@GermanMythbuster Thank you, and I'm SOO glad you asked for that! I absolutely love those things and will gladly include a deeper dive into them in the future!
I really like these DIY scales, digital read outs and precision equipment for machinery is crazy expensive, you could put two of these together and make a linear displacement table with an electronic readout for a drill press or a DIY mill
@dannydevito400 I couldn't agree more! I wish I had the budget for strapping Renishaw scales on tools around the shop, but I'm hoping these will prove to give me a 'good enough' solution for those sorts of applications.
@marvintraxel6955 Great idea! I've got a handful of different limit switches I could try out to see how repeatable they are. Thanks for the suggestion!
Nice video. I've been thinking about just ripping up some cheap digital caliper and running its visual encoder along a tape measure, but this is the obviously better option.
@jkr9594 I've had similar thoughts about cannibalizing some old/cheap digital calipers, but have never given it a try. I don't know if this approach will end up being THAT much better, but it certainly gave me a reason to make the problem more complicated :)
If you can find scrap inkjet printers, they (used to) have long plastic strip linear encoders in them. I know I saw them in Canons and HPs around the 00s. OOOOOOOH! You can make those! Print a single-layer of clear PLA with a layer of opaque (Black) PLA on top, then zap the black PLA with your laser engraver to make the lines.
@ElizabethGreene I actually disassembled an HP inkjet a few months ago and still have the encoders sitting on the shelf! That thing had two or three rotary encoders and a linear encoder tape in it...I was overjoyed! The only thing I don't love about those, is that they're so compliant and have to be tensioned by springs or similar. Definitely not a deal-breaker, but that was the main reason I decided to see if I could laser cut something rigid. Very true! I hadn't thought about using the laser cutter to post-machine printed parts...interesting indeed! I'll toss one additional option in the mix if you want to make ones like you find in the printer. You can use transparency paper and just print the encoder pattern on it. In the past I've done that and attached it to the clear disc that came with re-writable CDs/DVDs to give it a stiff backing...it may have been a little while ago. Also, guess this only works if you didn't dismantle your only working printer :)
@@bubsbuildsIf you want to experiment with flimsy plastic encoders, lmk. I'll volunteer to scrape up some laser transparency "paper" and print some on my laser printer.
Excellent work! I'm wondering if it's possible to make glass scales by etching glass with a diode laser. Years ago, I did some laser engraving by coating the glass with black paint, and occasionally the paint would even deposit almost permanently onto the engraving.
@DerSolinski Very cool! I actually bought a couple of those robot arms for a previous job, but didn't realize they had custom encoders in them. And they've got some great info widely available on them, love it! (github.com/HaddingtonDynamics/Dexter/wiki/Encoders) Thanks for the suggestion!
@@bubsbuilds Still not cheap, but they move the "precision part" to the electronics. Imperfections actually allow it in this case to be an absolute encoder which is genius.
Nice project! Really intersted to see the results of your test. Regarding your "target block" - for a more automated measurement setup, would it be possible to motorize your target block as well, adding a second motor? As you are using the optical distance sensor anyways, inaccuracies in target block placement due to the second drive should be no issue, right?
@jn-husch Thanks, and absolutely! I was thinking about attaching it to my old "Lil Winch" build from a while back to do exactly that. The only thing I'm hesitant about is I'd prefer to have the translation stage moving away from the target block to avoid accidentally crashing the pricey sensor if something goes wrong with my programming :) So I'd prefer to have something that can push, instead of pull. But I've done a couple of tests thus far, and the manual approach is DEFINITELY tedious! So I'll probably try to rig something up (suggestions welcome!), and I'll definitely share how the testing goes once I get the results pulled together!
Would spring loading be better for preloading the carriage than petg?, wont it be very easy for it to rotate along the axis of linear shaft that has 4 contact points?
@saadqadeer7807 Definitely, I should have mentioned it in the video, thanks for pointing that out! I designed the PETG parts specifically to be compliant, so they are acting like springs for me.
@jaro6985 The main reason I wanted to avoid rotation around the shaft was to avoid the displacement sensor reading off of a different point on the target block. I don't think small rotations around that axis would be a HUGE issue, but especially since I went with a printed target block (with corrugations) and don't have super tight control over the perpendicularity between the target block face and the rails, I do think there's likely some sensitivity to rotations there.
![Gunna - HIM ALL ALONG [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/w7Wf0h1Q8a4/mqdefault.jpg)
U.S. Digital has been my go-to encoder manufacturer for several decades. Definitely worth a look!
Fantastic video!
Minimum constraint design is one of those ideas that changes your thinking permanently, very cool to see you applying it here!
@Yenrabbit Thanks, and couldn't agree more; I'm a big fan!
Great video, love it :)
Please make a dedicated video about the chromatic confocal sensor. That thing is awesome!
@GermanMythbuster Thank you, and I'm SOO glad you asked for that! I absolutely love those things and will gladly include a deeper dive into them in the future!
@@bubsbuilds Can't wait 🙂
I really like these DIY scales, digital read outs and precision equipment for machinery is crazy expensive, you could put two of these together and make a linear displacement table with an electronic readout for a drill press or a DIY mill
@dannydevito400 I couldn't agree more! I wish I had the budget for strapping Renishaw scales on tools around the shop, but I'm hoping these will prove to give me a 'good enough' solution for those sorts of applications.
@@bubsbuildsyou might even try printing them. If you go to a copy-shop you get access to ultra high DPI printers for cents.
Great video - I'd love to see a follow up with the results
@strongmungus Thanks! And great, I've started testing a few, I'll work on getting a follow up video together!
I would also like some different end stop tested in this setup. That sub micron distance sensor is interesting
@marvintraxel6955 Great idea! I've got a handful of different limit switches I could try out to see how repeatable they are. Thanks for the suggestion!
Nice video.
I've been thinking about just ripping up some cheap digital caliper and running its visual encoder along a tape measure, but this is the obviously better option.
@jkr9594 I've had similar thoughts about cannibalizing some old/cheap digital calipers, but have never given it a try. I don't know if this approach will end up being THAT much better, but it certainly gave me a reason to make the problem more complicated :)
If you can find scrap inkjet printers, they (used to) have long plastic strip linear encoders in them. I know I saw them in Canons and HPs around the 00s.
OOOOOOOH! You can make those! Print a single-layer of clear PLA with a layer of opaque (Black) PLA on top, then zap the black PLA with your laser engraver to make the lines.
@ElizabethGreene I actually disassembled an HP inkjet a few months ago and still have the encoders sitting on the shelf! That thing had two or three rotary encoders and a linear encoder tape in it...I was overjoyed! The only thing I don't love about those, is that they're so compliant and have to be tensioned by springs or similar. Definitely not a deal-breaker, but that was the main reason I decided to see if I could laser cut something rigid.
Very true! I hadn't thought about using the laser cutter to post-machine printed parts...interesting indeed!
I'll toss one additional option in the mix if you want to make ones like you find in the printer. You can use transparency paper and just print the encoder pattern on it. In the past I've done that and attached it to the clear disc that came with re-writable CDs/DVDs to give it a stiff backing...it may have been a little while ago. Also, guess this only works if you didn't dismantle your only working printer :)
@@bubsbuildsIf you want to experiment with flimsy plastic encoders, lmk. I'll volunteer to scrape up some laser transparency "paper" and print some on my laser printer.
Excellent work!
I'm wondering if it's possible to make glass scales by etching glass with a diode laser. Years ago, I did some laser engraving by coating the glass with black paint, and occasionally the paint would even deposit almost permanently onto the engraving.
Excellent work!
Take a look at the Hybrid Disk Encoder approach from the dexter robot arm.
@DerSolinski Very cool! I actually bought a couple of those robot arms for a previous job, but didn't realize they had custom encoders in them. And they've got some great info widely available on them, love it! (github.com/HaddingtonDynamics/Dexter/wiki/Encoders) Thanks for the suggestion!
@@bubsbuilds Still not cheap, but they move the "precision part" to the electronics.
Imperfections actually allow it in this case to be an absolute encoder which is genius.
Nice project! Really intersted to see the results of your test.
Regarding your "target block" - for a more automated measurement setup, would it be possible to motorize your target block as well, adding a second motor? As you are using the optical distance sensor anyways, inaccuracies in target block placement due to the second drive should be no issue, right?
@jn-husch Thanks, and absolutely! I was thinking about attaching it to my old "Lil Winch" build from a while back to do exactly that. The only thing I'm hesitant about is I'd prefer to have the translation stage moving away from the target block to avoid accidentally crashing the pricey sensor if something goes wrong with my programming :) So I'd prefer to have something that can push, instead of pull. But I've done a couple of tests thus far, and the manual approach is DEFINITELY tedious! So I'll probably try to rig something up (suggestions welcome!), and I'll definitely share how the testing goes once I get the results pulled together!
Would spring loading be better for preloading the carriage than petg?, wont it be very easy for it to rotate along the axis of linear shaft that has 4 contact points?
Why is the rotation an issue?
@saadqadeer7807 Definitely, I should have mentioned it in the video, thanks for pointing that out! I designed the PETG parts specifically to be compliant, so they are acting like springs for me.
@jaro6985 The main reason I wanted to avoid rotation around the shaft was to avoid the displacement sensor reading off of a different point on the target block. I don't think small rotations around that axis would be a HUGE issue, but especially since I went with a printed target block (with corrugations) and don't have super tight control over the perpendicularity between the target block face and the rails, I do think there's likely some sensitivity to rotations there.
@@bubsbuilds Makes sense! I really like your ideas and their implementations :)
@saadqadeer7807 The best compliment an engineer can hear :) Thank you!
At 3:27, what kind of error?
You really have to ask?
I do? :)
@@bubsbuilds I think we'd all like to see the results!
@themuffinfish2091 You got it! I've started doing some testing on them, and I'll work on compiling the results in a follow up video!