Thoughts on DROs

[MrWhoopee]

Maybe I'm nuts. Having used both a DRO and Trav-a-dial on a lathe, it is much easier to track a dial as it approaches zero. Now that DROs come with full color LCD displays, how hard would it be to display a dial along with the digital display?

 

[Grandpop]

Have to agree, the lathe trav-a-dials were the bomb. I do not like watching the numbers counting down to zero on my Mitutoyo readout, a dial look would be nicer.

 

[woodchucker]

I too like a dial for certain operations.

 

[WobblyHand]

Maybe I'm nuts. Having used both a DRO and Trav-a-dial on a lathe, it is much easier to track a dial as it approaches zero. Now that DROs come with full color LCD displays, how hard would it be to display a dial along with the digital display?

View attachment 484294

It's not terribly hard to do, but it is tedious to do with low level graphics. I know this first hand programming my ELS menus on a touch panel display. I had to write twice as much code for the display and human interaction than for the actual ELS function. On these low end platform displays, I'd bet there's precious little high end graphics tools available.

 

[OTmachine]

Hard to beat a Trav-A-Dial! I use a way mounted dial indicator.

 

[Smithdoor]

I think work great on mills.

Every time I try lathe with dro it skipped and cross slide was a lot wider.
I use portable on my lathe and works every time.

Dave

 

[mmcmdl]

ALWAYS used trav-a-dials on the lathes . No way to watch a DRO when roughing in shafts .

 

[matthewsx]

Maybe I'm nuts. Having used both a DRO and Trav-a-dial on a lathe, it is much easier to track a dial as it approaches zero. Now that DROs come with full color LCD displays, how hard would it be to display a dial along with the digital display?

View attachment 484294

Ask @ycroosh if he can add one to touch dro?

If anyone would do it he would….

John

 

[toprecyler]

It all depends on where the DRO display is mounted. Unfortunately where we would like it most of the time would be right next to where the chips are being formed, so we can both watch the numbers, and the tool cutting at the same time.

It took me a while to get used to the DRO numbers , but it gets easier the more you do it.

But there is something to be said for a good old Dial indicator moving to a zero.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[akjeff]

Depends on the DRO, but the better quality displays will have an additional display below the numeric, with an analog bar graph, that will show an "approach to zero". Different strokes for different folks I guess, but I find a DRO extremely useful on a lathe.