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DRO Scales - BW Electronics

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KMP08/09/2011 14:45:55
73 forum posts
2 photos
Good afternoon all,
 
I have just obtained a small mill and am looking at fitting a DRO. I have an unused BW Electronics 3 axis system but never really liked the wire driven rotary sensors. Does anyone know if one can fit normal scales to this system, seems silly to leave it in the box if it can be retrofitted with modern scales.
 
Any help much appreciated.
 
Best regards
 
Keith
Ian P08/09/2011 15:06:37
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2747 forum posts
123 photos
Surely the best people to put your question to would be BW themselves!
 
Like you, I never really thought highly of the encoder drive method but it would be better to fit it and make use of it, rather than just leave it all in the box.
 
I think it is highly likely that other encoders could be interfaced to the display but its probably not an ideal system and the BW display may not have enough resolution to do justice to better scales.
 
Ian P
Niloch08/09/2011 21:38:52
371 forum posts
I know it doesn't answer your question but David Haythornthwaite has written an article about the installation of the BW Electronics DRO system in MEW 181.
KMP08/09/2011 21:54:33
73 forum posts
2 photos
Ian Hi,
 
Yes I agree and have also already asked BW Electronics. I was pleasantly surprised to get an almost instant reply and they confirmed that they are able to reapair my old sensor or provide an interface for glass type scales at about £50. At the moment I'm not sure if that covers one scale or all three but it is obviously not just a plug adaptor.
 
With my "tight" streak to the fore I hoped that someone with the appropriate knowledge may have managed to "cobble" something together at a lower cost. It soon gets to the point where a new "budget" readout is almost as cheap although my poor old brain could do without having to get used to yet another system. Having said that, my larger mill has an Easson ES14 system which is superb, perhaps I should standardize on that.
 
I agree that leaving the BW system in the box would be a waste so at worst I would fit it with the two working scales onto my larger lathe. Unfortunately as an electronic numpty I didn't quite ask Bob at BW the "right" questions so I will need to wait for his clarification tomorrow.
 
Thanks for your help.
 
Keith
 
 
KMP08/09/2011 21:59:07
73 forum posts
2 photos
Niloch Hi,
 
Our posts must have crossed, thanks for the pointer. I have in my sticky hand MEW 181 that the wife brought home this evening. I shall retire and read with interest.
 
Regards
 
Keith
Versaboss09/09/2011 11:14:51
512 forum posts
77 photos

Hi all,

since umpteen years I use a BW DRO on my lathe's cross slide, and a Chinese scale on the topslide

Here my solution:



No problems with this, well maybe keep eyes open when producing stringy swarf.

But I want to mention a warning also: BW produced (produces? dunno, was not on the website since years) a similar DRO with battery power. My example, which unfortunately rests in a drawer just now, was unusable. With the (expensive special type) battery the display was not stable, and a unstable DRO is worse than none. I rebuilt it, using a 'wall wart' like on the earlier types, and that made it working. Just have to find a place to mount it...

Greetings, Hansrudolf

Richard Parsons10/09/2011 16:13:04
avatar
645 forum posts
33 photos

On my mill I use Chinese (cheap but not so cheerful) DROs. The (‘Still’ lathe I use the BW gizmos. They are the old type and work quite well. On my Big Warco I have not fitted anything yet. I have not needed to

blowlamp10/09/2011 16:57:36
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1885 forum posts
111 photos
deleted

Edited By blowlamp on 10/09/2011 17:01:52

KMP12/09/2011 16:01:12
73 forum posts
2 photos
Hansrudolf, Richard, Hi
 
Thanks for your very helpful comments and pictures; together with your experience and the MEW article I have decided to fit the system to my Super 7 (can I now say Myford?). As BW are still very much in operation (and very quick to answer e-mails) I will get the slightly damaged sensor repaired later. The system certainly does not take up much space and will make the lathe easier to use. Richard, I haven't fitted a DRO system to any of my larger lathes yet so perhaps this will be a "free" test to prove the point, of course it could lead to even more "spending" but I won't tell the wife just yet.
 
Best regards
 
Keith
slowcoach22/05/2012 21:45:49
1 forum posts

Hi, I know this thread as not been active for a bit, but has anyone got a BW electronic dro system that they would like to sell? If not I would be happy with just a rotary wired encoder.

Thank you

Rob

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