DRO Lathe Magnetic scale package. recomendations and review from users

[joebiplane]

I just finished installing the last magnetic scale yesterday Having installed glass scales in the past, I can tell you the magnetic scales are much nicer to work with. The ability to cut to size makes for a very custom install. The low profile of the magnetic scale is another huge benefit. All this does come with a cost but "buy once ,cry once". BTW, beautiful restoration on your SB10.

Mag scale on TS.
View attachment 260618
The Y axis scale is very compact compared to glass.
View attachment 260619
It was brought to my attention by another member (ronboult) that Electronica makes an even smaller mag scale. If you call DroPros, make sure to let them know your aware of these. At the time of my purchase, I asked them is these where the smallest scales (S1) available and I was told yes.
Had I been better informed, I would have asked for availability on a specific part number.

DroPros are a friendly and professional even after the sale.

Paco

I just finished installing the last magnetic scale yesterday Having installed glass scales in the past, I can tell you the magnetic scales are much nicer to work with. The ability to cut to size makes for a very custom install. The low profile of the magnetic scale is another huge benefit. All this does come with a cost but "buy once ,cry once". BTW, beautiful restoration on your SB10.

Mag scale on TS.
View attachment 260618
The Y axis scale is very compact compared to glass.
View attachment 260619
It was brought to my attention by another member (ronboult) that Electronica makes an even smaller mag scale. If you call DroPros, make sure to let them know your aware of these. At the time of my purchase, I asked them is these where the smallest scales (S1) available and I was told yes.
Had I been better informed, I would have asked for availability on a specific part number.

DroPros are a friendly and professional even after the sale.

Paco

Thanks for the compliment on my 187Y ( circa 1944) It was " Truly " a labor of love the cast iron Maiden is also about my age !

 

[Needcoffee]

Newall DP500's are in the $1000 dollar range . They are an excellent product.

 

[Z2V]

Paco
Your new lathe is a true Masterpiece, will you ever post pics of it with oily chips all over the pan? Great job putting it together,

 

[Firestopper]

Paco
Your new lathe is a true Masterpiece, will you ever post pics of it with oily chips all over the pan? Great job putting it together,

Thanks Jeff,
I hoping to post come test cuts over the weekend, finally!

Paco

 

[Firestopper]

Newall DP500's are in the $1000 dollar range . They are an excellent product.

Newall products are excellent but they don't always offer a 1 micron scale for the X axis on a affordable lathe kit. I seriously considered a Newall and read up after Mark (mksj) pointed out the benefits of a 1 micron scale application for the cross feed. In fact, some affordable Newall kits are limited on replacement scales, meaning, if a display head fails or a scale fails, you can only replace the failed item with the exact model with no upgrade substitutes. Now their DP 700 is offers some better scale choices but come with a cost.
They do come with a "no fault" 5 year warrantee.
The DROPro's mag scales came a 6 year warrantee but not if you crash them.
For me, the choice boiled down to bang for the buck like most folks

Paco

 

[Needcoffee]

I ran into the same issue with the specs for the newall dp500

Just remember on resolution and repeatibility. You have advertised 1 micron then you have certified. I have not seen any low end DRO's that come with legit traceable certs.

Including the DRO pro glass scales on my mill. The DRO reads 10ths but is repeatable in the thou range.

So check the repeatibility on lower end set for your self. Then decide what level of precision and accuracy you will need.

 

[mksj]

The DRO PRO magnetic scales do come with certs, something on the order of better than 1/2 micron resolution on the 1 micron scale, the repeatability on the 5 micron is on the order of +/- 0.0002". Also my Easson glass scales (5 and 1 micron) on my lathe do repeat with a high degree of accuracy. As mentioned there is accuracy and resolution, with the standard Sherosyn scales they are 10 micron, and when you go to diameter mode your are looking at +/- 0.0008". Newall does not have 1 micron scales (Mirosyn is available in 10 and 5 micron), in addition the DP500 lowest selectable resolution is 0.0002", so in diameter mode the display will jump in increments of 0.0004". Using a 5 micron scale on the mill with a resolution of 0.0002" is fine, but jumping 0.0004" increments on the lathe is very disconcerting. So both glass and magnetic scales are available in comparable resolution and accuracy, nothing wrong with glass scales unless you plan on running flood coolant or a environment with high risk of contamination. Reliability (and size wise) I think it is a coin choice between glass and magnetic scales (I have installed both). The latter is "easier" to install, but once installed it is all the same. Glass scales may be a bit longer overall, but you can get a close scale length for your particular application.

If you want to get a DRO with magnetic scales, for the most part you are looking at the $800-1000 range for an EL400 lathe specific display. There is no reason for magnetic scales should be so expensive, other than that is the market dynamics. If you want to go to glass scales, than the Easson 12B or C is $600-700, a bit less if you purchase direct from China. If you are looking for a basic generic DRO head with 5 micron on the X axis and 1 micron slimline on the Z axis, then these can be had for around $250. At that price you pretty much give up service support and warranty. There are numerous postings on these different models and their installation.

 

[KBeitz]

I installed both at Grizzly.... Magnetic scales is the best of the best...

 

[MrWhoopee]

Let me play the devil's advocate.
I bought the cheapest DRO I could find on Aliexpress for my Heavy 10L.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/DRO...052.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.3f204c4dNvvGMy

I am completely happy. The only complaint is it will not change from radius to diameter reading on the cross-feed axis. For under $175 I can live with that.

 

[JimDawson]

The only complaint is it will not change from radius to diameter reading on the cross-feed axis. For under $175 I can live with that.

I just set my encoder calibration on the X axis to 2 micron instead of 1 as it should be . Works like a charm, if yours has that capability.