ee

"eganders"

07/11/2005 4:02 AM

Low cost readout for digital caliper

I am looking for a LOW COST remote readout (single, not 3 axis) that
can be used with the low cost calipers such as Harbor Freight sells for
$15.99. Don't kid youself if you have not looked at these, they are a
terrific deal! Accurate, precise and well made. They even have a
communication port.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47257

But if you look for a readout for them, you find places like the Little
Machine Shop that have the 3 axis type of readout or someone that
possibly has a kit, but I have not seen a readout that is ready to go
for a decent price. Too bad you can't just buy a second caliper and
wire it to the first just using the readout from the second.

The reason for the remote readout is that I could use it for
applications such as the height reading in a router table or other
uses.

By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293

I would like to have someone compare this to the $15.99 caliper. This
caliper would allow me to drill into the jaws for mounting. Try to do
that with the $15.99 caliper and you will see why I see them as one of
the best deals going in measurement tools.


This topic has 10 replies

LB

"Larry Bud"

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

07/11/2005 5:41 AM


Han wrote:
> "eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1131364946.229605.306630
> @g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>
> > By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?
> >
> > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293
> >
>
> There seems to be a typo in the purported accuracy. I would have thought
> that 0.001 inch would be 0.001*25.4 mm=0.02 mm. If it is 0.2 mm, that
> would be lousy accuracy

The description says:
"Accuracy: +/- 0.001'' (0.2 mm), Resolution: 0.01'', "

How can something be accurate to 1 mil when the resolution is 10 mil?

ee

"eganders"

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

07/11/2005 4:39 PM

This is a good piece of info. I guess I am lazy, but I would like to
just buy a commercial product that has a single readout instead of
putting one together. About 20 years ago I would jump right in, but
now I would just like to "use" it and work on a wood project!!

ee

"eganders"

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

11/11/2005 4:33 AM

The little cover opposite the battery cover is where the port is. The
catch to the whole thing is that any readout appears to be 3 axis and
the cost soon makes you forget the deal you got on the caliper.

t

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

13/11/2005 12:21 PM

eganders wrote:
> I am looking for a LOW COST remote readout (single, not 3 axis) that
> can be used with the low cost calipers such as Harbor Freight sells for
> $15.99. <snip>

About three years ago I bought some of these generic Chinese digital
calipers for a measurement fixture I was building. The instructions
that came with them said there was an optional data cable available, so
I called the dealer to get some. After going through much of their
technical support office, I finally got someone who explained it to me
this way:

The innards of these calipers are a copy of the Mitutoyo. Since
Mitutoyo has a data port (used for data collection in industrial SPC
systems), the Chinese calipers also come with a data port.
Unfortunately, the port doesn't work. The caliper manufacturer(s) in
China copied the text from the Mitutoyo manual, including the bit about
the optional cable, but they don't even sell a data cable at the
wholesale level. Thus, no dealers have cables to sell.

I'm sure it'd be a good market niche -- these things are so cheap that
wherever you've got a scale on a machine, why not slap on a dedicated
digital readout for less than $20?

Tim

Cs

"CW"

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

08/11/2005 2:38 AM

The output is not for a readout. It's for interfacing with an SPC recorder
or PC.

"eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am looking for a LOW COST remote readout (single, not 3 axis) that
> can be used with the low cost calipers such as Harbor Freight sells for
> $15.99. Don't kid youself if you have not looked at these, they are a
> terrific deal! Accurate, precise and well made. They even have a
> communication port.
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47257
>
> But if you look for a readout for them, you find places like the Little
> Machine Shop that have the 3 axis type of readout or someone that
> possibly has a kit, but I have not seen a readout that is ready to go
> for a decent price. Too bad you can't just buy a second caliper and
> wire it to the first just using the readout from the second.
>
> The reason for the remote readout is that I could use it for
> applications such as the height reading in a router table or other
> uses.
>
> By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293
>
> I would like to have someone compare this to the $15.99 caliper. This
> caliper would allow me to drill into the jaws for mounting. Try to do
> that with the $15.99 caliper and you will see why I see them as one of
> the best deals going in measurement tools.
>

Hn

Han

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

07/11/2005 12:09 PM

"eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1131364946.229605.306630
@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293
>

There seems to be a typo in the purported accuracy. I would have thought
that 0.001 inch would be 0.001*25.4 mm=0.02 mm. If it is 0.2 mm, that
would be lousy accuracy

--
Best regards
Han .
email address is invalid

JT

John Thomas

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

08/11/2005 8:13 PM

"eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> I am looking for a LOW COST remote readout (single, not 3 axis) that
> can be used with the low cost calipers such as Harbor Freight sells
> for $15.99. Don't kid youself if you have not looked at these, they
> are a terrific deal! Accurate, precise and well made. They even have
> a communication port.
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47257
>

Yeah, those are great calipers for the price; I bought one for SWMBO for
last Christmas, I think. I've got one of their regular dial calipers for
myself that I paid about that much for, a couple of years before. I
wouldn't buy Starrett for my use in the shop ... but they are awfully
handy to have at that price-point.

Communications port? I wasn't aware that it had one, but I didn't look
too closely ...

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

JT

John Thomas

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

11/11/2005 4:21 PM

"eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1131712428.896342.239680
@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com:

> The little cover opposite the battery cover is where the port is. The
> catch to the whole thing is that any readout appears to be 3 axis and
> the cost soon makes you forget the deal you got on the caliper.
>

Thanks for the followup; our use is just as a digital readout caliper,
so it was still a heckuva dea ;-).

As a geek, though, I have to admit I'm intrigued by the communication
possibility ...

--
Regards,

JT
Speaking only for myself....

DM

"David Merrill"

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

07/11/2005 3:28 PM

Try the links from this thread on rec.crafts.metalworking.
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.crafts.metalworking/browse_thread/thread/b685b09151e9c92d/b9cd09b539e972ce?lnk=st&q=digital+caliper+dro+group:rec.crafts.metalworking&rnum=10&hl=en#b9cd09b539e972ce

There have been other threads there on related subjects, one linking to this
site.
http://www.motor-manufaktur.de/werkstatt/09_yadro/part_3.html

David Merrill

"eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I am looking for a LOW COST remote readout (single, not 3 axis) that
> can be used with the low cost calipers such as Harbor Freight sells for
> $15.99. Don't kid youself if you have not looked at these, they are a
> terrific deal! Accurate, precise and well made. They even have a
> communication port.
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=47257
>
> But if you look for a readout for them, you find places like the Little
> Machine Shop that have the 3 axis type of readout or someone that
> possibly has a kit, but I have not seen a readout that is ready to go
> for a decent price. Too bad you can't just buy a second caliper and
> wire it to the first just using the readout from the second.
>
> The reason for the remote readout is that I could use it for
> applications such as the height reading in a router table or other
> uses.
>
> By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?
>
> http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293
>
> I would like to have someone compare this to the $15.99 caliper. This
> caliper would allow me to drill into the jaws for mounting. Try to do
> that with the $15.99 caliper and you will see why I see them as one of
> the best deals going in measurement tools.
>

GG

Greg G.

in reply to "eganders" on 07/11/2005 4:02 AM

07/11/2005 8:44 AM

Larry Bud said:

>Han wrote:
>> "eganders" <[email protected]> wrote in news:1131364946.229605.306630
>> @g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
>>
>> > By the way, has anyone tried this caliper?
>> >
>> > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=93293
>> >
>>
>> There seems to be a typo in the purported accuracy. I would have thought
>> that 0.001 inch would be 0.001*25.4 mm=0.02 mm. If it is 0.2 mm, that
>> would be lousy accuracy
>
>The description says:
>"Accuracy: +/- 0.001'' (0.2 mm), Resolution: 0.01'', "
>
>How can something be accurate to 1 mil when the resolution is 10 mil?

The wonders of modern marketing.
If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, buffalo 'em with B.S.


Greg G.


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