CNC Probe - Tried this one?

[Davek0974]

Has anyone tried one of these probes??

http://medw.co.uk/wiki/CNC+Probe

Seems it might work ok, price is good.

Good or bad idea?

The other option is a 3d-taster device but the cost is way higher, proven to work though.

[lucan07]

To me they appear to be chalk and cheese and the first is little more than a slightly adjustable £10 cheap probe which allows you to dial out spindle run out but only if placed 100% accurately into spindle every time where as the Haimer type is a quality precision tool.

I would go for the standard £10 probe or the quality precision tool and dismiss the first but thats just my opinion, I can see no great gains from the design just a lot of faffing for little gain.

[Davek0974]

The only real benefit i can see with an electronic one is that you can use Mach probing macro's etc.

[lucan07]

I do that with an upside down 4mm broken mill for nothing.

[Davek0974]

Hmm, but the work or tool needs to be isolated for the circuit to work no??

[lucan07]

Not on my current MDF bed and on the mill usually in the vice when edge or centre finding vice is easy to isolate when mounting.

[Davek0974]

Ah Ok.

Most of my stuff is clamped to the mill table so no way of isolating it really, would need to be an isolated tip probe.

[lucan07]

This would be an isolated tip, pick up the wires from beeper or led switch to connect to mach probing and save 90%

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160mm-Led-Beep-Precision-Probe-Electronic-Edge-Finder-Lathe-CNC-Milling-Tools-/161988573725?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

[Davek0974]

Interesting, thanks, I would have to butcher it though as the body is 20mm - mini-mill max is 12mm

Still, it might serve as a useful donor of parts.

[lucan07]

They do a 12mm as someone was posting the other week on here "Boyan" I think i recall, and as Mach inputs are usually 5v even taking battery connections should work, leaving beep and led intact.

[Chaz]

I have two of these. I got mine from the USA but I think its the same unit. Does what I need, its wired as a probe input via my CS Labs into Mach. I dont have a plugin to use it properly yet, just a lack of time from my side. Not as accurate as a Renishaw but nowhere the same cost either.

I have one spare - happy to sell it for around £75 including local shipping.

Thanks

[m_c]

I've got the deepgroove1 touch probe, although I think it's one of the more expensive ones now, however I can't fault it.

Repeatability is in the sub 0.05mm range, but some/most of that is likely to be lack of repeatability in the machine it's mounted on. I made up a small interface board for mine, as I didn't want to switch the KStep 24V opto directly with it, so the board means the probe is only switching 5V. The board also provides a couple LEDs so I know it's got power, and if the probe is triggered.

[njhussey]

I bought two of these type (they're all the same really) from George (komatias) but haven't had time to play with them yet. I also need to make more travel on the Z axis now to use them as they're quite long.

[Davek0974]

they're quite long.

Yes that would be a big problem.