Re: Fresh run at homebrew DRO

OK. I bought the digital scales from http://www.calaerosupply.com They call them "horizontal quill kits". They also claim that they are compatible with Mitutoyo products and software. As far as I can tell this is not true. The mitutoyo connector has 5 pins and are physically different than mine, which have four pins, 2 of which are power, and 2 of which are data and clock respectively.
This alone is a show stopper. I tried searching the world over to find 4-pin connectors to fit and am having no luck. The pin spacing is 1.5mm. I wonder if they're common in the camera or camcorder products? I can't imagine the maker would devise a proprietary, one-of-a-kind connector for their digital scales.
I have looked at the bit-stream from the digital scales on an oscilloscope. The scales came with a rudimentary description of the 24-bit sychronous-serial digital protocol. I believe I can decode the bit-stream, and display the data with Basic Stamp's and the $10 LCD's now saturating the electronic surplus market.
Before I throw up my hands in defeat, and buy the associated cheesy read-out head, I would like to make one more gallant effort to design and build a custom read-out head. If anyone can help locate the proper connectors and or cables, so that I can connect to the pins, I can interface these digital scales to PC's, Basic Stamps, Palm Pilots, you name it. Can anyone suggest a source for the connectors and/or cables?


"May a suitable landing spot be always on your glide slope"
J. Mark Wolf, Pinckney, Michigan
Rotorway Exec162F N1955Z
Check out my web site at: www.rotorwaybuilders.net/ucosm


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