failing equipment is amplified as you get more and more busy...
In fact after reading the TouchDro site I wasnt aware of that rather impressive failure rate, nor stability of the system, there is a sort of (non)survivor bias on the forums as most people come to complain about problems...

Perhaps im just sore i didnt get in on the recent sale...


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

acruxksa said:


> Z axis summing.
> 
> That and I like the ui way better than the other options.
> 
> ...


It's definitely more expensive than a Chinese DRO. Chinese DROs got much cheaper (the system in the link the OP posted is $140-ish), and TouchDRo stuff got more expensive. There is no way I can compete on price, period. Even if I cut the corners and then cut the corners on what's left, I still can't beat Chinese imports. 
I pretty much gave up on trying to race to the bottom. I'm betting on the fact that I can make the system convenient enough that enough people will be willing to buy my unit to make it worth my while. If not, I will open-source everything, and go do something else.




acruxksa said:


> I personally started out with a 5yr old kindle fire, but recently upgraded to a Samsung a7 lite.  Only reason was I hated the ads on the kindle fire, it ran TouchDRO just fine.


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> I haven't had any problems with dirty hands or gloves. I do agree about the switches (I love my mechanical keyboards). That said, there is a huge difference between good tactile membrane switches and the stuff that comes with Chinese devices. The panel on my laze cutter laster for less than a year before the "Run" button quit working completely and the "Origin" button started sticking.



And the button silkscreen/labels wear off...


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> Lots to digest here, thanks for chiming in.
> I can appreciate the quality standard, hassle of failing equipment is amplified as you get more and more busy...
> In fact after reading the TouchDro site I wasnt aware of that rather impressive failure rate, nor stability of the system, there is a sort of (non)survivor bias on the forums as most people come to complain about problems...
> 
> Perhaps im just sore i didnt get in on the recent sale...


Another untold secret is that most of the forum members that contacted me before ordering got the "sale" price. I still have some of the old acrylic enclosures that need a good home...


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> Another untold secret is that most of the forum members that contacted me before ordering got the "sale" price. I still have some of the old acrylic enclosures that need a good home...


Im listening...
How does one best contact you about these 'old acrylic' enclosures?


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## acruxksa (Feb 9, 2022)

I don't have any experience with dro tactile buttons, but do have 30yrs experience with tactile buttons on equipment made by Furuno, Raytheon and Racal Decca.  Almost without fail, the most used buttons eventually start to crack, the positive feedback click decreases and eventually the button fails.  This usually takes several years, but the quality of that equipment was far higher than anything your getting on eBay or AliExpress. 

However, I just don't see a situation outside a commercial shop where the dro buttons would be used to the point of failure in a year or two.


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## acruxksa (Feb 9, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> It's definitely more expensive than a Chinese DRO. Chinese DROs got much cheaper (the system in the link the OP posted is $140-ish), and TouchDRo stuff got more expensive. There is no way I can compete on price, period. Even if I cut the corners and then cut the corners on what's left, I still can't beat Chinese imports.
> I pretty much gave up on trying to race to the bottom. I'm betting on the fact that I can make the system convenient enough that enough people will be willing to buy my unit to make it worth my while. If not, I will open-source everything, and go do something else.


Don't cut corners!  You have a great product at a fair price.  A more than fair price given your support of TouchDRO here.  That in itself is a great value.


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## ChazzC (Feb 9, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> It's definitely more expensive than a Chinese DRO. Chinese DROs got much cheaper (the system in the link the OP posted is $140-ish), and TouchDRo stuff got more expensive. There is no way I can compete on price, period. Even if I cut the corners and then cut the corners on what's left, I still can't beat Chinese imports.
> I pretty much gave up on trying to race to the bottom. I'm betting on the fact that I can make the system convenient enough that enough people will be willing to buy my unit to make it worth my while. If not, I will open-source everything, and go do something else.


Don't do that, Yuriy, we need you!

After your help with the calibration a year ago, my iGaging SS scales & Touch DRO system is performing flawlessly. I installed the battery option, so even when I power down the system everything is still where I left it the next time I power up. Looking forward to the release of the app update.


Charlie


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## ChazzC (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> I do like me some Z axis summing... though i would have thought most any run of the mill 4 axis systems would have 2 axis summing, no?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 I try not to work with oily hands (slippery fingers make mistakes happen) or gloves unless I'm dealing with chemicals (gloves aren't safe around machine tools), but Nitrile gloves work fine with my Tab A (just checked). Also, you don't get tactile feedback, but the "buttons" do change color/open windows when pressed.


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> Im listening...
> How does one best contact you about these 'old acrylic' enclosures?



My email is yuriy at touchdro dot com. That's the best approach (I don't always get/notice forum PM notifications)
As a general rule, I almost always hav some mis-prints, etc. that I can't sell but can throw in for free with a "lesser" order.


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

acruxksa said:


> Don't cut corners!  You have a great product at a fair price.  A more than fair price given your support of TouchDRO here.  That in itself is a great value.


Thank you. I appreciate the kind words


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## ycroosh (Feb 9, 2022)

ChazzC said:


> Don't do that, Yuriy, we need you!
> 
> After your help with the calibration a year ago, my iGaging SS scales & Touch DRO system is performing flawlessly. I installed the battery option, so even when I power down the system everything is still where I left it the next time I power up. Looking forward to the release of the app update.
> 
> ...


Thank you. I wasn't going to call it quits just yet  
Glad it's working for you


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## bigolbeast (Feb 9, 2022)

Can you make the app so that a number pad or keyboard could cycle through the options? Then you could connect one with a USB adapter and put a plastic protector on the keyboard and be good.


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

Yikes I hope this thread doesnt induce a sense of quit Yuri.
The whole eco system is great and as i mentioned having designed similar systems myself i know that doing it on your own is a labor of love more than its going to pay the bills.

As you well know my original problems were in choosing capacitive scales, working with cheap a flaky bluetooth chipset and trying to do everything myself really.  I understand the esp32 bluetooth is solid, its my go to in commercial applications that require BT BLE, along with glass scales i suppose there is no reason to doubt a robust system.
But as you already addressed, when pricing everything for multiple machines, especially if robustness depends on a decent panels i dont already own, the costs add up compared to the alternatives.

Fwiw, and not that it would make sense for TouchDro, but sometimes i think it might actually be beneficial if part of a project was open sourced,  im sure many like me would love to build upon it and contribute, and speed up feature and release cycles.  Especially when the project can generating all income from other avenues, hardware in this case.

Anyway, i didnt imagine this thread would get discouraging, its way to impressive a project.


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## mchasal (Feb 9, 2022)

Just to add on to what some others have said, I don't think it's entirely fair to compare TouchDRO to the bottom end options. With the cheapest ones, you're getting those 7 segment non-graphic displays. Which are fine, but just not the same thing. If you'd go looking for a traditional DRO with a graphical display, the price comes up and I think that's a more fair comparison. 

I also really like the wireless nature of the TouchDRO approach. I have the tablet mounted on a home brew clamp that I can move around. I can put it right next to the work if I'm doing something small, move it to either side or monitor the power feed from my recliner (ok, kidding about that last one). It's also nice to have access to other tools like FSWizard right on the same tablet to look up speeds and feeds or even being able to do an internet search for "how to remove a broken tap".

Regarding the dirty hands/gloves issue. It hasn't bothered my setup, but I'm not usually doing stuff that's extremely oily. One solution could be to grab a stylus and keep it nearby to use when dirt or gloves make it otherwise difficult to operate.


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

Sold!


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## RJSakowski (Feb 9, 2022)

I went with the Touch DRO for my Grizzly 0602 in 2015 for three reasons.  First, the glass scales available at the time would not fit the cross slide. Second, I already had an iGaging scale mounted on my tailstock. Third, the cost was very attractive.  Less than $150 additional outlay.  I wired up the adapter board per instructions for a cost of around $10 and used my Android phone for a user interface. Since then, I have purchased a dedicated tablet for $50.  

The installation only made one compromise to the capacity of the lathe and that was reducing travel of the tailstock by about an inch.  This would only affect possible use of a dead center in the tailstock.  There have been some issues with the Touch DRO.  The readout would be affected bu turning off the lathe motor.  Ferrite chokes helped some and installation of bypass capacitors in the iGaging pickup heads did as well.  A final solution was to replace the mechanical power switch with a solid state relay.  Since then, I have upgraded to a DC brush motor with PWM control and have no interference problems. There were some issues with competition from the other resources in the tablet.  Turning off WiFi helped.  There is still one issue remaining which is annoying in that the display will freeze for about a second every seven seconds.  When it returns, the readings are correct so the only impact would be if you were watching the readout to indicate a stop position as you were advancing feed.  I suspect that another app on the tablet is demanding service for this to occur.  A final issue which isn't that great is that the scales have a resolution of .10 microns or .0004". I have my display set for four decimal place resolution and the reading doubled for diameter on the X scale which means that it displays on .0008 increments.  This is only critical for tight tolerance work and I use a micrometer for checking dimension when I get close anyway. 








						Another Lathe Dro Install
					

I just finished the installation of a set of iGaging DigiMag DRO's on my G0602 lathe.  I chose the iGaging because of  their ability to fit the lathe without loss of machining capability and being able to install them with serious modification of the OEM lathe.  They also work with Yuriy's...




					www.hobby-machinist.com


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## axa88 (Feb 9, 2022)

RJSakowski said:


> The installation only made one compromise to the capacity of the lathe and that was reducing travel of the tailstock by about an inch.  This would only affect possible use of a dead center in the tailstock.



I thought about his and ruled it out as i wouldnt be able to get jammed tooling out of the tailstock quill.
How do you get jammed tooling out if you cant back the quill all the way back?


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## Zertsman (Feb 9, 2022)

Have the igaging board and printed my own enclosure from the website.  All was easy and awesome.  If you need better, get better scales, but the TouchDRO app and a cheap tablet is very very hard to beat.  Plus, you send a question and get an answer.  This doesn't happen out of china.

TouchDRO for the win!


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## RJSakowski (Feb 9, 2022)

axa88 said:


> I thought about his and ruled it out as i wouldnt be able to get jammed tooling out of the tailstock quill.
> How do you get jammed tooling out if you cant back the quill all the way back?


It doesn't affect quill travel.  The tailstock can't push forward to the cross feed completely as I have a stop installed to protect the pickup head.  The stop is the fillister head screw below the pickup head shown in the 9th photo in the link in my above post.  It would only be a problem turning a short piece between centers and using the dead center in the tailstock.  I have yet to run into a situation like that.


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## axa88 (Feb 10, 2022)

RJSakowski said:


> It doesn't affect quill travel.  The tailstock can't push forward to the cross feed completely as I have a stop installed to protect the pickup head.  The stop is the fillister head screw below the pickup head shown in the 9th photo in the link in my above post.  It would only be a problem turning a short piece between centers and using the dead center in the tailstock.  I have yet to run into a situation like that.


Seems I misunderstood.  On my lathe if I want to put a scale on the tailstock, I would both loose travel and wouldn't be able to retreat the quill all the way back into the tail and push out jammed tooling.  A double issue.  The quill receeds completely in the body, The only thing i think I could do is take material away from the tailstock body to mount the bracket, . Yuck!


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## RJSakowski (Feb 10, 2022)

axa88 said:


> Seems I misunderstood.  On my lathe if I want to put a scale on the tailstock, I would loose travel and wouldn't be able to retreat the quill all the way back into the tail and push out jammed tooling.  A double issue.  Only think I could do is take material away from the tailstock body to mount the bracket. Yuck!


My bad.  I misunderstood also.   Yes, I may have lost about 1/8" on the tailstock travel but it didn't affect anything. I have actually ground the ends of all my tailstock tooling so that they release about .050" before the end of quill travel to maximize available quill travel.  The exception is the dead center which releases at .65" before full quill retraction.  I could cut the end down on it but it would only affect the maximum length that I could turn between centers. so I haven't bothered.

My tailstock quill was proud of the tailstock by about .050". The mounting bracket for the tailstock bracket below was counterbored to a depth of .170".  If there were a problem extracting a tool, the bracket can easily be be removed temporarily.


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## Tomzo (Feb 10, 2022)

I just built the DIY version of the TouchDRO that I bought from Yuriy and it was pretty straight forward and cost ~$40.   A couple of USB breakout boards were something like $6 from Amazon.   Soldering was simple, the firmware was preloaded, and worked without me having to ask for help.  In my case that is a pretty big accomplishment.

One of the things that drew me to this was the ability to use the same tablet on my mill - where this first DRO will go - and eventually add scales to my lathe.   I also look forward to the Android app adding functionality over time.   I had considered the cheap Chinese DROs but these features - and being able to do some soldering - is what brought me to TouchDRO.


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## axa88 (Feb 10, 2022)

Tomzo said:


> One of the things that drew me to this was the ability to use the same tablet on my mill - where this first DRO will go - and eventually add scales to my lathe.



Though do you really want to be handling your tablet that much while in the shop? I figured I wouldn't even want to be touching the with my dirty oily hands let alone pass it back and forth between machines. Of all the stuff dropped on my shop floor i wouldn't want the tablet to be one of them.
Figure I'll mounting a separate device next to each machine in a bit easily removed casing


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## Tomzo (Feb 10, 2022)

I bought a cheap articulating arm off Amazon that holds it:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BQCW1H9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The tablet was one I had laying around and they can be purchased cheap off eBay used, so getting a second one could also be an option.


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## Tomzo (Feb 10, 2022)

BTW - here is how mine looks with the cover off.  This is based on a case I got off Thingiverse.


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## jarhead (Apr 29, 2022)

very interesting topic.
Am I reading the info correct, can I use the same tablet with both my mill and lathe? I can only run one machine at a time.

Thanks, Joe


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## ycroosh (Apr 29, 2022)

jarhead said:


> very interesting topic.
> Am I reading the info correct, can I use the same tablet with both my mill and lathe? I can only run one machine at a time.
> 
> Thanks, Joe


Joe,
With the current app you can use one table with up to six machines. In the next app (the one that will be out "soon") there is no limit at all.
Regards
Yuriy


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## DaddyHeath (Apr 29, 2022)

axa88 said:


> Though do you really want to be handling your tablet that much while in the shop? I figured I wouldn't even want to be touching the with my dirty oily hands let alone pass it back and forth between machines. Of all the stuff dropped on my shop floor i wouldn't want the tablet to be one of them.
> Figure I'll mounting a separate device next to each machine in a bit easily removed casing


Check out the Galaxy Tab Active series. I got the Tab Active 3 and it is drop protected, water resistant, scratch resistant, designed for extreme environs.
Add to that the RAM mounts charging cradle on a swivel arm and you have a pretty powerful tool within arms reach that you can also grab and go.


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## ycroosh (Apr 29, 2022)

DaddyHeath said:


> Check out the Galaxy Tab Active series. I got the Tab Active 3 and it is drop protected, water resistant, scratch resistant, designed for extreme environs.
> Add to that the RAM mounts charging cradle on a swivel arm and you have a pretty powerful tool within arms reach that you can also grab and go.


The whole thin about "tablets are delicate" is very easy to fix. A $10 silicone case + $5 tempered glass protector is more than good enough for an average shop, and for $10 you can go for a fully rugged case. I regularly juggle two dozen tablets in my garage when testing the app (in addition to the permanent "production" DRO setups) and even the 8-year old original Glaxy Tab is still in mint condition (just took it out to do the Android OS update, actually).

Regards
Yuriy


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## sdavilla (Apr 29, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> The whole thin about "tablets are delicate" is very easy to fix. A $10 silicone case + $5 tempered glass protector is more than good enough for an average shop, and for $10 you can go for a fully rugged case. I regularly juggle two dozen tablets in my garage when testing the app (in addition to the permanent "production" DRO setups) and even the 8-year old original Glaxy Tab is still in mint condition (just took it out to do the Android OS update, actually).
> 
> Regards
> Yuriy



Agreed, you don't need the latest, greatest table. The ancient fire HD 10 I use, can be gotten so cheap now, I consider it a disposable.


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## jarhead (Apr 30, 2022)

Thanks for all the replies!


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## DaddyHeath (May 4, 2022)

Pardon my welds, but here is my implementation.  Can't wait for the new version release!


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## ErichKeane (May 4, 2022)

On the topic of the "fragile tablets", you might consider the 'amazon fire kids' tablets, if Yuri can get his app installable easily enough on them (as they don't have the play store).  They come with a thick rubber-silicon cover that makes it toddler proof: which is very much good enough for shop-proof!


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## tonydi (May 4, 2022)

If you want to use any of the FireHD models get the free Fire Toolbox. It essentially lets you disable all of the Amazon crap, install Google Play Store and a whole host of other features. You'll end up close enough to a regular Android tablet that people would never suspect it was a Fire. It's all menu driven so it's simple to use. I even let my wife use it on her HD8 and she's anything but techie.


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## Tomzo (May 4, 2022)

I bought a cheap Amazon Fire tablet for mine.  Google how to install the Google Play store in a fire tablet - it is pretty straight forward.  If you can figure out how to use a DRO you can figure that out too.


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## stupoty (May 5, 2022)

axa88 said:


> I do like me some Z axis summing... though i would have thought most any run of the mill 4 axis systems would have 2 axis summing, no?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I have not got the dro system but due to sailing people getting into tablets for navigation and instramentation , you can get fitted bag / covers that are water proof and touch screen compatible.

Stu


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## ClintNZ (May 5, 2022)

DaddyHeath said:


> Check out the Galaxy Tab Active series. I got the Tab Active 3 and it is drop protected, water resistant, scratch resistant, designed for extreme environs.
> Add to that the RAM mounts charging cradle on a swivel arm and you have a pretty powerful tool within arms reach that you can also grab and go.



Yep, I have had a Samsung Tab 2 Active for years, very reliable unit that has bounced around in the 4wd & backpack for many miles & still works great. Since I'm about to get TouchDRO I may use it for that & upgrade. Unfortunately the Tab 3 is near twice the price of the Tab 2! But there are deals to be had 2nd hand.

Cheers
Clint


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## middle.road (May 6, 2022)

I've got a few old HP Touchpads still, and I've been wanting to put them to use with TouchDRO for ages now.
And will do so as soon as I can.
The app runs just fine on them with Android 7.1.x
I want to replace the head on my chinese DRO with one and then do up my lathe.


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## ClintNZ (May 8, 2022)

Right. My TouchDRO now ordered! Along with 3x Ditron 1um magnetic scales. My new Optimum lathe/mill came with slots already milled in for magnetic strips making these by far the tidiest option for an accurate low profile installation.







Optimum actually offer a house brand LCD DRO with magnetic scales, hence the slots. However the Optimum one is total bare bones, xyz & rpm with none of the functions you'd expect on even a basic cheap DRO, and for 3 axes it is nearly NZ$1000! 

Cheers
Clint


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## JFL4066 (May 12, 2022)

ClintNZ said:


> Right. My TouchDRO now ordered! Along with 3x Ditron 1um magnetic scales. My new Optimum lathe/mill came with slots already milled in for magnetic strips making these by far the tidiest option for an accurate low profile installation.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Clint,

I've been running mag scales on my mill over two years now.  Be mindful of small chip buildup between the read head and scale!  You may notice the read head LED blink red a few times when traversing the scale. This indicates a missed pulse. If it happens a lot you will be off in the measured distance. A cover/shield will help but my defeat the small profile of the scale/read head. Keeping it clean should prevent miss reads.

John


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## Inferno (May 12, 2022)

I just want to say that my machine gets used more with the Touch DRO. I've never looked for an alternative. I wouldn't. 
I've had mine installed for about 6 years and the only problem I've had is the battery in my tablet swelled from being on 24/7/365. I replaced the battery a year ago.


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## ClintNZ (May 12, 2022)

JFL4066 said:


> Clint,
> 
> I've been running mag scales on my mill over two years now.  Be mindful of small chip buildup between the read head and scale!  You may notice the read head LED blink red a few times when traversing the scale. This indicates a missed pulse. If it happens a lot you will be off in the measured distance. A cover/shield will help but my defeat the small profile of the scale/read head. Keeping it clean should prevent miss reads.
> 
> John


Thanks! Do your read heads have the little wipers? Mine should do. A minimal 'veranda' over the cross slide scale should be easy to do so I'll likely have that. The mill column scale could be shielded quite well I think. Can't do much with the main lathe bed scale but a bit of a shield hanging off the tail end of the saddle & covering the read head should help. I'll post up a thread detailing the install once the parts arrive.

Cheers
Clint


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## MAKEITOUTOFWOOD (May 16, 2022)

When are they DIY kits going to be available again?


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## ycroosh (Jun 2, 2022)

MAKEITOUTOFWOOD said:


> When are they DIY kits going to be available again?


They won't be coming back in this form. I can't get good quality HC-05 BlueTooth modules anymore (the supplier I had before vanished) and the stuff I have received last few times was crap, to say the least. Once I'm done with the app release, I will be re-designing the kit to use the new 32-bit processor. It will probably come as a partially assembled board (ESP32 will be programmed and installed), but the input stage will be "DIY" (i.e. configurable for a particular setup. At this point the firmware is actually "universal" (the code that ships on pre-made iGaging and Shahe adapters can read glass scales as well as the native glass scale code.

Regards
Yuriy


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## Hax0red (Jun 19, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> They won't be coming back in this form. I can't get good quality HC-05 BlueTooth modules anymore (the supplier I had before vanished) and the stuff I have received last few times was crap, to say the least. Once I'm done with the app release, I will be re-designing the kit to use the new 32-bit processor. It will probably come as a partially assembled board (ESP32 will be programmed and installed), but the input stage will be "DIY" (i.e. configurable for a particular setup. At this point the firmware is actually "universal" (the code that ships on pre-made iGaging and Shahe adapters can read glass scales as well as the native glass scale code.
> 
> Regards
> Yuriy


Hi Yuriy, found this thread searching for a stl of the case for a glass scale kit I received 2 days ago. I had seen the case files under downloads when I purchased but now that I have had a closer look I see they are for Shahe scales. Do you have updated files available some where yet? I plan to print mine on a resin printer. Designing a case isnt terribly hard but I am quite slow in fusion still. 

Also wishing I had purchased the Shahe version now that I know it can run the iGaging/Shahe scales as well as the glass since I was on fence and thought about trying glass on my mill and Shahe on lathe.


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## ycroosh (Jun 19, 2022)

I will post the files laer today/tomorrow. I keep forgetting to upload them to the site.


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## Hax0red (Jun 20, 2022)

Thanks! I'll keep checking.


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## ycroosh (Jun 22, 2022)

Hax0red said:


> Thanks! I'll keep checking.


I'm having some technical difficulties (can't log into my CDN right now), so here are the STL files for now. I will upload them to the CDN when I get my authenticator re-synchronized.


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## Hax0red (Jun 22, 2022)

No problem, used the spare time to clean cosmoline off mill and loctite some stuff.

 Planning to run v3 from start to avoid any update issues later on. Initially I have an older Tab A 8.0 I will use. Any advantage to higher resolution display, faster processor or more ram?


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## ycroosh (Jun 22, 2022)

Hax0red said:


> No problem, used the spare time to clean cosmoline off mill and loctite some stuff.
> 
> Planning to run v3 from start to avoid any update issues later on. Initially I have an older Tab A 8.0 I will use. Any advantage to higher resolution display, faster processor or more ram?


Resolution is not super important (you get crisper fonts, etc. but frankly I can't see the difference between 1080 and 1440 tablets. Size does help. 7" is pretty much a bare minimum; 10" is much nicer, since you can run it in vertical mode and get DRO and graphical display at the same time. RAM, CPU, etc. is probably a non-issue, unless you are trying to use a 2013 dual core budget tablet. My development fleet (i.e. tablets that I use for testing) includes Galaxy Tab A7 Lite, A 8.0, Goggle Pixel C, Google Nexus 7, Galaxy Tab S7 FE, Samsung Galaxy Nook 9.6" (I think), Galaxy A10 and Galaxy S6 (just for giggles). A10 pretty much lives on my mill and A7 lite lives on my lathe. I find them to be the best fit for my hands, etc. S7 FE is awesome, but I use it mostly for development and only occasionally in the garage (still scares me to break a $500 tablet  )

Basically, any of the above are throughly tested and I know that they are working. Neither feels too slow, but that might change in the future once I start adding some "advanced" stuff to the "plus" version.


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## Hax0red (Jun 22, 2022)

I have a Tab S6 I will try as well to see which suites me best. Will be comparing to a Ditron DRO I picked up for $59 last year during dropros blowout on ebay. I like physical buttons but I can see where a touch screen with glass protector is more durable plus the advantage of "plus" versions we can look forward to later on. 

Would be interesting to see some sort of USB or wifi/Bluetooth physical button add on one day. There are always certain functions like "zero" and "1/2" that are nice to have in physical button form. Even some sort of API that can send these commands from another display or Pi would be nice as well. Picturing a cnc like pendant with just buttons and the display for soley graphical use.


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## Hax0red (Jun 22, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> I'm having some technical difficulties (can't log into my CDN right now), so here are the STL files for now. I will upload them to the CDN when I get my authenticator re-synchronized.


I am printing now. I see optional 2 and 4 DB9 holes and an option for tach/ but not seeing a top cover/lid?


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## ycroosh (Jun 22, 2022)

Hax0red said:


> I am printing now. I see optional 2 and 4 DB9 holes and an option for tach/ but not seeing a top cover/lid?


Re-uploaded above.


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## ycroosh (Jun 22, 2022)

Hax0red said:


> I have a Tab S6 I will try as well to see which suites me best. Will be comparing to a Ditron DRO I picked up for $59 last year during dropros blowout on ebay. I like physical buttons but I can see where a touch screen with glass protector is more durable plus the advantage of "plus" versions we can look forward to later on.
> 
> Would be interesting to see some sort of USB or wifi/Bluetooth physical button add on one day. There are always certain functions like "zero" and "1/2" that are nice to have in physical button form. Even some sort of API that can send these commands from another display or Pi would be nice as well. Picturing a cnc like pendant with just buttons and the display for soley graphical use.


There is no need for an API. I will be adding keyboard shortcuts for various buttons/commands. A keypad can be a custom HID that sends series of key chars. I.e. Alt+X+Z, etc.


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## Unlogic (Jun 25, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> There is no need for an API. I will be adding keyboard shortcuts for various buttons/commands. A keypad can be a custom HID that sends series of key chars. I.e. Alt+X+Z, etc.


That's a really smart and simple feature for those who want physical buttons


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## vtcnc (Jun 25, 2022)

ycroosh said:


> If not, I will open-source everything, and go do something else.


I hope it never comes to this Yuriy, your system is robust, flexible and supported. What you are doing is working at least from where I sit. Keep up the great work!


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## ycroosh (Jun 26, 2022)

vtcnc said:


> I hope it never comes to this Yuriy, your system is robust, flexible and supported. What you are doing is working at least from where I sit. Keep up the great work!


Thank you


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## DeadGuyAle (Jul 22, 2022)

Just starting the DRO search for my RF-30 and came across this thread. Very informative, well-presented case for TouchDRO and your website is a two thumbs up Yuriy.
Great breakdown of information and best single spot DRO education I have found on the subject!
Generally speaking I’m not big into DIY systems and my last venture into the Android world was marginal at best. However that experience actually looks quite positive when compared to the failure rate of cheap Chinese digital electronics.

Running across the TouchDRO option actually made me smile, a choice outside of rolling the dice from an unknown China vendor, and continuing development with a support community makes for an easy decision.

Need to shop for scales and a tablet now.

Nice work and thanks for bringing this to the table so to speak.
steve


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## ycroosh (Jul 26, 2022)

DeadGuyAle said:


> Just starting the DRO search for my RF-30 and came across this thread. Very informative, well-presented case for TouchDRO and your website is a two thumbs up Yuriy.
> Great breakdown of information and best single spot DRO education I have found on the subject!
> Generally speaking I’m not big into DIY systems and my last venture into the Android world was marginal at best. However that experience actually looks quite positive when compared to the failure rate of cheap Chinese digital electronics.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the kind words, Steve.


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