Colchester Master 2500 DRO installation

[TorontoBuilder]

Here you go. @Xyphota blazed that Trail for us.

I've already laid mine out the same way and have about 90% of the design done. Just need to wait for perfect order timing to get the DRO and get it done.

Post in thread 'DRO install on Myford ML7R' https://canadianhobbymetalworkers.com/threads/dro-install-on-myford-ml7r.5963/post-88169

but does that require the entire depth of travel project to the rear of the lathe... and interfere with the compound stepper I plan to install?

 

[Susquatch]

They mounted the scale towards the back of the slide, and the read head on a bracket to the rear of the saddle.

Photo links are dead TB.

 

[Susquatch]

but does that require the entire depth of travel project to the rear of the lathe... and interfere with the compound stepper I plan to install?

Can't speak to your stepper. The read head has to go out back because it's too big to fit inside the cross-slide. Magnetic strip is very thin and fits inside with just a little relief for clearance.

I suppose, even the head could be dropped down into the cross-slide but that would result in a protrusion. I no like. Fits fine behind. Lots of room.

I've even been looking at mounts to accommodate a taper attachment so I gotta guess that your stepper could be made to fit too.

Like so many other similar things, best to do the whole shebang at once rather than do what's easy for one and shoot yourself in the boys for the rest.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Photo links are dead TB.

can you see them now?

 

[Susquatch]

can you see them now?

Yes.

Just in case it's not obvious, the main problem with the two primary location options is interference.

On the spindle side of the compound, it's just plain bad. Way too close to the action. I no like.

On the tailstock side of the cross-slide, it interferes with the tailstock. Not just with tailstock travel, but especially since I like to use the cross slide as a stop for the tailstock when I'm drilling or whatever. I put the tailstock against the cross slide, lock it down, and then advance the tailstock quill. When I need to pull out, I back off the tailstock quill 1 turn, then release and slide the tailstock back, clear chips, apply cutting fluid, and whatever, then lightly bump the tailstock against the cross slide, lock it down, and finally dial back in the one turn and then resume drilling or whatever. Putting a scale there gets in my way and fundamentally would not like being bumped even gently.

The solution is to bury the scale inside the cross-slide. It's elegant, functional, and invisible. Almost an oem solution. I loved it the first time I saw what @Xyphota did.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

so... I'd like to send a big "I dont like you any more" to the old hairy beast for throwing a wrench into my plans and making me do more research, planning, and waiting for Chinese shipping. Yeah, you @Susquatch...

Now I feel compelled to ditch the 150mm scale and buy a magnetic tape and reader so I can embed the scale in the cross slide. I think I can do this without too much machining required.

Oh and thanks to @Xyphota for his thread installing DRO on his Myford.

We have two Sino D80 DROs from Ditron, one 4 axis for the mill and one 2 axis for the lathe. I'm pretty sure that I can mix and match any scale to any axis which would mean I can install glass sale on rear of lathe and a magnetic tape only in the cross slide, and bob's your uncle we should be in business. Maybe?

Why haven't I read that manual in detail before now???

 

[Xyphota]

That's what I did on my Myford install. Glass scale on the back and magnetic in the cross slide. I think the glass scale on the back was the right choice because I don't worry at all about it getting it full of chips.

One thing to consider is whether or not your Z (longitudinal) axis scale choice will interfere with any aspirations for a taper attachment. I was considering trying to use a second magnetic scale on the front, in behind the apron to keep the possibility open for a taper attachment but I decided I'll probably never need one.

 

[Susquatch]

Why haven't I read that manual in detail before now???

What manual? Are you referring to that totally useless book they provide with the DRO? LOL!

Lots missing in there. Or at least missing for anyone like me who doesn't know everything already anyway.....

Sometime I should do a writeup on what I have learned that isn't in the manual.

I really am sorry for any pain I've caused you...... It will all be better when you are done. Would you rather find out after you are done? (Insert silly grin here.)

On my cross slide, all I have to do is mill a tiny bit of a relief for the tape inside the cross-slide, make a small rear cross-slide extension, and a mounting bracket for the sensor. It sounds complicated but it's really quite easy peasy. The dimensions are either in @Xyphota's thread I referenced earlier or in my own thread found here:

Lathe DRO

A while back I read a post by @Xyphota where he installed his crosslide dro INSIDE his cross-slide. This has prompted me to review the idea of adding a DRO to my lathe. A DRO Scale INSIDE the cross slide has MANY advantages. No worries about swarf and damage in the business area of the lathe...

canadianhobbymetalworkers.com

 

[TorontoBuilder]

What manual? Are you referring to that totally useless book they provide with the DRO? LOL!

Lots missing in there. Or at least missing for anyone like me who doesn't know everything already anyway.....

Sometime I should do a writeup on what I have learned that isn't in the manual.

I really am sorry for any pain I've caused you...... It will all be better when you are done. Would you rather find out after you are done? (Insert silly grin here.)

On my cross slide, all I have to do is mill a tiny bit of a relief for the tape inside the cross-slide, make a small rear cross-slide extension, and a mounting bracket for the sensor. It sounds complicated but it's really quite easy peasy. The dimensions are either in @Xyphota's thread I referenced earlier or in my own thread found here:

Lathe DRO

A while back I read a post by @Xyphota where he installed his crosslide dro INSIDE his cross-slide. This has prompted me to review the idea of adding a DRO to my lathe. A DRO Scale INSIDE the cross slide has MANY advantages. No worries about swarf and damage in the business area of the lathe...

canadianhobbymetalworkers.com

yeah that POS manual was what I was referring to....

I'll have to rewrite it for Tom.

 

[Susquatch]

I'll have to rewrite it for Tom.

NM Tom, we should rewrite it for Ditron!!! They prolly don't even know what some of that means!!!

I wouldn't worry about Tom too much though. He will be ok after you show him how to use it. I can already see his smile! It's a pretty slick system.

Btw, the lathe setup has a tool library...... Oh ya!

 

[TorontoBuilder]

NM Tom, we should rewrite it for Ditron!!! They prolly don't even know what some of that means!!!

I wouldn't worry about Tom too much though. He will be ok after you show him how to use it. I can already see his smile! It's a pretty slick system.

Btw, the lathe setup has a tool library...... Oh ya!

I know it has the tool library and 200 sub datums that may also be used for same purpose. So we need more tool holders

 

[Tecnico]

That's what I did on my Myford install. Glass scale on the back and magnetic in the cross slide. I think the glass scale on the back was the right choice because I don't worry at all about it getting it full of chips.

One thing to consider is whether or not your Z (longitudinal) axis scale choice will interfere with any aspirations for a taper attachment. I was considering trying to use a second magnetic scale on the front, in behind the apron to keep the possibility open for a taper attachment but I decided I'll probably never need one.

@Xyphota

I'm getting ahead of myself here since I'm doing a write-up on my Myford Super 7 and will cover this but if you have visions of putting a taper turn attachment on your ML7R then I think I have developed a suitable solution.

In a few short words, I added a 2-1/2 x 1/4", U shaped channel in between the bed and the TTA and hung a slim glass scale in the channel. I think you could still do it with a full size glass scale. It still uses all the Myford TTA parts and I haven't been able yet to see how moving the angle slide out has limited practical use of the TTA. All it did was change which T-slot the TTA arm is mounted in.

In total I drilled and tapped two holes and machined one groove in the cross slide for the whole DRO installation, the rest was bolt on.

Here's a sneak preview:

​

More to come in my write-up!

D

 

[Tecnico]

I know it has the tool library and 200 sub datums that may also be used for same purpose. So we need more tool holders

Since you haven't spent $ yet I'll suggest you look at TouchDRO which has unlimited user defined datums. Best to shop before spending money!

D

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Since you haven't spent $ yet I'll suggest you look at TouchDRO which has unlimited user defined datums. Best to shop before spending money!

D

yeah I've looked at it repeatedly... and I have an old samsung tablet I want to put to use, but I have two D80 machines already.

but I'm cheap...

what to do...

 

[Tecnico]

yeah I've looked at it repeatedly... and I have an old samsung tablet I want to put to use, but I have two D80 machines already.

but I'm cheap...

what to do...

LOL! First world problems!

I really am looking forward to how all this rolls out.

OK, I think I should take inspiration from @Susquatch and explain that better. I'm looking forward to seeing how it works out for me plus whether anyone else goes that way and how they like it.

D

 

[TorontoBuilder]

As a returning customer Ditron marked down the price by over $120, so I ordered.

One read head will be to embed in the cross slide of the Master 2500. The two other read heads are for my Chipmaster... it will have a touch DRO.

The Ditron sensor has a better chip sourced in Germany compared to fivecnc too.

 

[Susquatch]

As a returning customer Ditron marked down the price by over $120, so I ordered.

At current prices, that's compelling. My mill is D80. I'm gunna see if I can close a similar deal on a 3-axis D80 for my lathe. I don't want to to be using two different systems so I want a D80 for the lathe too. It isn't about which one is better. It's about making chips.

The two other read heads are for my Chipmaster... it will have a touch DRO.

I like the way you think.

It is long past time to get serious about what I do with my drill/mill. It needs new leade screws or a DRO - one or the other. Ya, both is an option too but it ain't happinin. One of them needs to happen before I sell it or keep it. So I will give the touch DRO or a home made Arduino System a real serious look.

 

[TorontoBuilder]

Today we disassembled the Master 2500's cross slide, cleaned out every last screw hole, took every piece out in preparation for machining the slot for the magnetic tape.

One oiler is clogged and the spring is compressed tight so the oiler is basically inoperable and needs attention before we reassemble the cross slide.

I bolted the cross slide to the mill bed, and squared it up... then double checked the lengths and found that I may need to add a short extension to the cross slide to accommodate the magnetic reader head. So this part of the project is on hold for about a week to ten days until the parts arrive. This will let us confirm that the depth of the slot should be 1.8mm.

The slot will be located on the lower left of the slide in the pics. I will be back at it tomorrow

 

[gerritv]

That dti holder looks familiar?

 

[TorontoBuilder]

That dti holder looks familiar?

I think so, we usually test out some of our new purchases pretty quickly after getting them AND Tom always tends to hand me the less expensive tools to use when I am unsupervised. I do know this is not the usual DTI Tom uses and doesn't typically let me use if he is not hovering over me.

He also handed me that case of carbide insert end mills to use to cut the slot.