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+--- Thread: TouchDro on a Grizzly G0704 with glass scales (/showthread.php?tid=5)
TouchDro on a Grizzly G0704 with glass scales - MikeAlcocer - 06-13-2016
Here is my homemade TouchDro from a year ago.
Using the simple voltage divider on a homemade board. I also wired in a reset switch to short out the board. Originally this was the only way to reset the absolute zero once you powered down the unit. Some lessons learned during the build were that the Bluetooth boards can easily short when they are not mounted securely (during testing). And to use a meter to test continuity on your board before powering up. This can help you find any bad solder connections or shorts before you pull your hair out. Total cost was around $30.
I use a Verizon Ellipsis 8 tablet that we got as a free add on when we renewed our cell contracts. The tablet overall kind of sucks (good for kids) but works perfectly fine on TouchDro. It is all connected to a set of Ditron Glass scales (300mm Y, 500mm X and Z). My sole complaint is with the scales themselves. I should have paid the extra money for Easson scales from DROPros.com instead of the Ditrons. They come with a 5 bearing design instead of 3 and only carry a 10-20% premium but that is a drop in the bucket to pass for piece of mind.
Future builds will include adding in the tach. I am hoping to figure out a way to integrate the G0704 standard tach and avoid building one from scratch. Also have some thoughts on making power feeds from stepper motors running off a separate board. Eventually I may CNC and I think that stepper motor based power feed would be a good bridge for those of us who eventually will piece mail together a CNC setup.
https://youtu.be/JCjBO7DvwxI
Here is a short video of one of the issues I have with the Ditron scales. Seems they stop counting if the read head is not in the perfect position. They did not have this problem when I got them and of course they are outside of warranty. Also shows the Ellipsis tablet.
RE: TouchDro on a Grizzly G0704 with glass scales - middle.road - 01-18-2017
Did you ever get the issue with the Ditrons straightened out?
They did have bearings on the heads didn't they? (hopefully)
_Dan
RE: TouchDro on a Grizzly G0704 with glass scales - MikeAlcocer - 01-18-2017
I did get it working again but I never truly figured out what the issue was. They do have bearings in them but only have 3 if my memory is correct and most of the competition has 5. The issue from what I could figure was between a short in the wire or the wires pushing the head out of position as it moved. I messed with it for days and could not narrow it down. I had it back together and it started working consistently again so I stopped messing with it.
I have since sold the system and upgraded to CNC. Still plan on using touch DRO for a table saw fence and the fence on the bandsaw. Touch DRO was awesome to make and use.