Re: New to Group- Sherline DRO

John,

There are really only two features I think a DRO needs:

1) Resettable zero
2) A display capable of conversion between inches and
metric-irrespective of the leadscrew installed.

Both of these features can be found in most (all?) electronic
micrometers and vernier calipers and I can't see that those features
make the DRO excessively complicated. I haven't bought the DRO for
this very reason.

Bolt hole patterns and the other programming bells and whistles are
unnecessary IMHO for a simple DRO designed for a Sherline machine
tool.

Cheers,

Mike

>Converting between metric and inch wouldn't be awfully difficult. I have
>played with it some but never completed and tested it fully. Hint: the
>conversion factor 2.54 is vary close to 256 minus 2 in an interger assembly
>program so could be done quickly. I was up for doing it but there wasn't
>much interest. Actually this is the first time I've heard the request from
>an actual customer. The unit does work with both the Sherline metric and
>inch model tools and so knows how to format numbers etc. I was trying to
>keep the unit dead simple like the Sherline equipment. There are lots of
>features that big DRO's have that are relatively simple to implement but
>they make the system much more complex to use. My only real use for a DRO
>is to have an accurate zeroable postion- the rest is gravy. My old company
>had a fancy DRO with bolt circles, etc that I never used in 7 years.