DIY DRO

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Has anyone done this

**LINK**

I might get tempted at some point and using a tablet sounds like an excellent idea to me. I'd wonder about wireless with inverters and speed controllers about but the alternative looks to be USB.

John

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[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

[John RuddParticipant @johnrudd16576]

Yes, me…I'm on with it as I type..

I bought a new Android tablet from Argos for £60, brand is Lenovo so quite good.

I binned sone of the apps that it came with, Faceache, Skype and the rest of the crap….download TouchDRO no problem, runs ok.

I already have an Arduino board, Mega, and an Uno. Once up a d running I have some of the small micro Arduino boards to use.

Trying to get the Bluetooth side working first, then I'll hook up the scales.

This wont be a quick project for me, as I've got other stuff to get on with…

[Les Jones 1Participant @lesjones1]

Hi John W1,
I am running Yuriy's code on an Google Nexus7 and it works well. I am not using the interfaces on Yuriy's website. I decided to design my own interface running on an Atmel ATtiny4313 as an exercise in programing the ATtiny. I am not using it on a machine as I already have DRO350s on my mill and lathe.

Les.

[Colin HeseltineParticipant @colinheseltine48622]

Hi there,

Yes I have used Yury's Touch-DRO software. I am using Machine-DRO magnetic read-heads and Yuri's quadrature converter. I have installed it on Cowells Mill. There are some pictures in my album on this site "Twizseven's Bits & Bobs". I am in fact about to make another converter (hopefully over Xmas) for a second set of read-heads to go on a Cowells ME90 lathe. I am using a Toughshield T700 android tablet. Its waterproof, dustproof and drop-proof. I may steal my daughters android tablet she no longer uses for the second setup.

The electronics was the first thing I had built of this type since building single valve radio in 1962. Bit worried when powered it on but all was okay. I bought the Texas Instruments MSP430 board direct from TI in the States, rest of the bits from Maplins, bits in stock and Bluetooth module from Ebay IIRC. The Bluetooth link to tablet works very well.

If its any help I can let you have a copy of my circuit schematic and circuit board layout.

Regards,

Colin

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

John, have a read of this thread

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Thanks for the info. I'm particularly interested in Colin using magnetic read heads. Since I saw the smaller Newall's DRO set up I have looked around to see if anyone has copied it. No, but even the ordinary sort appeals. Costs are similar to other higher res set ups due to the cost of the read heads.

Soldering irons and etc are a busman's holiday for me. After a number of other incarnations I finished up working on ECU hardware and software.

I suspect I would use plain ordinary perforate board rather than a pcb unless these were readily available – not even the vero strip type either.

Many other things to do at the moment. I've read elsewhere that several different machine set ups can be stored away. That aspect is interesting as well but I do like the fact that the ordinary dial and leadscrew can produce sizes to 0.0001" give or take a couple. That's one of the things that has put me off DRO's a bit. However.

John

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Edited By John W1 on 11/11/2015 19:08:03

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

There is also chance of more extreme DIY eg

**LINK**

John

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