4th Touch-Dro: source for scales?

[tobnpr]

Getting ready to fit my fourth machine (mill) with DRO.
Been using the Absolute DRO+ scales, but seems crazy to keep buying these and throwing away the displays.
$300+ for the igaging, then $100 for the bluetooth, plus tablet.... by the time that $500 or so is spent it's not much less than an Easson or other glass scale setup.

It's not all about saving $$, I prefer the touch DRO interface anyway- but sure would be nice to not be buying displays only to throw them away.

Wondering if there's a source for glass scales (knee mill, so I don't need the space-saving advantage of the igaging) that would be less expensive, than going with the igaging again (and throwing out the displays)? I see a ton of cheap chicom glass scale DRO setups on Ebay, but it's the same deal- all come with displays.

I don't need better than half-thou accuracy (none of my machines can hold, nor do my needs require tenths accuracy).

Suggestions?

 

[ycroosh]

If you search eBay for "dro scales" you will see a LOT of listings that let you select either a full setup or individual scales. For example, this listing has a lot of choices and the prices are actually lower than Absolute DRO+. Even the cheapest glass scales will work better than iGaging scales in almost every scenario. The less expensive EZ-View or the new Shahe scales make sense for some people because they still end up being much cheaper; Absolute DRO+ are not THAT much better than their cheaper counterparts, and still have only 1/2 resolution of the 5-micron scales.

That said, TouchDRO will almost always be more expensive than a low-end Chinese glass scale DRO. It's not an apples-to-apples comparison. With TouchDRO you get features of a high-end DRO head that would cost a few K$; cheap Chinese DROs are as basic as they come. It really depends on what your needs are.

Hope this helps
Yuriy

 

[tobnpr]

Thanks, Yuriy- much appreciated.
There's a huge disparity in prices of glass scales, so I was unaware that some of these less expensive ones would be satisfactory.

Fortunately, I'm not limited by space on this knee mill. As you're probably aware, our old "American iron" lathes- of which I have two- are often quite limited on space when it comes to the cross-slide and I've been limited to the Igaging because of that (magnetic never an option due to cost).

Looks like this is what I need, but being electronically "challenged"- are there instructions on making up the pin connections correctly?

Wireless DRO Adapter for Glass/Magnetic Scales