My Cheap Tailstock DRO

I had a solar powered Mitutoyo 6" caliper that had jacked up inside anvils. I don't remember where exactly they came from but were free. I must be fat and cause a solar eclipse because every time I tried to use them, I blocked the light and they would go blank. So I stole other ideas and put them to good use. Just a mount held on the tailstock by magnets which was machined from some junky 2" cold roll I dug out of the dumpster at work. The calipers are also held with the same 12mm magnets you can get at Lowes or Ace and I assume plenty of other places. The corner should have been 93 degrees instead of 92 degrees and if I ever get a piece of aluminum, I will probably remake the entire setup as I'm not thrilled with the finish but it works. It is also angled 30 degrees to read easier.
I'm not impressed with how rough the Mit calipers are inside. Damn depressing. As I think of Mit as one of the finest along with Starrett, B&S, Maher, and a few others from the Swiss, Germans, Austria..

I mounted mine on my quill by screwing it on, but I watched a video the other day that was more impressive.
His mount which I wish I had done:
quill_clamp.jpg
His video:
 
How you you deal with the rotational play of the tail stock quill in this situation?
I'm hoping it won't be a problem. Based on other tailstock DROs I've seen I'm guessing it won't, but that remains to be seen.
 
Also, seems like you cannot retract the quill fully to pop the Morse Taper out of battery, how do you deal with that?
That's something I need to test a little further. Right now it pops out my live center and chuck no problem well before the quill bracket would hit the tailstock base. I have a shorter deadcenter I can test with it too and see if that one is an issue. If it is, I will consider making the quill bracket narrower. With the two screws it bites on incredibly well.... I tested the two screw version with just one screw and it was still attached very well, but I might print a narrower version and test it too.
 
For what it's worth, here's my rendition of a DRO mount:

 
For what it's worth, here's my rendition of a DRO mount:

I had started machining a solution until I thought, "hey, I design and 3D print all sorts of stuff, why not do it for this project... and if others are interested, it'll be a cinch to duplicate!"
 
For what it's worth, here's my rendition of a DRO mount:

This is the post I shamelessly got my idea from. Thanks for the inspiration.

I did not want to drill the tailstock.
 
An update to 3D printed mounts for iGaging DRO:
87EAEB1E-304F-4FBF-8F02-D64140948B0A.jpeg


The cable I bought is a little too short (8”) so swapping that out for a 12” tomorrow. I wasn’t happy with the sensor mount magnets I bought so I bought some bigger ones and extended the length of the mount. I also made the quill bracket narrower at 16mm and switched to M3 screws. I have plenty of space to pop out everything I’ve tried in the tailstock so far.

Doug had asked how rotational play in the quill was handled. The sensor mount being magnetic actually helps really well in this regard… I have minimal rotational play in my quill but if I do rotate it you can see the magnetic sensor mount move slightly… so some free play without binding or contorting more solid mounts…the reading on the DRO either stays the same or bounces by .001 during rotation. I still need to get some use out of it and see if I run into any issues, but so far it’s looking great and it’s really easy to duplicate in any color (I’m a fan of orange). I am using PETG filament for this application (and most parts I print for shop use).
 
An update to 3D printed mounts for iGaging DRO:
View attachment 392767

The cable I bought is a little too short (8”) so swapping that out for a 12” tomorrow. I wasn’t happy with the sensor mount magnets I bought so I bought some bigger ones and extended the length of the mount. I also made the quill bracket narrower at 16mm and switched to M3 screws. I have plenty of space to pop out everything I’ve tried in the tailstock so far.

Doug had asked how rotational play in the quill was handled. The sensor mount being magnetic actually helps really well in this regard… I have minimal rotational play in my quill but if I do rotate it you can see the magnetic sensor mount move slightly… so some free play without binding or contorting more solid mounts…the reading on the DRO either stays the same or bounces by .001 during rotation. I still need to get some use out of it and see if I run into any issues, but so far it’s looking great and it’s really easy to duplicate in any color (I’m a fan of orange). I am using PETG filament for this application (and most parts I print for shop use).
Nothing wrong with that. How is it doing?
 
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