Can anyone suggest a Digital dial gague insted of using a probe

[alanb]

I have built a renishaw type probe which I run under emc2 to get surface contours for my bowls before I cut a pattern on them. But I would rather have a dial gauge setup where I just move the work to the required radius and angle and read the depth value without having to step away from the surface then jog forward again, until I touch it type of movement. The contours are fairly smooth and accuracy of say up to 0.1mm is all that is required. I thought that a spring loaded small linear scale (as found in the height display on my mill) might do the trick, routed through an arduino board, but I understand you can buy actual digital clock gauges but do not know if you can read the values of those externally. Has anyone done this type of thing?

Thanks
Alan

[Jonathan]

Could you not write some code to automate the process you are currently doing and store the values?

Reading the digital callipers has been done by many people, so if the DTI has a connector on it, it shouldn't be difficult. There are some relatively cheap ones on aliexpress. Arc-Euro also have a good selection.

[alanb]

Could you not write some code to automate the process you are currently doing and store the values?

Jonathan, I already do this and write the values into a file which I then import into some other software I have written. It is reading the values from a dti that I am unsure about. Do they output grayscale values as do rotary encoders or is it some propitiatory format, I havent got a scope to be able to check.

Alan

[alanb]

Jonathan, I already do this and write the values into a file which I then import into some other software I have written. It is reading the values from a dti that I am unsure about. Do they output grayscale values as do rotary encoders or is it some propitiatory format, I havent got a scope to be able to check.

Alan

With respect to that I recently bought a six inch scale from arc see Digital Readouts with Dedicated Remote Display - Arc Euro Trade (http://www.arceurotrade.co.uk/Catalogue/Measurement/Digital-Readouts-with-Dedicated-Remote-Display) . I wonder if anyone can tell me the protocol used by this slide has anyone put a scope on it yet?

Sorry for spelling gauge wrong in the title, had a senior moment

Alan