Re: DRO issue "HEDs in hand"

I posted a message a few days ago regarding the U.S. Digial Linear
strip options ... 360 is the highest and in my opinion not
high enough (360 x 4 = 1440 then 1 / 1440 = .00069 per increment.
I want something closer to .0005 which would need 500 lpi. U.S.
Digital in a recent email response did not sound very hopeful
re: a linear strip with 500 lpi res. So that leaves a rotary
encoder and wire arrangement. One would think you would want the
highest res possible ... 2048?

I have done several postings here in the past and recently ...
other than Bubba (who has been very helpful) no one seems to
have much information regarding what encoder works well with
the Camtronics board. Has anyone used the 360 US Digital strips
with the Camtronics board and got it to work and been satisfied
with the result? OR Has anyone used a rotary encoder with wire
loop arrangement with the Camtronics board and got it to work
and been satisfied with the results? Could you share your experience
here.

Also, you should be aware that just having a couple HEDS does not
help you unless they are matched to the particular encoder
you select. The HEDS unit and the encoders are selected together
and will not work if used with out matching them. There are linear
HEDS and rotary HEDS and within those two groups there are specific
ones for each resolution.

Ken

> Message: 4
> Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 01:26:52 -0000
> From: "Roger Linscheid" <r.linscheid@...>
> Subject: DRO encoders- Rotary or Linear?
>
> Hi, I am ready to begin adding a DRO to my G4003 lathe. What is the
> current thought on the best method to accomplish my goal?
>
> IIRC, when I was looking into this before, the linear strips from
> U.S. Digital were only available in 250 CPI and this was not
> considered high enough to provide the necessary resolution. Using
> rotary encoders meant the possibility of losing counts if the drive
> cable slipped or stretched.
>
> Now U.S. Digital has linear strips in 300 and 360 CPI. Will these
> provide a resolution of 0.0005 or better?
>
> I have a completed DRO board from Camtronics and several HEDS on
> hand, so I just need to scrounge an old PC and start the installation.
>
> Thanks for any input!