POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

LEEQ said:
Yah, I'm no expert. I read about the problem on threads regarding the diy dro's. I never would have thought to do that on my own. I made several temporary dogmeat scales with one of those. I did not let them ground to the machine, and I never had the problem. Only when I let the metal brackets touch my mini lathe.
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What problem? You haven't described a problem.
 
" As mounted to my mini lathe they would run up and down and all around while the machine sat perfectly still." By this, I meant that the position of the scale on the readout moves, while the scale is sitting still. As an example, from across the room I can watch the scale move from zero to 31". The machine is motionless, and it is only a 7x12 lathe. The scales would also change while in use without warning.
 
I have heard about accuracy problems if the DRO is NOT grounded? I think it could count noise as pulses.
 
LEEQ said:
" As mounted to my mini lathe they would run up and down and all around while the machine sat perfectly still." By this, I meant that the position of the scale on the readout moves, while the scale is sitting still. As an example, from across the room I can watch the scale move from zero to 31". The machine is motionless, and it is only a 7x12 lathe. The scales would also change while in use without warning.
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You might just doublecheck that your lathe itself is grounded and/or there is not a short from a hot lead to the metal. I realize that is not likely but I have not heard people having to insulate their DRO's from the lathe before.
 
Read up on noise problems with that aluminum scale era cheap magnetic digital scale. Plenty of people talk about fixes that have worked for them. Isolating them from the machines seems to work for me. If it goes back to glitchyness, it's going to get replaced. I have tried what I am willing to do to fix it. Like I said though, this scales twin has worked all over the shop in different mounts made of that grey plastic. In fact, I carved those two pictured mounts out of a block used to adapt a Z axis dro when I first got the 12x36 going. The slot in one block hides the remnants of a two hole pattern. The other one still has two threaded holes in it. I did mention frugal didn't I?
 
I had an Igaging on my SouthBend, it's now on my Dewalt planer. I never had a problem with it.. My only complaint is that it was reading radius and I wanted direct reading.
 
Oops. Well that's the name of a thread showing my makeshift dro and touching on the problem some of us were having. I know there are more out there.
 
Started making some set up blocks on the weekend. They are 2” x 6” x 9” I squared up both blocks on the mill. I got a 10” face mill when I bought the machine. Cuts wonderfully. I drilled and taped 8holes-3/4”-10 and 4 holes 5/8-11. I still need to drill and tap the second block.
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Here is a discussion of common problems that have been identified with the older (Aluminum) iGaging Scales either when used with TouchDRO or with the factory readouts. When I first added my TouchDRO to my iGaging Absolute SS scales, I communicated with @ycroosh and he recommended not doing anything special unless I already had issues with the factory readouts. The scales on my Mini-Mill haven’t had any issues.

I do recall reading several reports of the Aluminum scales having issues with the stamped factory mounts, and that the problems went away when machined Aluminum brackets were used. @LEEQ ’s fix may have also worked with Aluminum brackets instead of insulating ones, but the important thing is that they now work.
 
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