# DRO resurrection?



## Kilohertz (Mar 24, 2022)

Hi guys

My new to me 1999 craftex 30 had a sort of 3 axis DRO on it, connected to a laptop (now missing). It was a home built circuit board connected to the printer port, and some gear driven sensors, I’m going to guess it would be difficult to get this functional again, I am an electronics tech but I would think there are better ways to do this now. 

A few pictures of what’s there.

Any recommendations for a DRO for this RF30 clone?

Thanks


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## DPittman (Mar 24, 2022)

Lots of good choices on AliExpress or Amazon.  Main consideration is do you want an LCD screen or analog style?  Scales vary a bit also but glass are most common and in my opinion perfectly adequate and 5 micron resolution is what I would suggest.  There are a few posts on this forum regarding DRO's and installation.


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## whydontu (Mar 24, 2022)

What type of scales? Check out Yuri’s Toys 





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						Yuriy's Toys
					

Blog dedicated to DIY digital readout TouchDRO and other hobby machining and engineering subjects.




					www.yuriystoys.com
				




Yuri‘s stuff is very economical and well thought out.


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## Susquatch (Mar 24, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> Hi guys
> 
> My new to me 1999 craftex 30 had a sort of 3 axis DRO on it, connected to a laptop (now missing). It was a home built circuit board connected to the printer port, and some gear driven sensors, I’m going to guess it would be difficult to get this functional again, I am an electronics tech but I would think there are better ways to do this now.
> 
> ...



Wow. That brings back memories. The old printer ports (pre-usb) were actually parralel interfaces. They were very fast for 8 and 16 bit signals of the day. Prolly plenty fast enough for a DRO. But they are still sadly out of date.

Other members recommended that I watch Ali for deals. I did that and ended up getting a great deal on a 4 axis system for my mill. Here is the thread on my system and install.









						Installing a DRO on a Hartford Bridgeport Clone.
					

I started this thread somewhat in frustration at not being able to find detailed instructions on how to install magnetic scales on my Hartford Clone. So it will be a long thread asking lots of questions and dealing with lots of challenges.  The DRO is a Ditron D80 with Slim 1micron Magnetic...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com
				




I'm quite happy with it but have not tested it yet.

I ended up buying a Ditron system which others on here have and are happy with too. If you watch Ali and do frequent searches, the system seems to recognize your interest and then starts sending you deals. If you are patient those deals get REALLY attractive. When you finally reach out, the sellers seem to know that you are fickle so they offer even better deals. I started out with a chat on a 3-axis system which morphed into a 4 axis 1 micron magnetic scale "slim" system with rpm for the same low price.

I seem to have received what I expected with free Purolator shipping in a very short time.


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## Kilohertz (Mar 24, 2022)

If you don’t mind me asking what did you pay for your system from Ali, Or what would a good price be for the system you bought? I did a little looking around while I was waiting for the city inspector today at the job site and found a number of them on Amazon for around $350. A 3 axis with RPM would be nice as I am planning 3~ with VFD.  thanks for the suggestion, and yes this old DRO is probably from the 90s I’m guessing.

I will read your thread when I get back into the house, in the shop now sorting out milling bits.

Cheers


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## YYCHM (Mar 24, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> If you don’t mind me asking what did you pay for your system from Ali, I did a little looking around while I was waiting for the city inspector today at the job site and found a number of them on Amazon for around $350. thanks for the suggestion, and yes this old DRO is probably from the 90s I’m guessing.
> 
> I will read your thread when I get back into the house, in the shop now sorting out milling bits.
> 
> Cheers



Got mine for just over $300 CAD landed.  AliExpress shipping has gone up in the last year or so.


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## Susquatch (Mar 24, 2022)

Kilohertz said:


> If you don’t mind me asking what did you pay for your system from Ali, Or what would a good price be for the system you bought? I did a little looking around while I was waiting for the city inspector today at the job site and found a number of them on Amazon for around $350. A 3 axis with RPM would be nice as I am planning 3~ with VFD.  thanks for the suggestion, and yes this old DRO is probably from the 90s I’m guessing.
> 
> I will read your thread when I get back into the house, in the shop now sorting out milling bits.
> 
> Cheers



I paid just under 400 Cdn all in. The equuvalent DRO Boys unit is 2 grand. 

Keep in mind that this is a 1 micron system with four of the very latest slim magnetic scales, the large colour screen, and a hall effect RPM system. It came with all the mounts but I ended up making most of my own. By the time I'm done installing mine it will be a custom install top to bottom. 

You don't really need 1 micron (and I don't believe it really is 1 micron) but you can set the display to read however many digits you want and it converts those digits automatically from imperial to metric. (ie fewer digits in metric). You can always go courser if you want but you can't go finer than what you have. 

Here is the thread for the purchase itself:

Thread 'DRO Mounting System' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/dro-mounting-system.4761/

And here is another thread shortly after purchase. 

Thread 'DRO Scale Resolution' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/dro-scale-resolution.4877/

And another that I didn't start that covers more ground. 

Post in thread 'Ditron DRO Finally Installed on Mill' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/ditron-dro-finally-installed-on-mill.4845/post-68777

Quite a few of the members have Ditron DRO systems. As far as I know, all of are happy. @Hacker actually got the amazon store to price match with China.


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## YYCHM (Mar 24, 2022)

DRO install on a LC-30A mill (RF-30 clone)
					

Thought folks here might want to see how I'm progressing on my DRO install. One of the things I mused over was whether to put the X-axis scale on the fron or back of the table. Front mean I keep all my Y-axis travel and it's easier to mount but I lose my table stops and a powerfeed auto-stop...




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com
				












						RF30 Basement Install
					

The wider piece would probably work.  The narrow piece is too narrow.




					canadianhobbymetalworkers.com


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