DRO for my Adcock & Shipley 1ES-G milling machine

[6ply]

I would like to add a DRO system to my Adcock and Shipley 1ES-G milling machine. I have managed without a DRO but having one would make even routine jobs so much easier.

I've never used one before but I've seen a quick demonstration and my needs are fairly basic.

My guess is that any DRO display will do when combined with 5 micron scales, and I plan to buy something affordable (sub £200) from AliExpress or eBay.

Can I safely assume that most cheap displays and scales are interchangeable? This might be relevant if I decide to swap something out or around with another machine at a later date.

Can anyone comment on the relative merits of modern colour LCD displays vs. more traditional 7-segment (or greater) LED displays? I suspect the latter may be easier to read and more reliable. I definitely do not want an interactive touch-screen display and I've seen some cheap non-DRO devices with very hard to read displays. Wearing bi-focals might be another issue, but I guess that comes down to screen placement.

This is the type of thing I am leaning towards, albeit not the specific model/vendor:

 

[6ply]

I've just realised that some of the "DRO kits" allow the buyer to specify the scales, e.g. KA300, KA600, etc. They appear to be different mounting variants.

http://stankoservis.by/Download/SINO/linear%20encoder%20manual.pdf

 

[Smouser]

I have bought a Sino KA500 320mm 1um scale from Aliexpress when they had their 11.11 sale on for my Elliott lathe. @Pawcu bought some for his Elliott and although he used it very little so far, he is happy with the Sino scales. The scale cost me £69 (already delivered).

With Black Friday being on and Aliexpress having loads of coupons and sales + the 5% Topcashback offer running I managed to bag myself a Sino DRO for £73.53 - 5% = £69.85, abosute bargain!
I am still waiting for it to arrive so can't give any feedback on performance yet. However, I believe most of the Chinese DROs perform similarly.

For my Elliott mill, I bought a DRO LCD kit from ebay and I am very happy with it. This might not be the exact link but it is the same DRO I have bought.

I like the LCD DRO systems more than the traditional ones but I am not exactly a power user, just hobby DIY work for me. They LCD ones at least show a little graphic when you do bolt hole patterns etc. it makes it a little easier to visualise for me.

If you do want to order from Aliexpress, you got to be quick to take advantage of the last coupons, vouchers and deals of Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I think the deals end 29 Nov 2359.

 

[6ply]

I have bought a Sino KA500 320mm 1um scale from Aliexpress when they had their 11.11 sale on for my Elliott lathe. @Pawcu bought some for his Elliott and although he used it very little so far, he is happy with the Sino scales. The scale cost me £69 (already delivered).

With Black Friday being on and Aliexpress having loads of coupons and sales + the 5% Topcashback offer running I managed to bag myself a Sino DRO for £73.53 - 5% = £69.85, abosute bargain!
I am still waiting for it to arrive so can't give any feedback on performance yet. However, I believe most of the Chinese DROs perform similarly.

For my Elliott mill, I bought a DRO LCD kit from ebay and I am very happy with it. This might not be the exact link but it is the same DRO I have bought.

I like the LCD DRO systems more than the traditional ones but I am not exactly a power user, just hobby DIY work for me. They LCD ones at least show a little graphic when you do bolt hole patterns etc. it makes it a little easier to visualise for me.

If you do want to order from Aliexpress, you got to be quick to take advantage of the last coupons, vouchers and deals of Black Friday/Cyber Monday. I think the deals end 29 Nov 2359.

Thanks for the very useful reply. The aliexpress links are blocked (by the forum software?) but I can probably figure them out anyway. Your Elliott mill thread is particularly useful. As well as fitting the DRO, I also need to change the handwheel on my z-axis, possibly the same way as you.

 

[Smouser]

I messed the links up when I inserted them last night. Did it on my mobile. Here you go.

Sino KA500 scale
Sino LCD DRO

I will be getting a 5um scale for the other other axis on my lathe. 1um scales are probably overkill.

 

[Pawcu]

Yeah SINO scales are pretty good scales. Most generic Chinese scales are also good as the encoder themselves are most of them manufactured from a single manufacturing plant and then the company just creates their own read head and brands it accordingly (https://www.touchdro.com/resources/getting-started/dro-scale-selection-guide.html)
With SINO brand scales you have a known pinout and this pinout is the same across all their lines (not all Chinese generic scales use the same pinouts and thus might not be easily swappable).
With regards to scales lengths and sizes, like @Smouser said, 5um is more than enough on a mill and a lathe. We got the 1um just on the cross slide but tbh even a 5um would be enough I think here.
Not sure if you're aware but the differences about the SINO KA series - it's not just mounting variants it also depends on the lengths of the scales and how much space you have. For example for longer distances KA600 are the only option, if space is at a premium go with the KA500. On my Bridgeport I went with all KA300 scales and so far so good (still in the process of mounting them and tbh should have went with a KA200 for the quill but they didn't have them in stock... )
I went with a TouchDRO setup for mine but that requires you to use a touch tablet for the actual display. I haven't fully used it yet but looks promising and really happy with it. I know you're not looking interactive touch displays but if you ever want to think about it, I would give these a read:
https://www.touchdro.com/resources/info/is-touchdro-right-for-you.html
https://www.touchdro.com/resources/info/touchdro-misconceptions.html

Hope that helps

 

[6ply]

Yeah SINO scales are pretty good scales. Most generic Chinese scales are also good as the encoder themselves are most of them manufactured from a single manufacturing plant and then the company just creates their own read head and brands it accordingly (https://www.touchdro.com/resources/getting-started/dro-scale-selection-guide.html)
With SINO brand scales you have a known pinout and this pinout is the same across all their lines (not all Chinese generic scales use the same pinouts and thus might not be easily swappable).
With regards to scales lengths and sizes, like @Smouser said, 5um is more than enough on a mill and a lathe. We got the 1um just on the cross slide but tbh even a 5um would be enough I think here.
Not sure if you're aware but the differences about the SINO KA series - it's not just mounting variants it also depends on the lengths of the scales and how much space you have. For example for longer distances KA600 are the only option, if space is at a premium go with the KA500. On my Bridgeport I went with all KA300 scales and so far so good (still in the process of mounting them and tbh should have went with a KA200 for the quill but they didn't have them in stock... )
I went with a TouchDRO setup for mine but that requires you to use a touch tablet for the actual display. I haven't fully used it yet but looks promising and really happy with it. I know you're not looking interactive touch displays but if you ever want to think about it, I would give these a read:
https://www.touchdro.com/resources/info/is-touchdro-right-for-you.html
https://www.touchdro.com/resources/info/touchdro-misconceptions.html

Hope that helps

Yes, that's helpful, thanks.

I don't have a spare tablet computer but it's still interesting to know about other options.

I'll probably make the purchase after Xmas when I've had a chance to measure up and clear some other jobs. I need to repair/replace the handwheel on the z-axis for starters, and I may need to relocate some oil points if they will be covered by the scales. I recently removed a poorly functioning one-shot oiler system and there are lots of points to oil.

 

[Pawcu]

Yes, that's helpful, thanks.

I don't have a spare tablet computer but it's still interesting to know about other options.

I'll probably make the purchase after Xmas when I've had a chance to measure up and clear some other jobs. I need to repair/replace the handwheel on the z-axis for starters, and I may need to relocate some oil points if they will be covered by the scales. I recently removed a poorly functioning one-shot oiler system and there are lots of points to oil.

If you're considering the touch DRO approach, I got the Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet for a steal (around €65 if I remember correctly) from amazon.de:
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B08F6L4Y8D?tag=haggle-web-de-21&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1&language=en_GB
In fact it's on sale again... its a very good tablet and perfect for touch DRO - you will need to however manually install the android Play Store on it to get the touch DRO app (tablet runs on Fire OS which is an amazon branded android with their own apps) but there are guides how to do this if you are interested
And yes good thinking of planning ahead... there are lots of guides on how to mount scales each with their pros and cons... If it helps, I mounted the x axis on the back of the table and I don't think I ever ran into travel issues

 

[Agroshield]

One thing to throw into the mix. It is an icing-on-the-cake item rather than a necessity.

If you have both a knee and a quill, you can buy a 'adder' or combining box that takes the output of both the quill and knee scales and gives a single readout.

MachineDRO sell one. I would be interested in any Ali sources of the same.

The brackets and fixing kit they give you with the scales is 'universal', meaning it can be made to work with almost anything. If you treat it as a starting point, you can often come up with a much nicer (more compact, more concealed, better looking) set of brackets of your own.

If you suffer from OCDRO, make sure the fasteners you use to fix the scales match the ones on the machine (i.e do not mix metric and BSW).

 

[Smouser]

I did not know those adder or combining devices existed before I bought my scales for the mill. So I have a caliper style readout on my quill. It works but the adder or combing boxes would be pure luxury!

 

[6ply]

One thing to throw into the mix. It is an icing-on-the-cake item rather than a necessity.

If you have both a knee and a quill, you can buy a 'adder' or combining box that takes the output of both the quill and knee scales and gives a single readout.

MachineDRO sell one. I would be interested in any Ali sources of the same.

The brackets and fixing kit they give you with the scales is 'universal', meaning it can be made to work with almost anything. If you treat it as a starting point, you can often come up with a much nicer (more compact, more concealed, better looking) set of brackets of your own.

If you suffer from OCDRO, make sure the fasteners you use to fix the scales match the ones on the machine (i.e do not mix metric and BSW).

No quill on my machine but it's interesting to know.

 

[6ply]

One thing to throw into the mix. It is an icing-on-the-cake item rather than a necessity.

If you have both a knee and a quill, you can buy a 'adder' or combining box that takes the output of both the quill and knee scales and gives a single readout.

MachineDRO sell one. I would be interested in any Ali sources of the same.

The brackets and fixing kit they give you with the scales is 'universal', meaning it can be made to work with almost anything. If you treat it as a starting point, you can often come up with a much nicer (more compact, more concealed, better looking) set of brackets of your own.

If you suffer from OCDRO, make sure the fasteners you use to fix the scales match the ones on the machine (i.e do not mix metric and BSW).

I have no problem mixing metric and imperial on the same machine.

 

[Smouser]

I have no problem mixing metric and imperial on the same machine.

Hahaha me too!

Pesky imperial bolts and screws are expensive and a pain to get if you need them at short notice!

A quick trip to Screwfix or Toolstation is fruitless if you want imperial fasteners.

 

[6ply]

Stripping things down a bit as I need to sort out lubrication before I consider installing the DRO. Feed gearbox very easy to remove - drained oil and removed 6 screws. I need to order a new oil sight glass.

 

[6ply]

Push fit oil level sight glass 7/8" 22mm

Zoro have 279 variants and I can't find the right one.

 

[Pawcu]

One thing to throw into the mix. It is an icing-on-the-cake item rather than a necessity.

If you have both a knee and a quill, you can buy a 'adder' or combining box that takes the output of both the quill and knee scales and gives a single readout.

MachineDRO sell one. I would be interested in any Ali sources of the same.

The brackets and fixing kit they give you with the scales is 'universal', meaning it can be made to work with almost anything. If you treat it as a starting point, you can often come up with a much nicer (more compact, more concealed, better looking) set of brackets of your own.

If you suffer from OCDRO, make sure the fasteners you use to fix the scales match the ones on the machine (i.e do not mix metric and BSW).

I don't want to become an advocate for TouchDRO (I don't have any affiliations with it unfortunately :P ) but it does it out of the box as well so no need for extra boxes and hardware

I have no problem mixing metric and imperial on the same machine.

I lost count of the different types of fasteners on mine :P

Push fit oil level sight glass 7/8" 22mm

Zoro have 279 variants and I can't find the right one.

AliExpress maybe? :/ Might have to get a generic one and machine it down? For example something like this and machine away the threads?

M12/14/16/20/22-M60 Metric Male Aluminum Oil Sight Glass Window Use For Air Compressor Lathe - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

This is how I mounted mine btw - brackets are a bit janky.... but they work :P

 

[Seadog]

One thing to throw into the mix. It is an icing-on-the-cake item rather than a necessity.

If you have both a knee and a quill, you can buy a 'adder' or combining box that takes the output of both the quill and knee scales and gives a single readout.

MachineDRO sell one. I would be interested in any Ali sources of the same.

The brackets and fixing kit they give you with the scales is 'universal', meaning it can be made to work with almost anything. If you treat it as a starting point, you can often come up with a much nicer (more compact, more concealed, better looking) set of brackets of your own.

If you suffer from OCDRO, make sure the fasteners you use to fix the scales match the ones on the machine (i.e do not mix metric and BSW).

I've often thought about doing this.
Of course, someone has always got there first.

 

[6ply]

I don't want to become an advocate for TouchDRO (I don't have any affiliations with it unfortunately :P ) but it does it out of the box as well so no need for extra boxes and hardware


I lost count of the different types of fasteners on mine :P


AliExpress maybe? :/ Might have to get a generic one and machine it down? For example something like this and machine away the threads?

M12/14/16/20/22-M60 Metric Male Aluminum Oil Sight Glass Window Use For Air Compressor Lathe - AliExpress 13

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

www.aliexpress.com

View attachment 427191
This is how I mounted mine btw - brackets are a bit janky.... but they work :P

Ali express may be the way to go.

I can't find any push fit ones of the correct size, but as you say I could always turn the threads down of a screwed variant and glue them in position. They cost a few pence each. I'd rather do that than pay some ridiculous price to a guy selling on eBay.

 

[Agroshield]

Push fit oil level sight glass 7/8" 22mm

It is an odd size. 20mm or 26mm are the common ones in push in.

Maybe epoxy in a thin wall top hat bush to reduce the hole to 20mm.

 

[6ply]

It is an odd size. 20mm or 26mm are the common ones in push in.

Maybe epoxy in a thin wall top hat bush to reduce the hole to 20mm.

It's certainly not an easy size to find (at a reasonable price) but appears to be used on A&S and Harrison machines.

Someone on eBay is advertising them at a ridiculous price.

I'll go with what @Pawcu suggested and turn the thread off a cheap one.