request another recommendation

[LinuxRandal]

Dial or Digital calipers, and brand. (I am buying two, one for me, and one for my father (hence possibility of digital, due to older eyes).

TIA

[LCHIEN]

Dial or Digital calipers, and brand. (I am buying two, one for me, and one for my father (hence possibility of digital, due to older eyes).

TIA

I can find nothing wrong with the HF 6" digital calipers usually on sale for $15.99 - I own two of them and I have also used several $160 Mitutoyo and Fowler models that are really no better in my opinion.

Fit and finish are excellent, numbers are large and easy to read, english/metric, auto power off and every measurement agrees with the expensive calipers and the other ones I have (yeah I have two others, too.)

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=47257

[maxparot]

I can find nothing wrong with the HF 6" digital calipers usually on sale for $15.99

I have 1 in my tool box and have also used my fair share of the expensive name brands

[drumpriest]

I have a set of dial, but I got them CHEAP. I would recommend digital, much easier to read. And get used to this simple math.

5.12345 inches is.....
in 32nds
5 inches + (0.12345 * 32) ~= 4/32
in 16ths
5 inches + (0.12345 * 16) ~= 2/16
in 8ths
5 inches + (0.12345 * 8) ~= 1/8

If you do the math, you'll see what I mean. Just mult the decimal by the divisions that you want to approximate, and you'll get there.

[AndyF]

digital display with fractions

It's not out yet, but Wixey should be releasing a digital caliper with fractional display, $49.99, some day.


From Wixey's web site http://www.wixey.com/:

The fractions work in a unique but highly accurate manner. The fractions will only display when the decimal reading is within + or - .002" of the fractions decimal equivalent. For example, if the display is reading .740" it will not display the 3/4" ( .750" equivalent) until after the readout passes .745". Internally the readout is actually measuring in .001" increments so that the 3/4" does not turn on until .748" and turns off again at .752" This gives your fraction readings a very high level of accuracy.

Resolution:
Decimal = .001 in.
Fraction = 1/32 in.
Metric = .01 mm
Accuracy:
Decimal = +/- .0005 in.
Fraction = +/- 1/1000 in.
Metric = +/- .005 mm

Andy

[Bruce Cohen]

I love it, something else to buy and piss off my wife.

Bruce

[Tom Miller]

I love it, something else to buy and piss off my wife.

Was there ever a shortage?!

Regards,
Tom

[LinuxRandal]

Update

Thanks all!

I went to HF today to pick them up, and above them was item 93430, Cen-tech, 6" large lcd digital caliper. (sale $15.99). No extra battery, but the extra size offset that for the old man. On the other side, it says it has a computer interface port, but says nothing else about that. I have sent off a querry about what type of cable or wiring diagram for it, as it's the size, but NOT a mini-usb.

[eezlock]

Calipers

Dial or Digital calipers, and brand. (I am buying two, one for me, and one for my father (hence possibility of digital, due to older eyes).

TIA

I saw one in a woodworking magazine the other day that would be worth considering. It has dual scales..(1) scale is fractional and (2) scale is measured in 1000ths ( normal scale for calipers). I think it was made by General the people who make all kinds of measuring tools, protractors,
depth guages, etc. HD carries this line of tools and they are very good quality
and not too pricey. eezlock

[LCHIEN]

Serial port on calipers.

Thanks all!

I went to HF today to pick them up, and above them was item 93430, Cen-tech, 6" large lcd digital caliper. (sale $15.99). No extra battery, but the extra size offset that for the old man. On the other side, it says it has a computer interface port, but says nothing else about that. I have sent off a querry about what type of cable or wiring diagram for it, as it's the size, but NOT a mini-usb.

Sure it wasn't 93940?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=93940

The computer interface port on most of these has been for some years (long before USB became popular) a simple serial port. The port on the other HF calipers has been under the little cover directly above the battery compartment. I can't seem to locate the specs for it anywhere, but I recall it was RS232-like and tranmsitted data
Not even sure what the connector is for that port, looks like 4-contacts on mine.

P.S. OK I found this searching on the internet:

6) Data Output and Processing

At present, most digital calipers from China have a data port (SPC) for
data output. The port can be seen by removing a small cap on the slider
(readout head) and can be connected with a PC or a printer for data
processing or for the printing of analytical charts of the measured
figures; via a special cable. The data port is usually termed an adaptor.

Interface working method: Synchronous serial.

Data: Binary code, 24 bits. Each datum will be transferred twice. The cycle
is 300ms (20ms in fast reading state). Transmitting time: 0.5ms.

Four wires (from left to right): Negative power(-), Clock pulse CP, Data D,
Positive Power(+).

Pulse range of data: Level ≤0.2V, Level ≥1.3V

Clock Pulse CP: 90 KHz, effective for high electrical level.

still doesn't say much about a connector. Apparently from that and a diagram I found in the manual for one of my calipers, you need a interface circuit to convert to a PC serial interface.

Here's a more advanced specification:
http://www.shumatech.com/support/chinese_scales.htm


...going to be a lot of work to convert those outputs to something usable.


PPS: Here's a project from a guy who solved it all -

http://www.pcmx.net/gauge/
how to and what connector to mount to the Caliper.
A PCB and circuit to convert the synchronous binary to RS232 ASCII
A PC program to read the COM port and display the results.
The PC actually powers the interface and the calipers.

[LinuxRandal]

First, yes typo, that's the one.

Second, wow, that is more info then I figured I'd find, thanks Loring.

[Stick]

I'll go with the concensus here. I have Mitutoyo digital as well as metric and decimal inch verniers and dials at work, and even a set that reads in 1/128 inch. yeah, as a millwright, I deal with all 3 all the time. At home I use the cheapo digitals, but still have metric and decimal inch verniers there as well. My only complaint with digitals is in an unheated shop, battery life is so short as to be almost non-existent. My shops are wood heated only when I'm actually working in them, so I seldom use my digitals in the winter months. as a result. For rough measurements, the plastic verniers work good and are cheap enough you don't care if you misplace them. Here in Canada, they usually come in fractional inch and metric scales on one. Cost maybe 2 bucks. You can probably get them for about 50 cents in the US.

[LinuxRandal]

Here all the ones I see for cheap are straight vernon calipers (no dial or gauge). I have several of those, but never could read as accurate as I have needed. Example of my use, to find out if the bloody miter slot is the standard .755, or the Craftsman size of .750. Never did see an answer to that one, and it always bothered me when I found bargins, that I couldn't tell wether they were for me (UHMW sliders for the slots).