Mill DRO with CNC Thrust Collars

Upgraded DRO Chip

Beginning August 1st, 2021, all DROs will ship with an upgraded chip. This new chip upgrade allows our Digital Readout to function with our ball screw machines as well as our standard leadscrew machines. We also programmed some upgrades based on customer feedback, like having a Metric display on an Inch machine or having an Inch display on a Metric machine.

The new DRO chip has six different modes to choose from based on the machine type, e.g., mill, lathe, leadscrew, or ball screw, and your preference of either inch or metric display on the DRO.

For more detailed information on setting up the modes for DRO, please see the DRO Mode Instructions.

NOTE: You must make sure you have the correct RPM tach sticker for your machine. Use a 6-pulse (P/N 81510) tach sticker if your machine is a leadscrew machine or a 5-pulse tach sticker (P/N P/N 68060) if your machine is a ball screw machine.

This DRO kit comes with CNC thrust collars to allow you to use the DRO on a mill with stepper motors installed. You must remove the handwheels to install CNC stepper motor mounts on a Sherline machine. Sherline’s digital readout system measures handwheel rotation and translates it electronically into table movement rather than measuring table movement directly; therefore, removing the special DRO handwheels eliminates the DRO function. Some CNC users prefer to have a DRO reading the leadscrew movement to cross-check the CNC input to ensure that the axis has actually moved the amount of the stepper motor input.

Most full-size shop mills used by machinists are now available with a digital readout. They are popular because they make your life as a machinist much easier. Readouts on the X- Y- and Z-axes can be reset to zero at any time with the push of a button. From there, as you move the handwheels, you can read the table position to 3-1/2 decimal places (.0005″) on the digital readout (Metric versions read to .01mm). You no longer need to count handwheel revolutions or make difficult calculations when cranking in a negative number. Kit includes two 2″ handwheels with encoders for X- and Y-axes and a 2.5″ handwheel/encoder unit for the Z-axis. Also included: digital readout box with LCD display, RPM sensor, power supply, cables, stand, and all necessary mounting hardware. No hole drilling is required to mount.

As long as we were redesigning the electronics package, we went the extra step to include an RPM readout, adding function to the package. The sensors are easy to install and require no modification of your Sherline mill. A two-axis DRO package is also available for the lathe. A three-axis package for using the lathe with the vertical milling column can be purchased, or a third axis can be added later if you add the vertical milling column to your lathe. For those with both a lathe and a mill, the electronic readout box can be shared between both machines to offer cost savings if you buy just the additional handwheels and cables for the second machine.

220-240 Volt Electrical Current

The DRO power supply automatically switches from 120V to 240V for countries with 220-240 volt electrical current. You may need to use a wall socket adapter if you use the power supply in a country outside North America.

NOTE: The DRO can be ordered on any new machine as a factory-installed option. The digital readout handwheels replace the standard handwheels that would normally come with the machine. If you purchase a machine with factory-installed DRO, the regular handwheels are not included. If you purchase the DRO as a separate option and install it yourself, you will have the stock handwheels left over.

USE WITH CNC: Though not designed to provide feedback to Sherline CNC machines as a closed-loop system, it can be adapted for use on the rear shaft of Sherline stepper motors for use as a separate readout. See using DRO with CNC page for instructions.