Subject: Digital Calipers w/ digital output

From: [email-masked] (Gary huntress)
Date: 17 Jan 1995 08:19:34 -0700

I'm not sure who posted the following:

>Dunno if I posted this before, but I just picked up some [Chinese
>but getting a LOT better quality] digital calipers, that have 
>contacts for serial output; these can be had for just over
>40 USDollars these days, even a surplus rotary encoder is 15,
>and new are 30-50.  Direct readout as the calipers come out of
>the box, or with appropriate [synch data plus clock plus a
>"gimme the data" pulse] interfacing micro, and feed to a PC or
>other [bigger] display.

I want one!!!  Where did you get it?  I'm writing a windows
based Statistical Process Control program, and this would
be a perfect input device.

>I'm waiting for someone with the coding skills to put the
>latter part into a 68HC11 or 8051.......
>Advantage: set the zero point, readout IS DIRECT and in
>inches or mm from the zero'd reference point, to .5 thou.

Doesn't sound too hard ;-), I'll take care of that part......

Gary Huntress

[email-masked]
[email-masked]
[email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked] (Mark Fraser)
Date: 17 Jan 1995 16:11:37 GMT

Look up Ciarcia's Circuit Cellar INK aka computer Applications
Journal, Dec '93 issue for the apparently de-facto standard
interface description.  Double Check the description of the 
caliper [needs little plastic slide to the right of the locking
screw, on the ttop, that hides access to the pcb fingers that
provide the interface - smaller version of the slide that 
covers the battery compartment - little arrowhead molded into
it...]  Eastern tool & supply 800 221 2679 new york fax 
212 925 1010.  Watch out for their staff who seem to double 
as NY cabbies and don't know nuttin about no calipers....

For the record, the INK article says for the calipers THEY
looked at, the first 3 digits of the output were reading number,
so you can make your program even simpler.

I'm still looking for the solution that translates the outputs
>from  2-3 such calipers to a serial port - caliper puts out 
sync data line plus clock.....
/Mark

Gary  huntress ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I'm not sure who posted the following:

: >Dunno if I posted this before, but I just picked up some [Chinese
: >but getting a LOT better quality] digital calipers, that have 
: >contacts for serial output; these can be had for just over
: >40 USDollars these days, even a surplus rotary encoder is 15,
: >and new are 30-50.  Direct readout as the calipers come out of
: >the box, or with appropriate [synch data plus clock plus a
: >"gimme the data" pulse] interfacing micro, and feed to a PC or
: >other [bigger] display.

: I want one!!!  Where did you get it?  I'm writing a windows
: based Statistical Process Control program, and this would
: be a perfect input device.

: >I'm waiting for someone with the coding skills to put the
: >latter part into a 68HC11 or 8051.......
: >Advantage: set the zero point, readout IS DIRECT and in
: >inches or mm from the zero'd reference point, to .5 thou.

: Doesn't sound too hard ;-), I'll take care of that part......

: Gary Huntress

: [email-masked]
: [email-masked]
: [email-masked]