A digital position readout (also known as a DRO, short for digital read out) provides a numerical display showing the position of your machine elements. On a milling machine a 3-axis DRO shows the X- and Y- positions of the mill table plus the Z-axis position of the cutting tool. On a lathe, a typical 2-axis DRO shows the positions of the carriage and the cross slide.
DIY Techniques And Supplies. How to make cheapest dro digital readout for mini lathe 7x10, easy way. Cheapest dro make out of digital caliper. A quick and easy way to add a digital read out to your hobby lathe.
DROs help prevent common errors such as misreading the hand wheel dials or losing count of hand wheel rotations. They also provide capabilities that are impossible with mechanical hand wheels and dials, such as switching from measuring inches to measuring millimeters.
At LittleMachineShop.com, we carry several complete DRO packages. We have rotary encoder-based DRO packages that fit specific lathe. We have a selection of scale-based DRO packages that fit most bench top lathes and mills.
Rotary encoder-base DRO's for Lathe
These packages mount right on the cross slide and compound rest to give you accurate depth of cut readings.
Unlike our other DRO kits, these are not a true DROs. There are two things that differentiate these from a true DRO. First, they provide readouts for the cross slide and the compound rest. They do not display the position of the carriage at all. Second, they do not actually measure the position of the cross slide or the compound rest, but measure turns of the hand wheels.
Why are these distinctions important? The first is pretty obvious, if you want to know where your lathe carriage is. This product won't help. But if you want to measure along the axis of the bed, you can set the compound rest perpendicular to the cross slide and use it to measure.
The second distinction is a finer point. Because this product measures turns of the hand wheel, there is no compensation for backlash. On a milling machine this would make this product pretty much useless. But on a lathe, you are always cutting in the same direction (on any particular cut), so backlash doesn't matter.
- Works on any 7x10, 7x12, 7x14 or 7x16 mini lathe made by SIEG
- Models for other LittleMachineShop.com and SIEG lathes
- Resolution: 0.0001', accuracy: 0.001'
- Buttons for On/Off, Zero, and Inch/MM
- Zero any axis at any point
- Inch or mm display
This product is a good value. It provides most of the features of a 'real' DRO at a very attractive price. But don't try to use it on anything but the lathe it was designed for. It simply won't work.
Rotary Encoder-Based DRO Package Comparison Table
| Part Number | 5675 |
| Product | Digital Position Readout, 2-Axis Mini Lathe |
| Repeatability | 0.00050' (0.0127 mm) |
| Resolution | 0.00010' (0.0025 mm) |
| Accuracy | 0.00100' (0.0254 mm) |
| Technology | Rotary encoder |
| Clear to Zero | Yes |
| Inch/mm Display | Yes |
| Made In | China |
Scale-Based DRO Packages
These DRO packages include the digital display unit, 2 or 3 scales, mounting hardware, and complete instructions for installation and use.
Scale-Based DRO Packages are designed to mount on any machine within the range of the scales. They all come with 'universal' mounting brackets. These mounting brackets are probably all you need to mount the DRO on large machines. On smaller machines (including mini lathes and mini mills) you will probably need to make some mounting brackets. Note that the Bluetooth DRO packages, except the universal models, come with all the brackets required for the machines they support. All scale-based DRO installations require drilling and tapping a number of holes in the machine.
The biggest challenge is usually the cross slide on small lathes and the X-axis on small mills. On small lathes, the answer is sometimes to mount the DRO scale hanging in space behind the cross slide. On small mills, the smaller cross section of the Shooting Star and the DRO Pros magnetic scales can make it significantly easier to mount the X-axis scale behind the table without restricting the table travel. Glass scales are a challenge to mount on small machines.
Shooting Star | DRO Pros Glass Scales | DRO Pros Magnetic Scales | Bluetooth DRO | |
| 3 Axis Mill | 2665, 3568 | 3811 | 4239 | 5492, 5493, 5494, 5514, 5515 |
| 2 Axis Mill | 2664 | 3976 | 4240 | |
| 2 Axis Lathe | 2664 | 3929 | 4241 | 5495, 5497 |
Scale-Based DRO Package Comparison Table
This table includes one DRO package representing each class of DRO. The specs for the other packages in the same class are the same.| Part Number | 2665 | 3811 | 4239 | 5515 |
| Product | Digital Position Readout, 3-Axis Shooting Star | Digital Position Readout, 3-Axis | Digital Position Readout, 3-Axis Magnetic Scale, DRO Pros Mill | Digital Position Readout, 3-Axis Bluetooth Universal |
| Repeatability | 0.0005' (0.013 mm) | 2 μm, 0.002 mm, 0.0001' | 10 microns | 0.0002' (0.005 mm) |
| Resolution | 0.0005' (0.013 mm) | 5 μm, 0.005 mm, 0.0002' | 5 microns | 0.0002' (0.005 mm) |
| Specified Accuracy | 0.002' / 12' travel | 6 μm, 0.006 mm, 0.0002' / 50 mm travel | 15 microns / 1 m travel | 0.0020' (0.050 mm) / 1 m travel |
| Accuracy / Foot | 0.0020' (0.051 mm) | 0.0014' (0.036 mm) | 0.0002' (0.005 mm) | 0.0020' (0.050 mm) |
| Accuracy / 100 Mm | 0.0006' (0.016 mm) | 0.0005' (0.012 mm) | 0.0001' (0.002 mm) | 0.0020' (0.050 mm) |
| Scales Cut to Length by User | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Scale Technology | Rack and anti-backlash pinion with optical encoder | Glass | Magnetic | Magnetic |
| Scale Protection | Coolant & dust resistant | Coolant & dust resistant | Coolant & dust proof to IP67 | Coolant & dust resistant |
| Voltage | 120 V | 120-240 V | 120-240 V | 100-240 V |
| Clear to Zero | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Direct Entry of Position | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Inch/mm Display | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Power Off Memory | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Reversible Count Direction | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Find Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bolt Circles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bolt Lines | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Preset Points | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tool Offsets | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Radius/Diameter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Incremental/Absolute | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Calculator | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Arc Machining | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Linear Error Compensation | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Made In | Canada | China | India | China |
| Warranty | 5 years | 3 years | Lifetime | 1 year |
| Phone Tech Support | Free | Free | Free | Free |
Common features of DROs include:
Diy Lathe Dro Kit
| Repeatability | How closely can you return to a previous position. |
| Resolution | The smallest increment that can be displayed. |
| Accuracy | The accuracy specified by the manufacturer. |
| Clear to Zero | Press a button to set the readout to zero. |
| Direct Entry of Position | Enter your current position. |
| Inch/mm Display | Displays in inches or millimeters. |
| Power Off Memory | Maintain your coordinates and settings even if the power fails. |
| Reversible Count Direction | Set so the dimensions increase in either direction. |
| Find Center | Find the center of a workpiece. |
| Bolt Circles | Lay out a bolt circle with the press of a few buttons. Move to each hole position in turn. |
| Bolt Lines | Lay out a line of bolt holes with the press of a few buttons. Move to each hole position in turn. |
| Preset Points | Enter or move to points and store. Select stored points and move to them. |
| Tool Offsets | Touch off each lathe tool in your quick change tool post and record the offset. Recover the offset when you change to that tool. |
| Radius/Diameter | Good for lathes, displays the diameter of the workpiece rather than the radius. |
| Incremental/Absolute | Tthis capability is good for making slots or other features where you need to work to the dimensions of the feature, while maintaining your position on the workpiece. |
| Calculator | Use the keypad as a calculator. |
| Arc machinding | Cut a radius or an arc by moving between closley spaces points. |
| Linear Error Compensation | Correct for scale deviations. |