cheap dro probe

[bobt]

Does anyone have an idea where get a cheap/inexpensive probe for a DRO.  I have just purchased a Grizzly G0727 horizontal/vertical mill and have also purchased the scales and Yuri's Bluetooth controller.  I want to add the "probe use" to the mill to simplify operation of the mill.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Probes that cost $100.oo or more are just out of the picture and when they say with our precision item you can do fantastic work.  I question my sanity on that account.  Any place for plans or purchase would be appreciated.

Bob

[Yuriy]

Does anyone have an idea where get a cheap/inexpensive probe for a DRO.  I have just purchased a Grizzly G0727 horizontal/vertical mill and have also purchased the scales and Yuri's Bluetooth controller.  I want to add the "probe use" to the mill to simplify operation of the mill.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Probes that cost $100.oo or more are just out of the picture and when they say with our precision item you can do fantastic work.  I question my sanity on that account.  Any place for plans or purchase would be appreciated.

Bob

Bob,
I have an EconoProbe 3D (which was a bit over $100 IIRC). It work's "OK" for rough positioning (mine is repeatable to +/- .002 or so); definitely not spot on, though. I tried a proper "professional" probe (borrowed from a friend) and it's spot-on, within less than 1/2 of a thousands. He didn't want me to take it apart (since it's a $600 piece of kit and he didn't want it damaged). I'm still looking for a decent affordable probe (or plans) myself, so I'm curious is anyone has suggestions.

Regards
Yuriy

[bobt]

Does anyone have an idea where get a cheap/inexpensive probe for a DRO.  I have just purchased a Grizzly G0727 horizontal/vertical mill and have also purchased the scales and Yuri's Bluetooth controller.  I want to add the "probe use" to the mill to simplify operation of the mill.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Probes that cost $100.oo or more are just out of the picture and when they say with our precision item you can do fantastic work.  I question my sanity on that account.  Any place for plans or purchase would be appreciated.

Bob

Bob,
I have an EconoProbe 3D (which was a bit over $100 IIRC). It work's "OK" for rough positioning (mine is repeatable to +/- .002 or so); definitely not spot on, though. I tried a proper "professional" probe (borrowed from a friend) and it's spot-on, within less than 1/2 of a thousands. He didn't want me to take it apart (since it's a $600 piece of kit and he didn't want it damaged). I'm still looking for a decent affordable probe (or plans) myself, so I'm curious is anyone has suggestions.

Regards
Yuriy

Yuriy - This is what I have found so far:

Video of a development of passive probe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ARkpeC...ilcuebjqkH

Forum discussion of a passive probe.

https://en.industryarena.com/forum/new-d...692-2.html

Other items:

http://fadedbits.com/2011/02/touchprobe/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZDlyLI_jbc

http://www.brusselsprout.org/CNC/1P-Probe/

http://parallelrobots.blogspot.com/2011/...eview.html

https://hackaday.com/tag/touch-probe/

https://es.pinterest.com/pin/221450506656283918/

Also from Tormach - tech manual on installing passive probe. It has pictures of the insides of the probe.
https://www.tormach.com/product_tts_passive_probe.html

[Ralphxyz]

What exactly does one do with a probe?

Especially what does one do that is worth >$100.00?

Respective to TouchDRO, not a fully enabled CNC machine.

I see the videos of a probe and a CNC machine and really like what is capable of being done
but TouchDRO is not CNC it does not even have any interface to a machine's workings
so where does it fit?

Ralph

[bobt]

What a probe does is locate the edges of things so that precise distances can be moved to find the center or a point on a piece of material. The use is for manual machines in that if I have a piece of round stock and want to drill a hole in it across the diameter of the piece. I can find the end and both sides of the material. Using Yuriy's DRO setup it will then calculate the middle of the diameter with the half function without a lot of fuss. Time is still money even in the hobby world. I know of several youtube machinist that use a manual machine such as Bridgeport milling machines that use DRO's routinely in the video demos on how to do something.

[Yuriy]

What exactly does one do with a probe?

Especially what does one do that is worth >$100.00?

Respective to TouchDRO, not a fully enabled CNC machine.

I see the videos of a probe and a CNC machine and really like what is capable of being done
but TouchDRO is not CNC it does not even have any interface to a machine's workings
so where does it fit?

Ralph

Ralph,
Right now touch probe (in respect to TouchDRO) is a fancy edge finder. In future it will make "digitizing" complex shapes, measuring angeles, etc. easier. For example, I had to make a cover for my friends scooter. The shape was pretty irregular. To machine a matching cover I mounted the bottom part on the mill and using a center finder added a bunch of points along the perimeter. I then plunged the mill into each of those points, getting a matching cover.
Once I finish that feature, one will be able to mount the touch probe and touch it a bunch of times around the perimeter to digitize the shape, which will be much more efficient.
To your point, it doesn't add any functionality that can't be achieved with a regular edge finder, but it will make some things much easier to do.

That said, the main reason I added the touch probe input was for tool height setting. I already have that feature on my mill (testing) and find it very useful.

Hope this makes sense.
Thank you
Yuriy

[Ralphxyz]

What exactly does one do with a probe?

Thanks bobt and Yuri, I will add one to my future list, If I find a exceptional value.

Some of the videos of making a probe are interesting I wonder just how accurate those crossed rods are?

Ralph

[bobt]

Here is what I bought for a probe. It looks like it will do the job.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/172606773656

It will be here next Tuesday. I got my gift from Yuriy today in the mail along with my Bevel 3D scanner attachment for my Iphone. So scan stuff in and generate the build info to make more. Then use the probe along with Yuriy's board to make more precisely. Nothing like being to make a blob of metal very precisely.