Re: New to Group- Sherline DRO

>When a DRO is used on a lathe it is very desirable to be able to
>switch between "Diameter" mode and "Radius" mode plus having a
>keypad to enter current values instead of just zeroing the readout.

A diameter and radius mode on a lathe mounted DRO is a great idea.
I'll add it to my list of "must-haves". However, the keypad would
seem to be counter to the idea of a simple DRO for the Sherline mills
and lathes. We're talking about a DRO which sells for $300 for the
lathe (2-axis) and $350 for the mill (3-axis). I'm no electronics
expert, but I'd guess the keypad would add a lot of complication and
cost?

>I fail to understand why CONVERSION between metric/english is
>important. Being able to switch between the two is required but
>my drawings are in metric or in Inches, not both. What am I missing?

You can't switch the Sherline DRO between the two measuring systems.
If the tool has imperial leadscrews, it has to be set up for that-it
can't display millimeters in the DRO head. That's what I meant by
conversion. So if you have a machine with imperial leadscrews and
want to work in the metric system, the DRO can't be switched to
display millimeters on an imperial leadscrew machine, and vice versa.

Hope that's clear.

Cheers,

Mike