Digital Read Outs

M

Mini Me

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Oct 13, 2015
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The protractor thread was being dragged more off topic and I was asked for information about cheap DRO's. Let me say up front all these DRO's are made in China so if you have an issue with that you have to find answers elsewhere. I was one of the first to buy a Wixey and within its limits they work well but I have grown to realise that they have not kept up with the times at least for me. I have always been annoyed about the zero procedure and these days as I get older the lack of a backlight is a big problem as well.

I have wanted to put DRO's on my slider for as long as I have owned it but the European sourced units were simply not worth the money being asked (for me) and then I saw this video and I was instantly converted due to the price.



The only issue for some is there is no on/off switch but the batteries last over six months and the calibration after changing the battery takes about one minute in total. These DRO's as mentioned in the video can be had with different length cables and are widely available from a variety of sources on Banggood, Ali Express etc. Links are given in the video.

Over on the other FOG (Felder Owners Group) there is a very long thread discussing these Chinese DRO's and while not everyone owns a slider it is worth a read because some posts expand on the pathetic instructions and calibration procedure.

FOG DRO link

Here is a sample link for buying. Note the read tape can be sourced separately and the also the read head as well. The head and tape combination can be bought in different lengths as well so pay attention to what you order.

Link to Alixpress

The above link was taken from this page

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-digital-read-out.html?spm=a2g0o.home.search.0

I have bought just the head because I already had left over tape and that works out well. There are lots of different vendors so shop around for a good price. There are versions with a shorter connecting cord as wee but the longer cord can be shortened with some care.

 
 
Mini Me said:
I was one of the first to buy a Wixey and ... have always been annoyed about the zero procedure and these days as I get older the lack of a backlight is a big problem as well.
Click to expand...

The zero procedure for the newer models (as of at least 3 years ago, maybe longer) is much easier especially for the drum sander/thickness planer model. You press and hold the On/Off/Cal button and it goes into calibration mode, then you use the +/- buttons to tell it the current setting. So, you can rip something on your tablesaw, sand something, or plane something - and then measure it with your digital calipers and set the Wixey to that.
 
Mini Me said:
I have wanted to put DRO's on my slider for as long as I have owned it but the European sourced units were simply not worth the money being asked (for me) and then I saw this video and I was instantly converted due to the price.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lE5G3snAfpw&list=PLEb0Ut6A7deZhW9Sbf0EGMmTaxGrJpTyJ&index=21
Click to expand...

I think I am having a dense moment.  What part of the video you linked converted you?  I don't see anything related to a DRO and was looking forward to alternative systems.

I agree with [member=77266]smorgasbord[/member] about the ease of calibration for the Wixey DROs.  I have a Laguna 1632 drum sander with an integrated Wixey DRO, and setting the zero point is a one-button push.  I had a Wixey WR500 on my old jointer/planer and the calibration had a few extra steps because I could not raise the planer bed to the knives.
 
The calibration procedure for these DRO,s is to make a test cut of any size you can accurately measure then set the read out to that measurement, it literally takes about 1 minute and there is no guess work touching off from the blade and what you set is what you get. At the price of the Wixey and I presume no backlight I will pass thanks.
 
I put cheap read outs on a hobby milling machine I have. 
One by one they all eventually died.
But that was a while back.  I think they are making better units now.

Suppose it depends on the machine.    My drum sander has a digital readout --- I never look at it.    If thickness is important, I take my calipers and measure the actual piece of wood.
 
Mini Me said:
I have a K3 slider so I don't need a sled and it doesn't have a mitre gauge either. I have fitted DRO's on both the rip fence and the cross cut fence, the mitre saw bench is getting a DRO and as is the bandsaw simply because they are so cheap so why not. It is more about being fuss free on the bandsaw than anything else.
Click to expand...

I'm interested in what DRO you install on the bandsaw and how you set it up on the bandsaw. I have installed DRO's on all of the shop equipment but I never thought about the bandsaw.  [cool]
 
It will be the same DRO as shown in the links above. I have read tape left over from the saw installation so I will just buy a read head.
 
Mini Me said:
The calibration procedure for these DRO,s is to make a test cut of any size you can accurately measure then set the read out to that measurement, it literally takes about 1 minute and there is no guess work touching off from the blade and what you set is what you get. At the price of the Wixey and I presume no backlight I will pass thanks.
Click to expand...

Again, the newer Wixeys (and for the last several years) have the same calibration procedure to any setting.
As for backlight, that's not been a problem in my shop. The Wixey displays look the same as the one in the Hooked on Wood video, just smaller since the application for them is different.

The Wixey uses a printed circuit board, similar to how digital calipers work. The AliExpress one uses some kind of coiled strip, not sure that that is nor what the accuracy of it when unrolled it.
 
Mini Me said:
A Wixey Australia is $327 against under $100 for a Chinese DRO and no backlight is a real issue for me when it is installed on my saw as shown in this link
Click to expand...

That link doesn't work for me. But the problem is Australia - Wixey's are far cheaper in the states.
 
Wixey units are machine specific, I can't install one on my table saw cross cut fence for instance, it is impossible and installing one on a mitre saw is also not possible. The DRO's I have shown here can be put on any machine and for instance on my cross cut fence the read tape can't be seen. Horses for courses, you are happy with a Wixey but I can't even install it where I need a DRO. This is not a bash Wixey contest, it is showing a DRO which is far more flexible and more economical in every regard.
 
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