Thread: Shumatech DRO-550 available

Just received notice that the Shumatech DRO-550 is available for pre-order with shipping expected mid-March. Price is $120.

More details on the DRO are available at Shumatech.

The pre-order page is here.

I've been looking at the 550 for some time, are they fairly easy to program and get up and running? The soldering part wouldnt be a problem.

One thing im not sure about is the signal inputs, can the 550 support most of the linear scales on the market? I am wanting to use an Optical Encoder which outputs a Quadrature signal first for a project but once its done I want to setup my DM45 Mill with the DRO.

The DRO-550 is all surface mount technology (SMD) so the only soldering required is for the various connectors and the LED's, see the construction page here.

Most of the common digital scale data formats are directly supported and automatically detected. Recently the designer added support for the iGaging brand of scales due to their price and popularity.

The Shumatech website shows that only a limited number of DRO-550's are available out of the next batch.

I've been very happy with the DRO-350/DPU-550 combination. This gives the same features as the DRO-550 except for the option of adding an additional LCD screen.

EDIT: There's a local distributor of the iGaging stuff.

Are scales easily available and what prices would I be looking at for something around 1000mm?

Also are the additional parts needed to complete the DRO-550 expensive? Such as the LED displays? Will shumatech supply these or do they need to be sourced elsewhere?

Thanks

Scales of various types are readily available from a number of sources.
I got mine from Shars (seller discount_machine on eBay) but you could try CDCO or any number of eBay sellers. Probably a number of local sources but I haven't looked.

The Shumatech website has all the information about the DRO-550 and what's required to build it. The basic PCB board includes all the surface mount components and just requires the through hole components to be soldered on. You'll also need the case, cables and overlay to complete it.
Shumatech don't sell the extra components required but these are readily available from most major electronics stockists. I use Mouser or Digikey for this sort of stuff but you should be able to get the parts locally from Farnell (or Element 4 as they're known these days).
The Shumatech site has a bill of materials that you can cut and paste into the Mouser site. I just did this and the extra parts come to $29 (plus shipping) EDIT: I forgot to include the enclosure to mount the DRO in so the total parts cost should be $44

Finally, take a look at the Shumatech support site (Yahoo group). You'll find most of your questions are answered there.

Cheers,

Just had a look at the shars site for scales, I guess when you add it all up the cost is comparable to the sino and meister units sold on ebay. Are they pretty similar or is the shumatech a better quality product with more features?

One advantage of the Shumatech DRO is that new software capabilities can be easily added. For example, support for the recently released iGaging scales was added as they were readily available and cheap (in the US at least).

I don't know anything about the Meister or Sino DRO's so can't compare them.
Ask on the Shumatech Yaho group.

Hi Com_VC,

It looks to me like you get a lot more features for your money with the Shumatech, like tacho's and extra software functions, and being an open source project, you get all the documentation and source code you need to maintain and repair it or modify it into the future.

Disclaimer: I don't have one, but I've looked closely at it and it looks like a great project. Probably better suited to the more electronically/computer literate hobbyist.

Regards
Ray

Hi,
I have 3 glass scale DRO's and have looked at the Shumatech site a while back to see what all the talk about them was.
It has more features than your Miester and Sino's etc, but are you really going to take the time to use them all, the Miester and Sino's have a lot built into them as it is.

Also the glass scales are superior to the verier type scales and have a resolution of 0.005mm (0.001mm optional) compared to 0.01mm.You also have to remember that the resolution isn't the accuracy so that will make those numbers higher. The glass are also a lot less prone to getting swarf and coolant affecting them, I have not had any trouble in 4 years with any of the sets.

With the glass scale DRO coming down in price to around $400 for a 2 axis and $550 for a 3 axis, I am not sure it would be worth going this way and having lower class scales. I know I have a few digital verniers that are temperamental to say the least.

Dave

Heres one scale I'd seen before

DRO Digital Readout Display With 1000MM / 40" Scale set (eBay item 270719865932 end time 13-Apr-11 15:58:04 AEST) : Industrial

Not sure if its compatible but it came from china so I gather it is.

The tacho function is definitely something I would use. In fact as I recall they can directly output surface speed right? That's brilliant in my book, as I think I'm typically way off optimum at times.

The SFM could be handy for someone starting out, but HSS is pretty tolerant to surface speed in a home shop situation and with our limited speed range we can never reach the proper speeds to run carbide off a manufacturers SFM chart.
As for a tacho, a standard manual gearbox lathe has the chart for lever positions and chart for speeds and most if not all variable speed lathes come with a readout of some type. Also people fitting a VSD have the frequency readout showing approximate speed as well, so I cant see a real need for it. I have read other guys comments on this over the years and their thoughts of having a tacho are the same, it's useless.

If your having trouble with surface finish have a play with speeds on your machine before the final pass. If I am after a good finish I always up the speed for the final light pass. You could leave a bit extra for the final pass, this would give you a few goes at it.

In the end it comes down to if you want to have good accurate robust scales and no troubles, or having scales that you have to keep dry and will probably have to replace down the track that are not as accurate.
There are a lot of guys that have gone to a commercial DRO after owning one of those units and been glad they did. The head unit has been fine, but they said the scales where more trouble than they where worth skipping and carrying on.

Dave

My VFD on my lathe (as in all my machines, all fitted with VFDs BTW) is housed in the machine's enclosure, hence the RPM of the motor cannot be read. Doing so protects the VFD and associated electricals from contaminants and maintains the original factory look of the machine.

If you watch a CNC lathe it typically increases the spindle RPM as the work reduces in size in order to maintain an optimum surface speed. It has nothing to do with anyone "starting out", but if the technology is available there's no reason not to do the same on a manual lathe. Indeed I do just that as it's simply another knob to my left when I'm operating the machine. I wont go to the extent of doing it continuously as a CNC lathe does, but see no reason other than laziness not to try to operate the machine at the optimum speed.

I was under the impression these DRO heads could now read various types of scales in addition to the original vernier scales?

Pete

I think that is why a lot of guys mount the VSD's on the head of the machine, so they can see the speed. If it stood up at the back of the lathe head it would be out of harms way.
It is not very often I go by the speed chart on my machine, once you get to know it you can see how it's cutting with that grind of tool and vary it to suit.

I maybe wrong, but I had a good look around yesterday and it seems it only supports the different Chinese vernier type scales. I saw no reference to glass scales.
I know there is one out that takes glass scales as well, but I cant think of the name, I know DRO SOFTWARE will take glass scales but it is on a computer screen.

Dave

I just want to say to the guys in this thread and any watching on, that I am not against the Shumatech in any way, and think it is a great thing. It is just that I don't think the scales are up to the job and from what I have read other guys who own them think the same.
Like I said above with the commercial DRO's coming down in price there is not much of a saving going with the Shumatech these days.

Dave