Mitutoyo digi vernier ........ dead .

[roblane65]

As above it was used 6 weeks or so ago battery removed and went back in the box , back end of last I needed it out it came battery back in and nowt bar the blank screen of death ,

I've had it warmed through on a rad and tried 2 new batteries both tested at 1.5 v with a multi but it's a no go . Is it destined for the bin or is there anything I can try without needing a degree in electro mechanical engineering .

 

[fizzy]

You say the blank screen - is it completely blank?
It could be a problem with the battery terminals. Also the button cells are pretty low current. Try an aa battery with wires directly to the terminals.

 

[fizzy]

Here is one I made earlier
Works very well. It might be a budget no name but it is actually more accurate and repeatable than my M+W or Mitutoyo!
I was fed up of it eating batteries - lasts forever on a proper one!

 

[voipio]

You did put the battery back in the right orientation i.e. +ve side upwards?

 

[Brad93]

put the battery in backwards to discharge it, worked once on some insize calipers i had

or bridge terminals with a piece of wire

 

[pressbrake1]

Here is one I made earlier
Works very well. It might be a budget no name but it is actually more accurate and repeatable than my M+W or Mitutoyo!
I was fed up of it eating batteries - lasts forever on a proper one!

View attachment 443229View attachment 443230

It’s really not more accurate!

 

[Screwdriver]

As above it was used 6 weeks or so ago battery removed and went back in the box , back end of last I needed it out it came battery back in and nowt bar the blank screen of death ,
View attachment 443224View attachment 443225
I've had it warmed through on a rad and tried 2 new batteries both tested at 1.5 v with a multi but it's a no go . Is it destined for the bin or is there anything I can try without needing a degree in electro mechanical engineering .

If it has simply failed through lack of use, it's most likely the LCD panel connectors which are just some sort of rubberised conductive affair. You might even discover squashing the screen in your hand wakes it up. Needs a strip and clean.

 

[roblane65]

You did put the battery back in the right orientation i.e. +ve side upwards?

yes I might have another bash at latter when I'm not black from graft .

If it has simply failed through lack of use, it's most likely the LCD panel connectors which are just some sort of rubberised conductive affair. You might even discover squashing the screen in your hand wakes it up. Needs a strip and clean.

I think taking this apart maybe a step to far for my joiners fingers and bad peepers but I suppose I've nowt to lose .

 

[Screwdriver]

Four teeny tiny screws iirc. Use a hairdryer to remove the label intact. Contact cleaner is a good investment (IPA/WD40 is sort of ok too).

 

[Red'n'Black]

If it has simply failed through lack of use, it's most likely the LCD panel connectors which are just some sort of rubberised conductive affair. You might even discover squashing the screen in your hand wakes it up. Needs a strip and clean.

Zebra strip. The rubber loses its springiness with age, the only proper cure is a new strip.

Lots of them on AliExpress for a few quid, if you can't find one the exact size, wider ones can be cut down with a scalpel.

 

[fizzy]

It’s really not more accurate!

Yes it is!
Tested with proper test blocks etc.
No idea why but nicer to use and easier to get repeatable readings from.

 

[Wedg1e]

Have to agree with the fizzmeister... well, to a point. Let's just say that within the resolution of the instrument (2 decimal places) the cheap ones are as good as the expensive ones. I've shown this time and again in our metrology lab at work, using quality slip gauges traceable under UKAS etc. etc.
Where the cheap ones fall down is in the 'feel'; they are often gritty or sticky. Sometimes you can improve matters with a bit of metal polish on the rail edges, brass gibs etc.
If you're buying from Aldi or Lidl and you can open the packaging, try and pick a smooth one.
There's a German Standard (EDIT: DIN862, helpfully posted here https://flexiblemeasuring.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/3-4DIN862.pdf) for digital calipers which stipulates a pre-use check by sliding the head through its full range 10 times, it should read zero and max every time to prove it's counting properly. Beam (or rail) should be perfectly straight.
Adjust the gib screws as you'd expect - no rocking or tilting of the head, shouldn't fall under its own weight or need excessive force to move. Avoid using the tips for measurements as the 'knife edges' wear faster than the broader flats. Similarly, the 'knife edges' on the internal jaws are not sharp, they have small flats, so in a hole you are not measuring points truly diametrically opposite. I had to figure out how bad the error was to satisfy a UKAS auditor and it's probably fair to say that over 8mm bore you can discount it but the error gets worse as the hole gets smaller - gauge pins are a better bet.
'Depth' probe is useful as a guide at best, they're woeful even on quality instruments.
Remember Abbe's principle and all that

Unless it's a 'coolant proof' model, avoid getting the beam wet as liquid can get drawn under the printed label - which has a fine array of copper tracks behind it that the read head uses; any liquid compromises its ability to count and is difficult to dry out. For the same reason avoid damage to the label.
Hopefully not teaching anyone's granny to suck eggs here but might be useful info to someone

 

[Maker]

Where the cheap ones fall down is in the 'feel'; they are often gritty or sticky. Sometimes you can improve matters with a bit of metal polish on the rail edges, brass gibs etc.

We bought some new Mitutoyo ones at work a little while ago and they all arrived feeling gritty, not the nice smooth feeling I was expecting. We actually debated smearing a bit of lapping compound on them.

It took a few weeks use for them to wear in, which I only noticed when I picked up another set which hadn't been used much, the difference was night and day.

 

[Wedg1e]

We bought some new Mitutoyo ones at work a little while ago and they all arrived feeling gritty, not the nice smooth feeling I was expecting. We actually debated smearing a bit of lapping compound on them.

It took a few weeks use for them to wear in, which I only noticed when I picked up another set which hadn't been used much, the difference was night and day.

Yeah that is odd for Mitutoyo. All of our gear is from them. I drove our granite surface plate down to their place at Coventry for a 5-year recert (didn't trust the carriers) and the inspection report showed it was as good as the day we got it (in flatness terms, it does have a few chips ). We switched from annual to bi-annual recerts on the micrometers, calipers, height gauges and DTIs as there was no detectable drift. They get checked against gauge blocks at start of any day they're in use which acts as a backup to satisfy UKAS (UKAS is where retired Bottom Inspectors go ).

 

[Screwdriver]

Well, Starrett just got bought out by an asset management company, so bang goes that brand. They have been on the decline but once the bean counters start chopping it up, you'll be buying re-branded Chinese junk henceforth.

THE L.S. STARRETT COMPANY ENTERS INTO A MERGER AGREEMENT WITH MIDDLEGROUND CAPITAL TO BECOME PRIVATE COMPANY

www.starrett.com

Mind you, the second hand values for their formerly quality gear should start to appreciate.