Glass or Magnetic?

Before purchasing my Ditron magnetic scale, I requested a quote from Electronica, and they didn't respond back. I even followed up and emailed again...and no response.

And FWIW, I bought an Easson 1u glass scale on close out for my lathes z axis and like it. The cover is awesome; no way for swarf to get at the scale.
 
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Arcstar* said:
The y scale is working but not the x
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My thinking is just find the part that is not working and fix it, the old scales were good performers and all reasonably priced replacements are not as good. if it is a glass scale it might just need to be cleaned, unless you just want something new? the front end can be reasonably replaced with something like touch dro and as i understand it Touch DRO can be configured to accept most scales and a mixed batch of scales also.
talk to Yuri
 
mksj said:
Depends on how much you want to spend, the cheaper magnetic scales/DRO's tend to be quite inaccurate despite the quoted resolution of the reader head. Lots of posts on problems with the Ditron magnetic scales, and probably applies to most of the generic. Glass scales use a grating system that in most cases is accurate despite the price range, but can suffer from poor lip seals and the data transmission from the head. Better magnetic scales from Electronica or SRA, hold their accuracy over distance. I use and EL700 with magnet scales on my mill and it has performed very well, other than not a big fan of a touch screen. Magnetic scales are smaller and less finicky to install in my experience. They are considered to be less prone to coolant damage, but can become erratic if a metallic chip gets between the reader and the tape. The better heads do have wipers on either side of the head. On the mill I like to use the graphical DRO heads with soft keys for different DRO functions. I also find them easier to read in different light conditions and some have summing of two axis. Also nice to have the feed rates displayed, etc. If you want just numbers and less expensive DRO I would go with glass scales. Quite a few people have bought the ES-12B with magnetic scales from Machine DRO in the UK, my understanding is that Easson may no longer be producing these DRO's, but they work very well (I use one on my lathe).
www.hobby-machinist.com

Ditron vs Sino...wich is better in your opinion

@ycroosh - Any thoughts on my Ditron read head with 6 wires? I do not see this variation listed on your website? Is it RS422 without reference? @WobblyHand ? With only 6 wires, I'd guess it was A+, A-, B+, B-, +5V, and GND. However, I'm not an expert at this at all.
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com
www.machine-dro.co.uk

Easson ES-12B LCD digital readout package including 3 linear magnetic encoders

3 Axis Easson ES-12B LCD graphic digital readout package with three magnetic encoders. The encoders offer a very compact profile size and can be cut to length to custom fit the machine being installed. The package is suitable for mills up to Bridgeport 42" sized machines or 30" between centre...
www.machine-dro.co.uk www.machine-dro.co.uk

You can also sum the Z and U axis on these displays.
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Dude, clean your mill.
 
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