Mitutoyo caliper
Posted by
Arne Chr. Jorgensen
on 2000-03-18 23:42:12 UTC
Hi all,
I am not a machinist, and I sometimes have trouble to follow you. After
hours of download time with my terrible ISP connection at the moment, I have
taken a look at the patent of the Mitutoyo caliper. I may not have understood
what you guys were talking about, as I thought you were talking of a linear
scale and readout device.
Okay, about this system:
This is not anything you could make at home ( IMO ), it is just too
complicated.
1.
For a very small system, let say on a lathe, - you could clamp this on the the
machine, and use it as is.
2.
You may use the slide ( sensor head ) and make a PCB that could extend the
length, but I have no idea if it could use more digits.
3.
You may extend it with some wires to a couple of larger buttons, but to have
it drive a larger display, would be difficult. There is a slim chance it could
be interfaced / bypass the onboard uPC.
4.
It could be possible as a "group" to contact Mitutoyo, get some data, scale
material, and get a discount on the sensor. With luck, maybe even some type of
"kit" or enough info to be able to hook it up to an externa uPC. How knows ?
-----------
But I may be totally out of line, as some of your info suggest they have a
full DRO in the way I first understood it. If so, I guess that it would be
harder to be able to get anything - but again - who knows. Maybe they would
supply parts, just to see what we would be doing with it :)
Comments ? What do you think ?
//ARNE
Added note:
I guess I should give a little explaination for this conclusion:
These are inductive, and incorporate flux modulators, flux enhancers, and
the sensor consists of many hard to make parts. I have not seen the sensor,
but as I understand it, - there is several layers of windings burried in a PCB
kind of substrate. The electronics is not easy or cheap to make either.
I would have greater hopes for a ball bearing kind of system at the moment.
I am not a machinist, and I sometimes have trouble to follow you. After
hours of download time with my terrible ISP connection at the moment, I have
taken a look at the patent of the Mitutoyo caliper. I may not have understood
what you guys were talking about, as I thought you were talking of a linear
scale and readout device.
Okay, about this system:
This is not anything you could make at home ( IMO ), it is just too
complicated.
1.
For a very small system, let say on a lathe, - you could clamp this on the the
machine, and use it as is.
2.
You may use the slide ( sensor head ) and make a PCB that could extend the
length, but I have no idea if it could use more digits.
3.
You may extend it with some wires to a couple of larger buttons, but to have
it drive a larger display, would be difficult. There is a slim chance it could
be interfaced / bypass the onboard uPC.
4.
It could be possible as a "group" to contact Mitutoyo, get some data, scale
material, and get a discount on the sensor. With luck, maybe even some type of
"kit" or enough info to be able to hook it up to an externa uPC. How knows ?
-----------
But I may be totally out of line, as some of your info suggest they have a
full DRO in the way I first understood it. If so, I guess that it would be
harder to be able to get anything - but again - who knows. Maybe they would
supply parts, just to see what we would be doing with it :)
Comments ? What do you think ?
//ARNE
Added note:
I guess I should give a little explaination for this conclusion:
These are inductive, and incorporate flux modulators, flux enhancers, and
the sensor consists of many hard to make parts. I have not seen the sensor,
but as I understand it, - there is several layers of windings burried in a PCB
kind of substrate. The electronics is not easy or cheap to make either.
I would have greater hopes for a ball bearing kind of system at the moment.