Poor mans 4th axis on Mill DRO

[MWF FEED]

I recently fitted a 3 axis DRO to my mill. I really would have liked a 4 axis but at the time of ordering, to get a 4 axis was almost double the price of the 3 axis.

So I fitted up the 3 axis with the Z on the knee. Works well but I really wanted one on the quill as well.

So after a bit of thinking, I ordered another scale for the quill (about $100) and also bought a 2 port D9 serial switch box. ($32). I already had a cable. (As its turned out my cable is 3M long so I will get a shorter one.)

Spent the weekend fitting up the quill scale.
quill scale 003.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386100&d=1587890160)

Made a bracket and mounted the switch box to the side of the DRO unit. Now I can switch between the knee or the quill (figured I'd never want to be moving both at the same time) I still have to make a strain relief bracket for the reader cable and a couple of labels for the switch.

Z switch.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386101&d=1587890172) Z switch back.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386102&d=1587890193)

peter
Attached Images

https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif Z switch back.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386102&d=1587890193) (201.8 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif Z switch.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386101&d=1587890172) (120.0 KB)
https://metalworkforums.com/images/attach/jpg.gif quill scale 003.jpg (https://metalworkforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=386100&d=1587890160) (128.2 KB)




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