Mill dro again 🤔

[true temper]

I have had a Bee Pee clone for many years it has an old obsolete dro on it that has never worked. I know that Dro pros has a good reparation but is it actually worth spending 400 bux more to buy a dro from them.
looking on eBay I can buy one a whole lot cheaper. Does any one have recommendations on which one to get. My knowledge on them is pretty weak I have never installed or used one. Are they tough to learn how to use.
I am thinking about ordering one from eBay and taking a chance I just don’t know which one would be a good choice.

[Bented]

Roll the dice, it will either work or not work.
If what you buy is inexpensive enough it becomes unimportant.
If it fails try again, if you buy 3 DRO systems for $400.00 each it is still cheaper then $1500,00 for an Accu Rite system, you win either way.

[Cuttings]

I can recommend Dro Pros. I have had one on my mill since shortly after I bought the mill and love it. I regularly use some of the features like bolting circle and memory. I couldn't be without it any more. Any time I have contacted them for help I have got knowledgeable and prompt answers.

[brian Rupnow]

I too have DroPros on my mill and my lathe. they are wonderful!!

[no704]

I Have 2 Chinese Ones from eBay on 2 mills. Can’t remember the name, allipro or something like that. Work great for the $200 price point. Just double check your length dimensions, the stated length is the travel length not included are the ~1” mounts on the ends. Y travel! Get longer than needed, a 9” table still has 12” travel depending on ur machine.

[epicfail48]

Id roll the dice on the ebay DRO. It either works perfectly out of the box and will stay that way until you drive a truck over it, or itll be DOA. Chances are pretty low of that second one nowadays, for all the **** that people talk about Chinese made products, they always seem to ignore that most consumer electronic devices are made in China

[ezduzit]

I went with Sino and bought through Ali Express. Haven't installed it yet.

[Mike279]

I did the E Bay buy and found a set for the Drill mill just under 200 dollars for 3 axis. I bought them long and cut them down. Pretty easy to take apart and cut. I think mine had M2 screws holding the end caps which I swapped out to screws I already had(no M2 tap) on the shelf. Glass scale cut with a regular glass cutter. I would not cut the whole scale on the band saw as some you tube posters have done. I looked for a set that would ship from the US and mine shipped from Texas even though they said California. Had them in three days. They work great and parts appear to be swappable to other units. Mine included specs for the connectors and what each wire does.

[I make chips]

I started a thread on it but haven't jumped on it yet. https://bbs.homeshopmachinist.net/fo...pinions-wanted


Some I've saved for consideration:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1524...411460e8wq6oBE

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1524...8d464c4dqbdY5w

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Complete-Mi...UAAOSwGYRfPDEz

https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Reado...58&sr=8-7&th=1

https://www.amazon.com/Linear-Digita...61148&sr=8-166

[Illinoyance]

I bought a cheap 3 axis DRO from Amazon. I damaged one of the scales and needed a replacement. Neither Amazon nor their vendor was any help. I bought a replacement scale from Banggood. If you buy cheap Chinese don't expect any support.

[rws]

I bought a Shooting Start DRO about 15 years ago, and put it on my lathe, used it for a couple years and sold the lathe. Never installed it on my new lathe. Saw the thing sitting on my shelf a couple weeks ago and decided to put it on my Grizzly mill. I've had a digital Mitutoyo scale on the quill of the mill for a long time, but now I have the X and Y too, still works! As they say...re purposed!

[eKretz]

For my mill at home - (it came with a 2-axis Mitutoyo with .0005" resolution) I decided to roll the dice and try a Ditron dro. I like the interface and all the digital features, but haven't gotten around to installing it yet. Got a 4-axis (X, Y, Z on the knee and W on the quill) so that should be nice. On my other two machines (lathe and surface grinder) I have Sony. I wanted to try the Ditron because I have a 30 taper spindle and I wanted to have the capability for tool offsets.

This is the Ditron box I've got:

https://youtu.be/qVlEpH8esNU

[dian]

what is the ditron goint on? i have the same plan for my picomax 50 (also 30 taper). how do you plan the installation, so the stuff is not in the way? in my case the scale would have to go on the front of the quill, interferring with the depht stop.

[eKretz]

It's going on a Wells-Index 847. I think I can get it on there without being in the way. Will just sit sort of like one of those Mitutoyo digiscale jobbies that people often use. The 847 has a little block fastened to the quill that I think will be pretty easy to adapt a DRO head to. Your machine looks like it will be a little more difficult to work out from what I see in pictures.

[dian]