digital verniers

[wonka]

Its time to buy a new set of digital verniers,the last 2 sets seem to go crazy after about 2 minutes with a new battery,I am thinking of some more upmarket ones this time,maybe mitutoyo. Would be interested to see what others have and how reliable they are .

[snowyskiesau]

I have a couple of no name brands that have not given any trouble in the last 18 months or so.
If I start to get unexpected results, I clean the battery contacts and/or replace the battery - usually just replacing the battery will fix any issues.
I buy cheap batteries 50 at a time on eBay, costs less than $10.

[Grahame Collins]

Hi,
Is it about the battery more so than the verniers?

Put the wrong battery in it and the Miti will go flat just as quick as brand x.
There are two identical dimension batteries available, but they certainly aren’t the same in performance.

Basically the manganese dioxide LR44’s have a better density than the silver oxide SR44’s.

The function of most verniers is also that the buggers are live, all the time with the on/off switch only serving to switch the face display on and off .

While I have no direct evidence to prove so, I feel that leaving them in a drawer for a couple of months at a time ,seems to accelerate battery usage. I went to LR 44 over SrR44 and really found a marked improvement.

Try some LR batteries in your current verniers first and see if there is a difference.

Here’s a list of LR 44s- pinched from the net.

• Dick Smith A76
• Duracell 10L14 / 10SL17 / D357 / D76 / MS76 / MS76H / 303-357(s.o.) / SR44
• Energizer 357 / BS07 / BSR44H / A76
• Eveready 357 / 541 / EPX76 / S76E
• Kodak KS76
• Mallory LR44
• Maxell 313 / LR44 / SR44P / SR07 / SR44SW
• Panasonic SP76 / SR44
• Pentax LX S-76
• Pentax ME Super / LR44
• Phillips A76
• Seiko SB-F9
• Sony 76-S
• Toshiba SR44W / SR44SW



Grahame

[snowyskiesau]

hkasiamall (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/50-Maxell-LR44-AG13-A76-357-SR44-Battery-FREE-S-H-au_W0QQitemZ230377693949QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Electronics_Batteries_Chargers?hash=item35a394a2fd&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14) is the eBay seller I bought my batteries from (LR44 which is alkaline).
Price has gone up a little but $13 for 50 Maxell batteries is hard to beat.

[neksmerj]

Hi GC,

A while since we last spoke. Your comments on LR44 batteries was most impresive, very informative.

I was a little daunted at having to buy 50 batteries, so checked out HKAsiamall's eBay site, and was pleased to learn that much smaller quantities can be purchased, and did so.

For a little under $4, I grabbed a pack of ten. Postage to Australia is free. Can't even back the car out of the garage for that price. I have no affiliation with the seller.

When the batteries arrive, I intend to cut up one of my verniers and mount it to my lathe carriage. I believe the hardened stainless steel is difficult to cut and drill, any clues? My verniers cost me less than $20 each, so can afford to hack one up.

Thanks for the tips gents,

Ken

[Blu_Rock]

I believe the hardened stainless steel is difficult to cut and drill, any clues?

Ken

I have mounted two of the cheap Aldi verniers on my X2 mini mill.

I used a 4" angle grinder to lop off the unwanted bits of the verniers, taking care not to let the grit get into the mechanism and not letting it get too hot while cutting.

I used a small carbide-tipped masonry bit, cooled with cutting oil/water mix, to drill the mounting holes.

Don't let any moisture get into the electronics as it sends them crazy and you will have to dis-assemble the units and let it well and truly dry out before they are OK.