electronic threading dial

dz32 · Jan 24, 2015

hey guys I was wondering if anyone had some ideas they might share. I have an old 9 inch South Bend that's lacking a threading dial. Rather than pay $100 for a mechanical one on eBay, it seems like I could attach a rotary encoder to the lead screw. does anyone know the math required to make this work offhand? I would probably use a small Arduino to count pulses and blink and LED or something. the link below is the only other info I found on this idea:

cnc zone dot com

/forums/shopmaster-shoptask/87824-electronic-thread-dial-post652381.html#post652381

Thanks for any thoughts.
-dave

CalG · Jan 24, 2015

by the time you get all the electro magic done and installed, the iron threading dial will seem like a deal.

Plus, No batteries !

FerriteCore · Jan 24, 2015

It isn't quite as simple as encoding/displaying lead screw and displaying lead screw position (phase). If it was the mechanical thread dial could be a simple dial on the end of the screw.

What the mechanical thread dial displays is based on both the phase of the lead screw and the position of the carriage. Think of it as the phase of the lead screw at the position of the carriage.

For an electronic thread dial you will need to encode both carriage position and lead screw phase, and do a little math. Having a carriage position display (DRO) would be useful all by itself.

You should probably try to get access to a lathe with a thread dial on it so that you can get a feel for it.

dz32 · Jan 25, 2015

thank for the feedback guys, I really appreciate the insights! idea aborted!

the mechanical version is accounting for more than I expected, there is true elegance in simplicity sometimes, the trick is in recognizing how much and appreciating it

CalG · Jan 25, 2015

for my money, put effort into the fwd and reversing of the spindle. Then you can just leave the half nuts closed. All metric threads fit this condition.

A threading dial really shines for longer threads when the back out time is long, or for blind internal threads when the best method is to park the tool tip in a recess grove while threading out.

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