Taig Micro Mill Digital Read-Out (DRO)
Last updated on Thursday, October 21, 2010 06:30:45 PM Eastern US Time Zone

Taig Micro Mill DRO, Scales, Enclosure, Red Display Filter, Mounting Brackets, Cabling, DPU-550 Daughterboard Upgrade

This DRO modification has been removed for the mill CNC conversion but the information has been retained for reference.

Taig Micro Mill DRO

Completed DRO system for the Taig manual mill, adapted from my Rong Fu RF-25 modifications.
The L-channel serves as scale mounts while protecting them from impact, fluid & debris.
All L-channel bracket corners have been rounded to increase safety.


Pre-DRO Taig mill with 18" table having 12" of travel.
Note the table lock cap-head screw & the pre-mod long, ⅜" dowel pin hard stop in the center.

Scales

The Taig uses one, 12" scale for the X-Axis plus two, 6" scales for the Y & Z-Axes.
The smaller, horizontal-type scale fits best for the space-restricted, X & Y-Axis applications.
The SPC receptacle has been improved over that shown for the Taig Z-Axis.
The socket now fully encloses the plug when inserted.

Enclosure

Used Function 5 to define & Function 6 to select tool diameter offsets for milling the enclosure.
The two-flute, end mill is ⅛" in diameter. This setup is on my RF-25 mill.

Inside view of the enclosure's bottom-mounted, aluminum bracket. This type of enclosure still flexes a little.

Red Display Filter

Adding a deep red filter really enhances the LED display contrast.
Punched five holes that fit over the status LEDs to hold the filter in place.
The holes should be loose so the filter floats in place & does not warp when the display heats it up.
The five LED indicators have circular (punched) red filters that are placed into the front enclosure holes.

Mounting Brackets

An upper bracket that both swivels & tilts. U-bracket was cut from an extrusion.

Bottom bracket detail using an 80/20 extrusion.

The DRO is mounted directly onto the table for rigidity & serves to isolate it from the mill's column.

Cabling

The cables run up through holes in the base & inside the back channels of the 80/20 extrusion.
Black plastic (80/20) inserts are snapped into the channels to hold the cables in place.

All cable plugs are held in place with a spot of hot glue. A 100μf, 10v tantalum capacitor was
soldered into each of the battery compartments. I have the DRO plugged into a APC surge protector.

DPU-550 Daughterboard Upgrade

If desired, the DRO-350 can be upgraded with the DPU-550 daughterboard & overlay for enhanced capabilities.
DPU-550     OpenDRO User's Guide Rev 2     OpenDRO Supplemental Guide

Taig Micro Mill DRO, Scales, Enclosure, Red Display Filter, Mounting Brackets, Cabling, DPU-550 Daughterboard Upgrade