Accurite II DRO

chassis_builder · May 31, 2011

This is my first post here and I am not sure if this is in the right section but I couldn't find a section that seems to be dedicated to this subject. If necessary a moderator can move it. I have an Accurite II DRO on my milling machine that has quit working. I have been leaving it on all the time and a few days ago we had some storms come through here and the power was off for a few hours overnite. Usually when that happens the readout just goes to two small vertical bars on the left of the display and when you press the reset button the normal display comes back on. Now when you press the reset button the display comes on but flickers slightly but when the button is released the display goes back to the little vertical bar at the left. Is there anything to check and see if this can be fixed or am I looking at a new unit? I checked the fuse on the back and it seems to be OK. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

moonlight machine · Jun 1, 2011

Accurite tech service line......847 490 0351

chassis_builder · Jun 1, 2011

Thanks, I called them and they said it sounded like a permanent failure and so I am looking of another DRO.

Fasto · Jun 1, 2011

chassis_builder said:
Thanks, I called them and they said it sounded like a permanent failure and so I am looking of another DRO.

Handy with a voltmeter? As I recall there's a potentiometer inside to set the 5V voltage, and it sounds like your is set too low. I think it's labeled "5V Adjust". Of course I could be remembering another DRO model.

I would unplug the scales and see if it resets to 0.0000 when you press the reset button. If it does plug the scales in one at a time to see which one is no good.

If it still doesn't reset when you push the button with the scales disconnected, have a look on ebay for a used DRO counter. You could use any DRO counter that uses the 6-pin round connectors to hook up the scales. This is most Acu-Rite & Anilam DRO counters up until quite recently.

If you decide on a new DRO, don't toss the old one yet. I am trying to collect enough broken Acu-Rite II and III dro's & scales to keep all my ancient ones running.

Gotta go, another tornado reported coming this way!

blue35mm · Jun 1, 2011

Check this

I have the same unit. Have you tried moving the the table a little bit to see if the scales might be dirty? I have had the same issue, and I cleaned the scales which fixed the "bars". With mine this was happening from leaving it on unused . Some times the reader in the scales gets confused by dirt, or by being in a median position on the scale. This will also manifest in the scale suddenly loosing count during a movement of the table ( usually during a rapid).Clean my scales, and I was up and running.

IronReb · Jun 1, 2011

If it turns out your DRO is FUBAR,of course the cheapest way out would be to Ebay for a new reader and use the same scales.
If the funds allow and you wish to upgrade check out Newall DRO's Newall are NOT CHEAP but are good readouts.

They do not have glass scales that get dirty and cause problems.The scale is a metal tube about 5/8 in diam. with steel balls in side.You can take a dump on these scales and it will not miss a beat,they are that reliable..trust me.

I have repaired a few in our shop that got bent some how (nobody ever knows how it happened) straightened them back out best I could,realigned them and it was back to working.

What ever you do buy a surge protector like you would for a PC.They are not that expensive and can save your DRO from just what happened to the one you have now.

chassis_builder · Jun 1, 2011

Thanks everyone. I tried moving both the X and Y axis and still no reading. I did have problems with loosing the reading some time ago and cleaning the scale fixed that. It has been working fine until the storm. I will probably unplug it in the future when there are storms in the forecast. I will try unhooking the scale cables and see what happens. I am looking on ebay for another monitor. If someone has one they would like to sell let me know.

FIBERFORM · Jun 3, 2011

Cleaning Scales

How do I clean the scales?
Mine works fine along the carriage,but across the carriage as soon as I move it an error reading shows.
Do I have to take the scale apart,or do I blow air into it,or do I spray a cleaner into it?
If I spray it what do I use?
Thanks;
Mike

madmachinst · Jun 3, 2011

Yeah I second on that how do I clean the scales question? Last 5 years bits of rubber have been showing up all over the machine and the scales on my X axis are iffy. Have been dreaming of spherodyne scales the last 3 years

Leadfootin · Jun 3, 2011

You might want to have an electronic tech check the output voltage of the power supply regulator chips - usually 3 or 5 leggers, tabbed and with a #4 screw to a heat sink or a device which looks like an old power transistor. I had a failure on one of my DRO's and changed an LM317T. The shop shouldn't even need the scales, just the readout to test.

OTOH I have an Accurite II, cat # 38.76.67.00 taken out of service for scale issues a few years ago. Just checked and it powers up and appears fully functional. PM me.

Peter

Powerpooche · Jun 3, 2011

If you go to the Accurite web site you can download the manual for that unit which recommends using a cotton swab and alcohol to clean then. That what I used and it fixed my problems.

P.O.
________________

The amount of junk collected is proportional to the amount of space available!

A Gun in hand is better than a Cop on the phone!

chassis_builder · Jun 3, 2011

I cleaned mine by removing it from the table and wiping off the bar with a lint free cloth soaked in alcohol. The tech at Accurite said it wouldn't be calibrated right if I remove it and replaced it but I couldn't see why not as I didn't move the pickup. Anyway it worked fine after putting it back together.

chassis_builder · Jun 5, 2011

Leadfootin said:
You might want to have an electronic tech check the output voltage of the power supply regulator chips - usually 3 or 5 leggers, tabbed and with a #4 screw to a heat sink or a device which looks like an old power transistor. I had a failure on one of my DRO's and changed an LM317T. The shop shouldn't even need the scales, just the readout to test.

OTOH I have an Accurite II, cat # 38.76.67.00 taken out of service for scale issues a few years ago. Just checked and it powers up and appears fully functional. PM me.

Peter

I tried to send you a PM but it doesn't seem to be working. How much for your monitor?

Leadfootin · Jun 6, 2011

Send me an email [email protected]
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