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Thread: Upgrade to the Poor Mans DRO
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26th May 2015, 10:13 AM #1
Tool Whore
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Upgrade to the Poor Mans DRO
The digital readout on my milling machine consisted of three of these "cheap" readouts.
Here is the knee (Z) readout on my mill.
These units work very well except that the display units are a bit small, hard to read and only have limited functionality. So I decided to setup a DRO readout based on the info on this web page -http://www.yuriystoys.com/p/android-dro.html. The Android app is configurable, a much bigger display and has a lot of the features found on commercial DRO units (and probably some that aren't?).
The setup consists of a small microcontroller (Arduino Uno) connected to the DRO axi (plural of axis
) which transmits the reading to an Android tablet via bluetooth. It's really quite a nice little (and inexpensive) setup.
Below is my current setup for proof of concept. The Arduino, protoshield and bluetooth module (in the black tape) cost less than $15 (delivered) and the addition of a few simple components completes the unit.
The tablet was an old windows based unit (an old one from work) that I installed Android x86 on (as a dual boot) which works well except that I needed to install an external Bt dongle as it won't use the internal device (not a biggie). I can also use my phone as the DRO head, in a pinch.
It all seems to work as planned, so I just need to box up the electronics and mount the tablet.Cheers.
Vernon.
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26th May 2015 10:13 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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26th May 2015, 10:22 AM #2
SENIOR MEMBER
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Thanks for the information. It may be the answer to my project. I am designing a cnc 3 axi router for making printed circuit boards. have just started project - gathering ideas and concepts.
Bob
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1st June 2015, 10:16 AM #3
Tool Whore
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Finished this project up over the weekend.
Put the electronics in a box to provide it with some protection.
Mounted the tablet on an articulated arm on the mill, where the old dro displays were previously mounted.Cheers.
Vernon.
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1st June 2015, 10:39 AM #4
Burnt Out Chip
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Maate the weekend was perfect for such a project (if you could stay warm). Now you can measure it what project will you be using it on?
Just do it!
Kind regards Rod
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1st June 2015, 11:03 AM #5
Tool Whore
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Yes it was the perfect weekend. The family was down at Sawtell, so I was home alone and I was supposed to be doing work on the sheep yards, but the weather kept me inside (except for the game of hockey I played in the pouring rain
Originally Posted by chambezio
). I was devastated, as you can imagine.
Nothing in particular, although I did use it when milling the holes in the plastic box and the metal backing plate.Now you can measure it what project will you be using it on?
Putting a DRO on my milling machine was one of the best additions I could have done. Improves both ease of use and the enjoyment I get when using it. Now the TouchDRO software and it's many features takes it to another level again.
I'm now considering putting a similar DRO on my lathe.
Cheers.
Vernon.
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1st June 2015, 06:06 PM #6
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That is a really neat job. I bet you move the mill table every time you walk past it just to see the display change!
I like it a lot.
Cheers,
SimonGirl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.
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2nd June 2015, 11:36 AM #7
Tool Whore
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Yes it is a bit of a novelty.
The other thing I like about it is the fact that I can use the tablet for more than just a DRO when on the mill eg. I can use a speeds and feeds app to get a starting point for milling, use a scientific calculator, view drawings, manuals, other documents, watch videos, surf the web, etc.Cheers.
Vernon.
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7th June 2015, 03:00 PM #8
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Vernon, where did you buy the scales from?
CHRIS
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7th June 2015, 07:14 PM #9
Tool Whore
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From this guy on ebay - http://www.ebay.com.au/usr/ozmestore1
He was the cheapest supplier I could find at the time, however it appears he has none in stock, or has stopped selling them.Cheers.
Vernon.
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