(WDRO) Wireless Digital ReadOut on the cheap!

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  • caveBob
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2012
    • 222
    #1

    (WDRO) Wireless Digital ReadOut on the cheap!

    (WDRO) Wireless Digital ReadOut on the cheap!

    Where I first saw this:

    Thread: Android Bluetooth Wireless DRO with Arduino and igaging scales
    General Metalworking Android Bluetooth Wireless DRO with Arduino and igaging scales
    http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?204470-Android-Bluetooth-Wireless-DRO-with-Arduino-and-igaging-scales&
    I did Yuriy's wireless dro for igaging scales today. $30 Arduino Uno Rev3, $10 Bluetooth Slave module from ebay, $24 in scale connectors from digikey ($8 per scale), three 10K ohm res, one 220 ohm res, one 330 ohm res , Arduino Proto shield with breadboard, few pieces of jumper wire (Arduino Uno, Proto shield, breadboard, jumper wire, and resistors all from Radio Shack), iGaging scales (sold by Grizzly and others), sketch, and a used $100 ebay bluetooth equipped android 9.7 tablet =


    The author will be using this setup on his 12" Craftsman Commercial Metal Lathe.

    The originator's blog that this info was taken from:
    Yuriy's Toys
    http://www.yuriystoys.com/search/label/DIY%20DRO%20Project
    Blog dedicated to DIY digital readout TouchDRO and other hobby machining and engineering subjects.


    Hoping for some pertinent tips on implementing this scheme for my Atlas lathe, anyone here try this yet? Gonna start pricing tablets...
    Tags: None
  • dp
    Senior Member
    • Mar 2005
    • 12048
    #2
    Originally posted by caveBob View Post
    (WDRO) Wireless Digital ReadOut on the cheap!
    I like the idea of wireless but don't like at all tying any more of my world to a mobile device. They're invasive enough as it is.

    Comment

    • John Stevenson
      Senior Member
      • Mar 2001
      • 16177
      #3
      How can it be cheap if you are using a $150 + tablet ?
      .

      Sir John , Earl of Bligeport & Sudspumpwater. MBE [ Motor Bike Engineer ] Nottingham England.



      Comment

      • ikdor
        Senior Member
        • Aug 2009
        • 1172
        #4
        Well, it's cheap if you already have a tablet lying around. I started on a Bluetooth link as well for my homemade dro, but then life happened :-)
        Igor

        Comment

        • metalmagpie
          Senior Member
          • Oct 2002
          • 2841
          #5
          Looks to me like zero is wherever the thing is when you power up. Not good. Especially if/when your battery backup fails.

          metalmagpie

          Comment

          • ycroosh
            Member
            • Jul 2013
            • 37
            #6
            Originally posted by metalmagpie View Post
            Looks to me like zero is wherever the thing is when you power up. Not good. Especially if/when your battery backup fails.

            metalmagpie


            I don't know any commercial DRO that uses absolute encoders (they might exist, though).
            With any incremental encoder (glass, magnetic, capacitive etc.) you will be facing the same problem: the controller start counting from 0 when it's first powered on. The calipers do the same thing, actually. Their "absolute" position is still set in relation to the place where they were turned on but you don't see it because the battery keeps the chip from loosing the memory.
            To keep iGaging scales from loosing their "zero" between work session you can simply hook up two AA batteries across their power supply (with two diodes, one to prevent the batteries from being "charged" and another to isolate them from powering the Arduino) With that setup two AA's will last for months, if not years. After all the two cell batteries last for a long time in standby mode...

            As far as the price goes...
            Scales cost $27-$43 each (on Amazon 6"-24" respectively).
            A "good" tablet and an Arduino controller set you back about $200-250 (if you want to use the tablet for other purposes). Otherwise a used phone or a cheap non-name tablet can be had for under $100 on your favorite online auction site. The rock-bottom price for the controller is under $20...

            Disclaimer: I'm beating my own drum here, so take this with a grain of salt

            Thank you
            Yuriy

            Comment

            • lakeside53
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2007
              • 10513
              #7
              Good work! Getting rid of the cables is a great idea.

              Comment

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