Hacking a digital dial indicator into a CNC probe.

[jimustanguitar]

hackaday.io/project/511-digital-dial-indicator-cnc-surface-probe

[BeeAmaker]

Interesting

[jimustanguitar]

I'm picking up one of those HF dials this evening.

Here's an article on using the digital port on their calipers too:
www.robotroom.com/Digital-Indicator-1.html


What kind of connector is supposed to go in these tools? Is there a more elegant way to do it than by soldering to the board?

*Edit*  I guess I found my answer.
www.robotroom.com/Caliper-Digital-Data-Port.html
littlemachineshop.com/products/product_view.php?ProductID=1990&category=

[BeeAmaker]

Maybe you can use that for your bed leveling

[bvandiepenbos]

Just read about cheap and simple height probe by Michael Hackney on the SeeMeCNC forum... you don't even need a dial indicator !! ...

(The touch probe is simply a 1/4" or so rod about 1/4" tall that has a wire attached. Another wire is attached to your hot end. These two wires run into your RAMBo on the Z min switch input. When the nozzle touches the probe, it completes the circuit, triggering a "touch". This is very reproducible and accurate and used on CNC machines. The movement of the nozzle is done via a gcode script similar to the one Jim created. As the nozzle moves to a new point, you just position the probe under it and wait for the touch. I did it in 3 minutes last night. Very simple, very effective, very cheap, very convenient.)

forum.seemecnc.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7542&p=61505#p61505

[jimustanguitar]

He said that it's an old machinist's trick for finding an object using the metal cutter.