Budget Friendly DRO (redux)

[Winegrower]

That D80 is just a Chinese one as well. The manual is pretty bad,

My D80 manual is a notch above what one might expect. It appears to be written in English, and fairly easy to follow. The linear compensation section is a bit confusing/wrong/incomplete, I can't say for sure. But I figured it out nonetheless.

 

[ErichKeane]

My D80 manual is a notch above what one might expect. It appears to be written in English, and fairly easy to follow. The linear compensation section is a bit confusing/wrong/incomplete, I can't say for sure. But I figured it out nonetheless.

I checked out this one here: https://www.machinetoolproducts.com/ditron-d80-lathe-dro-kit-w-glass-scales and the manual linked. On 2nd look, it might be at least a 1/2 step better than the Chinese ones. My Chinese DRO didn't even come with the 'model number' that matched the firmware, so I had to try things from a variety of manuals until I found the right one (Was advertised as a D60 I think?)

 

[MyLilMule]

I pulled the trigger today on the Ditron D80 with magnetic scales. It's being shipped from China, but I'm fine with paying more to get US based support. It probably won't be here until next week.

Ditron D80 3 Axis Mill DRO Kit w/ Magnetic Scales

Value Added Distributor

www.machinetoolproducts.com

 

[MyLilMule]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but I will ask it anyway.

How many reading this, who have MAGNETIC scales, also put shields on them? They are sold as being "dust and coolant proof" and I haven't seen too many that come with a shield, like I have seen with glass scales.

Is it recommended or a waste of time to fabricate and install a shield?

 

[Boswell]

I have shields on my magnetic scales. The kit from DroPros came with the shields so I installed them. While I think that the scales will not get contaminated by coolant, without shields, there would be the possibility of getting chips wedged between the read head and the scales that would prevent proper readings.