Ditron vs Sino...wich is better in your opinion

[WobblyHand]

The Ditron I got this week had no instructions on how to install the scales. It had instructions on how to assemble the scales (mag tape, cover, end caps) but the scales were already assembled! The display box was missing the hall sensor for the RPM function but I chatted with customer service and they have already shipped that.
You can see my scale install above. See any problems? Anything I should watch out for?

Your install looks pretty nice. I'll go downstairs and see if I can find the little manual. It's just a booklet, and covered magnetic and glass scales. I didn't buy the display, since I am using my ELS for that for that function.

Edit: Booklet didn't jump out at me. If I see it, I'll post any details I can find.

 

[WobblyHand]

Found the manual. It's 20 pages. It is primarily about installation of glass scales. For scales under 950mm travel, the max parallel error is to be less than 0.15mm, and 0.2mm for scales longer than that. They recommend using a dial indicator to measure that. There's only two pages on the mag scales. I don't see any gap information, nor tilt. I had thought there would have been some info, but there's not much. Sorry to get your hopes up, but that's all I found.

 

[rwm]

I got my Y (Z) axis installed

And done!


I set up the axes so 0 is at the chuck face and the center line with positive numbers moving away. I think that's standard? Both axes seem accurate to a few tenths as far as I can tell.
One this I should note about the magnetic scales, they are, well, magnetic. I did not expect them to be actually magnetic to the extent that they can hold chips but they do. I suspect cast iron dust could be a problem if it gets under the cover.

 

[Gaffer]

It looks great, Robert!

 

[rwm]

I have a question that the manual does not show. The second line on the right of the display says SDM 197. What the heck is that?

Edit:
Here is the lathe display


I don't understand SDM
T=OFF?
X-R?
I cannot find these in the manual. Anybody help?

 

[Gaffer]

It looks like it's for tool offset. I found this:

PM DRO Manual???

Yes, that looks almost identical other than the addition of the key between the Offset and R/D keys on mine. When mine boots up it shows "Top10-2L", so they are likely both Meister brand. Thanks for the link, however the manual that you linked to answers some questions but still falls short of...

www.hobby-machinist.com

 

[Boswell]

X-R probably refers to whether X is measured as Radius or Diameter. but that is only a guess

 

[rwm]

Gaffer- can you elaborate? I don't understand tool offset? The number keeps changing 198, 196, 197 without me doing anything.How does tool offset work?
Boswell- You nailed it! I changed the radius setting and it switched to X-D
And what does any of this have to do with a Domestic Relations Order????

 

[rwm]

Could T be linear comp?

 

[pontiac428]

You have different firmware than I do. Mine is understandable but rudimentary. Yours is visually pretty with new graphics, and chinese menu translations- not function menus, I mean food cart menus here. They could try hitting the nail on the head for once. I wonder if the firmware is available from other revisions. I don't think there's any external serial connection to load from, is there?