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DRO PROS Display and adapting a Sino (?) scale

Pull Up Now!

Plastic
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Location
Minnesota
Hi, I had a DRO PROS scale stop working. At first I thought it was contamination because it would stop counting at close to the same spot. After careful cleaning, the problem repeated. So I bought a new scale which didn't work at all. I think the 9 pin Sub D connector is wired differently. Anyway, I pulled the reader carriage out of the non working scale and installed it on the new glass scale. The problem FOLLOWED the reader...it stops counting at around the same place. So I'm back to trying to get the replacement scale working. The replacement scale has no manufacturer or part number on it, or a wiring diagram. Does anyone have any idea how to wire this generic Chinese scale to the DRO Pros display? Thanks!
 
DRO-Pros are made by a Chinese company Easson, they use a typical 5V TTL quadrature protocol. The generic scale you have is probably wired differently from Easson and without looking inside of it, the pinout can only be guessed. You can send it to ZS instruments in Lafayette, IN and our engineer will figure out the wiring and convert it to DRO Pros/Easson for you.

Though it might not be worth the efforts. Without going into too many details or giving trade secrets away, I can tell you that all glass scales made in China are based on the same cheap and flawed design which makes them prone to premature aging. That's on top of a low accuracy glass and remarkably poor workmanship.

Most Chinese reader heads will die after a few years, even if hardly ever used. So unless you enjoy constantly buying those as well as spending time installing and aligning scales instead of making chips, I would recommend a quality replacement. ZS instruments LE series scales are reasonably priced and we can wire them to work with the DRO PROs monitor.
 
The company Sino uses two different scale interfaces. One is single-ended RS232 and the other is differential EIA422. Here are the pinouts, differential EIA422 on top and single-ended RS232 below. Pin numbering is standard DB9.

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The company Sino uses two different scale interfaces. One is single-ended RS232 and the other is differential EIA422. Here are the pinouts, differential EIA422 on top and single-ended RS232 below. Pin numbering is standard DB9.

attachment.php

This is the same as Easson/DROPros. While some of those scales come with a differential EIA422 output, we are yet to see a single low cost DRO which would actually use the benefits of EIA422 as all of them rely on a single ended portion only.
Pull Up Now stated that "replacement scale has no manufacturer or part number on it" and assumed it's Sino, but turns out it's something else with a different pinout.
 
Sino scales did you get the pilot for them?

Hi, I had a DRO PROS scale stop working. At first I thought it was contamination because it would stop counting at close to the same spot. After careful cleaning, the problem repeated. So I bought a new scale which didn't work at all. I think the 9 pin Sub D connector is wired differently. Anyway, I pulled the reader carriage out of the non working scale and installed it on the new glass scale. The problem FOLLOWED the reader...it stops counting at around the same place. So I'm back to trying to get the replacement scale working. The replacement scale has no manufacturer or part number on it, or a wiring diagram. Does anyone have any idea how to wire this generic Chinese scale to the DRO Pros display? Thanks!
Did you ever get the pinout?
 
DRO-Pros are made by a Chinese company Easson, they use a typical 5V TTL quadrature protocol. The generic scale you have is probably wired differently from Easson and without looking inside of it, the pinout can only be guessed. You can send it to ZS instruments in Lafayette, IN and our engineer will figure out the wiring and convert it to DRO Pros/Easson for you.

Though it might not be worth the efforts. Without going into too many details or giving trade secrets away, I can tell you that all glass scales made in China are based on the same cheap and flawed design which makes them prone to premature aging. That's on top of a low accuracy glass and remarkably poor workmanship.

Most Chinese reader heads will die after a few years, even if hardly ever used. So unless you enjoy constantly buying those as well as spending time installing and aligning scales instead of making chips, I would recommend a quality replacement. ZS instruments LE series scales are reasonably priced and we can wire them to work with the DRO PROs monitor.

I always assumed DRO PRO was made by SINO simply because they look the same. I also have a mill made in China that had a SINO DRO installed at the factory on my initial order. It has worked flawlessly for more than 10 years and is still going strong. Even the accuracy is more than acceptable. I have no complaints.
 
I always assumed DRO PRO was made by SINO simply because they look the same. I also have a mill made in China that had a SINO DRO installed at the factory on my initial order. It has worked flawlessly for more than 10 years and is still going strong. Even the accuracy is more than acceptable. I have no complaints.

Yep, I put a Sino DRO on a mill very close to 20 years ago, and although the machine has changed hands at least twice since, I know who owns it and the DRO is still working perfectly.

I have one on a little toolroom horizontal borer here, it's completely generic chinese, I don't even know what the brand is without going and looking. It's been used practically daily for the best part of a decade and has never missed a beat. Nothing wrong with the accuracy either.

I have some Heidenhain scales that are 30+ years old, and sure, the Chinese ones will probably not last that long. But I am comfortable stating that that post is full of shit, trying to sell his product by discrediting his competition. The "Made in USA" is most certainly bullshit too.
 








 
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