Low price iGaging DRO's - Looking for the contact name

[Cadillac STS]

If they are comparable tie the Touch DRO system they bluetooth to the tablet and the tablet is the display. Also means with (wireless) bluetooth you can use the same tablet for your mill and lathe with it syncing up just taking to over to the other machine. Or so it seems, not have done it myself yet.

 

[JPigg55]

A couple other threads here discussing igaging scales and Yuriy's Toys Touch DRO.
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/showthread.php/26283-igaging-DRO-comparison
http://www.hobby-machinist.com/show...ng-Absolute-DRO-installation-on-Clausing-8520

 

[JPigg55]

I have another question that goes along with this thread.
I've installed igaging Absolute DRO scales on my mill and lathe. I'm currently building the Yuriy's Toys controllers using Arduino (http://www.yuriystoys.com/2014/07/anrdoid-dro-step-by-step.html).
Here's my question/problem. I'm thinking I want to keep the original scale read-out displays connected in parallel with the controller/wifi interface. I'm thinking I could connect them and use them similar to the battery back-up found here (http://www.yuriystoys.com/2014/01/battery-backup-for-dro-interface.html).
If I'm correct in my thinking, the original displays with battery power would keep the scales from losing position in the event of a power loss to the controller and allow using the original read-outs to be used for quick, simple jobs without using a tablet with the Touch DRO App if one so desired.
So, could anyone tell me if the position signal would be affected if the scale inputs to the Arduino controller were connected in parallel to the original scale read-outs ?

 

[rourkek4]

Folks,

This week I took receipt of a package from DavidH all the way over in Ireland. I just wanted to acknowledge him on here. All interactions were very prompt and pleasant, without knowing him, I like the guy!

The package (1X 36", 2 X 24" & 2X 12" scales) were very well packed, minimizing volume weight as much as he could and arrived safe and sound to me, hopefully to be fitted over the coming week or so.

without David i wouldn't have been able to complete my "Yuriys Bluetooth DRO" as i could not source the scales anywhere on this side of the pond, particularly not at Davids Prices.

David I am indebted, Thank you. And as i mentioned earlier, I am hopefully picking up another lathe for my own house this weekend, so i could be back onto you as soon as funds recover!

Kevin

 

[davidh]

kevin, thanks for the kind words. i still have a "boatload " of these things waiting for new homes. . . .:talktogod:

 

[Bamban]

Is it possible to obtain an adapter cable/connector to plug the iGaging scasles to an existing read out box? I suppose the savvy types can interface these assuming they have the schematic and pin connections.

Thank you.

 

[kd4gij]

Is it possible to obtain an adapter cable/connector to plug the iGaging scasles to an existing read out box? I suppose the savvy types can interface these assuming they have the schematic and pin connections.

Thank you.

Thay arenot compattable with most all dro systems. Yuari's touch dru and Shumatech dro kits are the only ones.

 

[fastback]

Has anyone mounted one of these on a Southbend lathe? I have a Heavy 10 that I would consider for this set up. I would be interested in seeing pictures and comments.

I installed an absolute DRO on the quill of my BP mill and have been very happy with it. I purchased mine from David.

Paul

 

[davidh]

from the looks of a photo i just saw, its a tight squeeze between the back of the bed and the taper attachment but it just may work. i used firefox and put "image Southbend Heavy 10" in the search box. there was an image of the back of one that somebody was selling. a formed sheet metal bracket attached to the cross feed and the scale attached to the lower part of the bed. . . you could probably do it with 6 tapped holes with #6 socket head capscrews.

 

[arvidj]

Is it possible to obtain an adapter cable/connector to plug the iGaging scasles to an existing read out box? I suppose the savvy types can interface these assuming they have the schematic and pin connections.

Thank you.

They are not compatible with most all dro systems. Yuari's touch dru and Shumatech dro kits are the only ones.

In case you are wondering why they are not compatible:

Most DRO's use an interface that is commonly known as quadrature encoding. It is a relatively simple protocol that is based on movement rather than location. By this I mean that that two streams of pulses are sent to the DRO from the scale as the head moves. The DRO knows how much the head has moved with each pulse [it is a setup configuration value on the DRO] and can tell which way it moved based on how the two pulse streams interact. In the end what the scale is sending to the DRO is relative information ... "The head has moved xxx amount". I assume that this protocol is based on the fact that the scale was never designed to display anything. The scales job was to accurately respond to a change in position, send that information to some other device as quickly and easily as possible, and not worry about what the change might mean to some real world location ... i.e. xx.yyy from some reference location.

The IGaging [and other similar] scales send a pulse stream to Yauri's DRU and Schumatch DRO that is an absolute position. Every so often [like every 100th or 30th or ??? of a second] the scale sends a stream of data to the DRO that says "I am at xx.yyyy". Note that this is significantly different than the information that most DRO's are expecting ... 100% incompatible. Again I am speculating here, but I believe this is based on the original intent of the scales. The scales had a display integrated into the device therefore all of the processing that was required to determine a location from some reference location ... set when you pressed the 'zero' button on the display ... was done on the scale. When someone decided they wanted to make the information available to the world outside of the scale they decided to send the processed information ... i.e. the location that was showing on the LCD ... rather than the raw data that the display was using to determine the location.

After the initial 'lets do this' was working every other manufacturer did the same thing and the style became a 'standard' [very loose use of the term]. Of course it really wasn't a standard because the format of the stream of information that comes from the scale varies depending on who the scale manufacturer is and if they were simply ripping off some other manufacturers work or if they thought they could do it better\faster\cheaper by having their own protocol. Having their own protocol also mitigated the risk of an end user being able to use some other manufacturers remote display head with their scale ... i.e. if you use our scale you must use our expensive remote display.

What all that means in the end is that there is no guarantee that any particular non-quadrature scale will work with Yauri's DRU and Schumatch DRO. They can decode most of the protocols from most of the non-quadrature scales but that is because Yauri and Scott have researched what the protocols look like and have written the software necessary to decode it. A scale manufacturer who decided on some better\faster\cheaper protocol Yauri and Scott have not implemented will not work with their displays either.