DRO advice for lathe?

[skcncx]

I don't even know what the RPM function is. Sounds like a tachometer?? My Easons have a travel speed function that is easy to use, if you were doing production work and wanted to have all parts have the same mill marks it would seem useful. But as a hobbyist??

Yes, just a tachometer, the DRO has an input for a hall sensor to read spindle rpm. RPM "function" probably wasn't the best word to use.

Likely just a gratuitous sensor/read out but it seems many lathe operators have hooked up some type of auxiliary tach/rpm readout on their lathes... so why not just have it built into the DRO.

 

[Larry$]

OK, I'm too crude of a machinist to care if the rpm is exactly one thing or another. I just go by the indicator on the variable speed (Reeves drive.) No idea how accurate that is. 60 to ???? on mill. Gear drive on lathe that I assume to be relatively accurate to the chart.

 

[skcncx]

Well, my Aikron A30 3 axis DRO arrived for my lathe... still waiting on lathe, October eta. Anyway, it's certainly worth a consideration if you are in the market for one. I ordered on Friday and it arrived the following Friday. I ordered directly since I could ala cart the head unit and scales. Though you can purchase from https://www.machinetoolproducts.com out of the US.

The DRO head unit seems rock solid, a lot heavier than I was anticipating. While plastic, it doesn't flex one bit and is very tough. Not a game changer, but their UI has the manual built in for quick help when needed... that's a nice touch.

I ordered 2 of their slim (AUMS) scales, one 1 micron for x axis and the other 5 micron for quill. The 3rd scale for z axis is 5 micron but the larger body scale... though the actual magnetic scale underneath the protective stainless band is identical in size to the slim scales... just a bigger aluminum frame for it to sit in.

One thing I learned is that the 1 micron read head is specific to the 1 micron magnetic strip.... as is the 5 micron read heads and mag strips. I was previously under the impression the only difference between 1 and 5 micron was the read head. Maybe that's different for other brands but not the case with Aikron. Has something to do with the pitch of the magnetic scale. In testing I thought they didn't work, but it was just that I had the 5 micron read head on the 1 micron mag scale. Anyway, it'll still be a while before I can install and put it in real use.

Below are the pics of their AUMS mag scales, the docs say 16mm by 10mm, they are actually a bit smaller.

Once I get my PM-1236T, I may even glue/self stick them for the cross slide mount. Being so slim I likely won't need any offset to retain access to the cross slide lock screw.

 

[animal12]

Skcncx how are you liking your Aikron DRO ? Their prices seem pretty darn good , I emailed them on a Saturday night & they got back to me that night within a hour or so from my email . They also have a 2 year warranty . You don't see that with the Amazon Ebay or Ali DRO's .
thanks
animal

 

[skcncx]

Skcncx how are you liking your Aikron DRO ? Their prices seem pretty darn good , I emailed them on a Saturday night & they got back to me that night within a hour or so from my email . They also have a 2 year warranty . You don't see that with the Amazon Ebay or Ali DRO's .
thanks
animal

This is a bit of a ramble....

I like it. Keep in mind, this is my first DRO ever and I've used it for 10-15 small projects and have found it easy to use. I like the calculator functionally and it's ability to transfer values to the each axis as needed for offsets and such. When I go weeks between projects it's easy to remember how it works. A plus for the usability. Everything has worked as expected, no issues. The readers and scales are great. I would certainly recommend the mag scales since you can cut to length and are very compact. I had no issues aligning read heads once I did all the work to mount them and the covers. I ordered mine really long (no extra cost) and then cut to length. The A30 display unit is not metal, but it's certainly solid and well built, quite heavy for what it is. I covered mine with clear shelf liner, like others have used screen protectors. I see no reason to get their A30P, cheaper plastic version.

I have no complaints and I as well have had very quick responses from them when I've had pre-sale as well as post sale questions. One of my main reasons for purchasing from them was the a la carte approach. Pick your read out, how many and what axis and other interfaces and then choose your scales, mag or glass and what length and resolution of each. I got my x, y and quill on my PM-833TV... still need to get the scale and reader on my column.

They even sent me an updated firmware to fix a small display issue... it was not switching the feed rate display between metric and inch mode... I think it was just always showing you the feed rate all the time in metric units, even if you were in inch/imperial mode.

I also purchased this for my lathe... which, has been delayed another month from PM but will be installed on that as well... same DRO and mag scales but will obviously run it in lathe mode and I ordered it with just 3 axis, not 4 like my bench top mill.

I posted somewhere on here a discount code, I think it was good for 5%, and should still be accepted from what I understand. If order and can't find it, let me know, I'll search for it.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Any prevailing advice on features/style/usability for a lathe DRO?

• Usability is my primary concern - unfortunately, the 3 options (pic attached) I'm picking from have varying levels of info in their manual... and one, no manual exists (yet).
  
  
• Primary features wanted- abs/inc modes, Radius/Diameter modes and the calculator with ability to reference and apply calculations to/from the x and z coordinates... all DRO appear to have that.... though some depending on button and interface may make that more user friendly.
  • I would imagine the LCD (option #2 in attached pic) could provide a good experience but NO manual yet... so it's hard to know.
    
• No preference between glass vs magnetic scales - won't be using cooling other than manually applying cutting fluid when necessary. That seems to be the main con of optical, they don't do as well with surrounding swarf and cutting fluids.
  
  
• This will be on a PM-1236T
  
  
• I guess worst case I can switch the interface to the TouchDRO app or other compatible display.

Available options these... (#s coordinate with attached pic)

1. https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/dropml8x35/
2. https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/pm-2-axis-lathe-dro-lcd-display-8x35-0001-hi-res-cross-scale/
3. https://www.precisionmatthews.com/shop/magxact-magnetic-2-axis-lathe-dro-8x40/

Back story context - I previously decided on the PM-1228 and it only has one option for an installed DRO... so my decision was easy. I have more options with the PM-1236T... good and bad I guess. The PM-1228, has all the features I want and $3200 less than the PM-1236T configured with identical and installed DROs.... but sitting on that decision before I placed the order, I kept coming back to the overall quality improvement of the PM-1236T and input from others in previous thread. Both have all the features I want and I actually prefer the variable speed motor of the PM-1228. To start I'm going single phase on the PM-1236T and see if the gear ranges suffice before I spend the extra for VFD controlled motor and hassle of changing many of the electrical components.

I have this DRO on my lathe and I like it, it is accurate and easy to read. I have the 3 axis version of this DRO on my mill and I like it alot, one of the things I like about having, essentially the same unit on both machines is moving from one to the other required no thinking about the controls.

 

[skcncx]

One of the things I like about having, essentially the same unit on both machines is moving from one to the other required no thinking about the controls.

Exactly the reason I wanted effectively the same DRO on mill and lathe.... I'll read manuals and know all the features... but intermittent hobby use, in about 1 week of reading the manual, I'll forget all the specifics... so something that is natural to use is key. I'm sure many other DROs are like that, and the main reason I wanted a larger LCD screen, not just the plain LED display units... too many special key presses to navigate... then again, I only use 10% of all the features... I read the axis values, zero them, and adjust for tool bit sizes, and use the calculator.

 

[animal12]

Thanks , good to hear . I'm thinkin I'll be getting one of these for my new to me mill . I like the pricing along with the customer support ,the only thing I'm not sure on is shipping cost's
thanks
animal

 

[skcncx]

Thanks , good to hear . I'm thinkin I'll be getting one of these for my new to me mill . I like the pricing along with the customer support ,the only thing I'm not sure on is shipping cost's
thanks
animal

My shipping was $140 for my lathe dro kit and $170 for the mill because I added more items... so it's not cheap to ship, though was at my door within a few days or ordering.... just part of the cost. Make sure to find the discount code, or just ask them for one, that's what I did.

 

[animal12]

My shipping was $140 for my lathe dro kit and $170 for the mill because I added more items... so it's not cheap to ship, though was at my door within a few days or ordering.... just part of the cost. Make sure to find the discount code, or just ask them for one, that's what I did.

Ouch , thats over 50 % of the purchase price , I may have to take in some cans & bottles .
thanks
animal