TDA420, and non-TTL Microsyn

[carl0s]

Hi all,
I am probably going to buy the TDA420. My mill (King Rich KR-V2000) is sort of up and running. I have re-fitted the Accu-Rite-II (x/y) and Newall Microsyn (z) that it came with.
Along the way I broke the Y axis AccuRite scale so replaced with a Ditron one, but I used the old AccuRite cable to make an adapter, so I still have the DB9 ready for when I swap the DRO itself.

Anyway waffling aside, what's the likelihood of some hardware changes or new versions coming out from Touch DRO ? Given that there's a chance it will sit in a box for at least 6 months, should I wait a bit, or just get my order for a TDA420 in? It's going to come out relatively expensive after VAT, duty, international shipping etc. (do you need an agent?... I have space for a few boxes of stock)

Secondly, I believe I read in the past that support for the non-TTL Microsyn heads doesn't exist, and isn't likely to exist. Unfortunately mine is non-TTL. Should I just forget about it and buy another Ditron for the Y-axis? It seems such a shame because that scale is a thing of beauty and simplicity. I did some googling but I'm not seeing any simple electronics projects to build your own converter or anything.

 

[ycroosh]

Hi all,
I am probably going to buy the TDA420. My mill (King Rich KR-V2000) is sort of up and running. I have re-fitted the Accu-Rite-II (x/y) and Newall Microsyn (z) that it came with.
Along the way I broke the Y axis AccuRite scale so replaced with a Ditron one, but I used the old AccuRite cable to make an adapter, so I still have the DB9 ready for when I swap the DRO itself.

Anyway waffling aside, what's the likelihood of some hardware changes or new versions coming out from Touch DRO ? Given that there's a chance it will sit in a box for at least 6 months, should I wait a bit, or just get my order for a TDA420 in? It's going to come out relatively expensive after VAT, duty, international shipping etc. (do you need an agent?... I have space for a few boxes of stock)

Secondly, I believe I read in the past that support for the non-TTL Microsyn heads doesn't exist, and isn't likely to exist. Unfortunately mine is non-TTL. Should I just forget about it and buy another Ditron for the Y-axis? It seems such a shame because that scale is a thing of beauty and simplicity. I did some googling but I'm not seeing any simple electronics projects to build your own converter or anything.

Hi,
TDA-420 is not going anywhere any time soon. There will likely be firmware changes, but those will be user-upgradeable.
I'm almost sure that I will not have a way to support non-TTL scales, especially anything from Newall. In reality, the Ditron scale will be much more accurate than MicroSyn. Per Newall, these are effective 10 micron scales, regardless of the nominal resolution. Ditron scales match their nominal resolution (so you get 5um from a 5um scale, and 1um from a 1um scale). You loose the form factor and the ability to use it submerged, though.

Regards
Yuriy

 

[carl0s]

Thanks Yuriy. I'll get my order in then.
I'll probably just put the Newall on eBay when all done. It's working with a nice compact single-axis A50 read out. Must be useful to somebody.