[tekno]

what probe and software? names please

[turmite]

ImService and they are an advertiser here on the zone.

Mike

[DrewSmith007]

Anything new on this stuff? Just curious, like so many other threads.

I don't mean to shoot you guys down, but if you can't get this thing working, you could always make a plaster mold of the car parts and use a standard xyz touchprobe.

Good Luck

[toolmanM]

I think the idea was to figure out how to do the digitizing thing on the cheap as a way for the little guy to avoid the big expense.

[svenakela]

I still believe in this, I just didn't think this thread was still alive.
Some of the guys went on with their projects, any reports to make?

[bhakthi]

if anyone interested...
http://staffwww.itn.liu.se/~stegu/monkey/

cheers...

[tvwilkes]

any updates?

[Lston]

I am still interested in this and believe as Graham S. the way to go is to use the optical encoder I posted about at the top of on page 22 of this thread.I have more experience with programming and electronics now and I am going to take programming classes soon, so I'am sure I'll eventually make one.I'll look to see if the encoders are still available and prices.

[KissSys]

LSTON

Your right, it should work.

I couldn't find a us source without buying a dozen are so and they didn't seem too interested in selling me one or sampling me one.

Kisssys

[nda22]

I was just given a microscribe-3d arm with no power supply or software (unknown working condition). On microscribe's website they mention free software but they now seem to charge $295 for it. I was wondering if anybody had a copy of the free version they used to have for this older arm. I've called them and left a voice mail but they have not returned my call.

[Lston]

The least expensive I could find so far for a single encoder is $65.18 US.with an 8 week lead time,but $340 for five is not too bad considering the cost of a microscribe. Volume pricing:
1 - $65.18
20 - $62.85
200+ - $58.20
Change the search to: All Items
https://www.em.avnet.com/pns/home/0,...qasFilter=TRUE

[chinmay.desai]

First of all Hi to all, I am recently working on Homemade Digitizing Arm Project, and I am very well convinced with the idea mentioned on http://www.indoor.flyer.co.uk/digiarm.htm by Graham s. But I am facing difficulty in downloading file named Convert.zip which probably can be used to convert encoder counts to x, y, z co-ordinates.
Does any have this file? if so please do share with me.

[Lston]

nda22, could you post some dimensions for your Microscribe, mainly the dia. and thickness of the joints.I am starting up with this project again and need them for design reference.
If anyone is interested in going the potentiometer route.Here is the PDF for the pots their using in bhakthi's post "http://staffwww.itn.liu.se/~stegu/monkey/"

Thanks

[Lston]

A laser mouse is a DISTANCE,DIRECTION and SPEED measuring device.
It works by projecting a laser beam onto the desk or table the mouse is on.Then it takes high speed, high resolution pictures of that laser spot and the surrounding surface.Next it compares the pictures to one another and using vector algorithms it calculates the distance traveled for both the X and Y direction and the speed.

Try the following experiment, Get a hardcover book with as smooth and dull of a surface as possible.
1) With one hand stand the book on its spine next to where you’re using the mouse.
2) With the other hand pick up your mouse without pushing the buttons and hold it against the book.
You may notice the light on the mouse go off when you lift it off the desk or table. This is because the surface is too far away to detect.
3) Hold the mouse to the book and the light/laser comes back on and begins reading the surface features of the book.
Move the mouse around while holding the book still. The cursor on the screen will move just like when you had it on the desk.
You might notice a slight delay because the surface of the book is not going to be as rigid as the desk and its surface is not the optimal texture or color, but it DOES move.You can even hold the book upside-down then move the mouse and the cursor will still move.
SO,It doesn't matter the if mouse is on it's side or upside-down, just as long as the mouse doesn't get too far away from the surface it's reading from.
Now holding the mouse firmly against the book:
4) Try to hold the mouse in one place as much as possible while with the other hand moving the book.
The cursor STILL MOVES.So it doesn't matter if the mouse moves or the surface it is reading from moves, the result is the SAME.
The cursor on the screen STILL MOVES.

Most desks are made of plywood or particle board for a base and the top surface made with a flexible plastic laminate material called mellimine.You can find melamine in most hardware stores.

1) Get a piece of melamine and bend it into a gradual circle and tape it along the top and bottom edges with some good strong tape like duct or strapping tape.
2) Stand it up so the open ends are facing up and down.
3) Now while holding the melamine (or clamp it down somehow) take the mouse, hold it against the inside surface of the melamine circle and move the mouse around.
As long as the surface is gradual enough to allow the mouse to be within its reading distance, the cursor on the screen will STILL MOVE, just like in the book experiment.
4) Now go one step further and while holding the mouse in place rotate the melamine in a circle. The cursor STILL MOVES.

So, again it doesn't matter if the mouse moves or the surface moves and it doesn't matter if the surface is curved, as long as the mouse stays close enough to read the surface.
You can remove the mouse sensor from its housing, mount it inside of a rotating cylinder (the joint of a digitizer) and it will STILL READ MOVEMENT.
Calculate the arc length from the radius of the joint, then you only need the X direction of the movement from the sensor, this will be the rotation.

The Avago Technologies ADNS-6010 high performance laser mouse sensor has a selectable resolution of 400, 800, 1600 and 2000 cpi (Counts Per Inch)

Mouser Part # 630-ADNB-6011-EV (Lens,Sensor,Laser bundle) $9.60
Avago Technologies Part # ADNB-6011-EV

http://www.mouser.com/search/Product...0-ADNB-6011-EV

[JPW]

Why not "back drive" a standard encoder with a Harmonic Drive? Instead of a reduction gear, reverse the lashless gear drive to increase the counts per angular degree of movement.

[dirdim]

Definitely stick to the Immersion arm for interior car spaces. For the price, you can not beat its performance. The trickiest thing is stablizing the base of this, or any other arm digitizer. The Immersion, being small and light, is just easier.

Meanwhile, the Faro line of digitizer products starts much higher than the $10K figure you note, unless you get a deal on a used system. Figure their line between $35-85K, depending on options. These are typically for much more demanding manufacturing applications.

Another nice option for the Immersion concept is that you can add a non-contact laser scanner. For a relatively low price package of around $30K, you can have the contact digitizer, the laser scanner, and some decent software for modeling the data into high quality polygon models for downstream use.

We show all of these products and applications on our website at www.directdimensions.com. And I attached a graphic showing the scanner package used for a small complex toy.

Michael
Direct Dimensions, Inc.
Baltimore, MD

[turmite]

Definitely stick to the Immersion arm for interior car spaces. For the price, you can not beat its performance. The trickiest thing is stablizing the base of this, or any other arm digitizer. The Immersion, being small and light, is just easier.

Meanwhile, the Faro line of digitizer products starts much higher than the $10K figure you note, unless you get a deal on a used system. Figure their line between $35-85K, depending on options. These are typically for much more demanding manufacturing applications.

Another nice option for the Immersion concept is that you can add a non-contact laser scanner. For a relatively low price package of around $30K, you can have the contact digitizer, the laser scanner, and some decent software for modeling the data into high quality polygon models for downstream use.

We show all of these products and applications on our website at www.directdimensions.com. And I attached a graphic showing the scanner package used for a small complex toy.

Michael
Direct Dimensions, Inc.
Baltimore, MD

Hi Michael,

I think you missed the gist of this thread. It isn't about buying an arm, but about building one. For most on here, the lowest price arm available is simply out of their pay grade. So, a diy plan is developed and eventually someone comes up with a working solution and makes it available either as a low cost ready built, they sell the plans, or they give the plans away.

For myself, if I had the money, I would already own one of your arms....well not your arms, but one of the digitizing arms! Laser produces models that are just too heavy for my needs.

Mike

[Lston]

I have ruled out using a Avago Technologies laser mouse sensor because I found out it requires an expensive power calibration tool but Cypress Semiconductor has a new laser mouse sensor. The OvationONS, it's self calibrating, surface mount, smaller and even beter specs.

CYONS1001U:
No power calibration or optical alignment required.
Hardware resolution to 3200 cpi "Counts Per Inch"
Ability to maintain full resolution at speeds up to 50 ips "Inches per Second"
4-wire SPI port
Native 16-bit x and y directional reports from the sensor.
Market-leading 40 kHz positioning sampling rate.

http://download.cypress.com.edgesuit...=1228097355670

It would still be a challenge to create a design where the sensor is focused on the shaft and the circuit board might be tricky. "Any CAD guys out there?" If I went with regular rotary optical encoders, I need to know if the Microscribe uses hollow bore or shaft type encoders which make a huge difference in price. "Hollow bore approx $200 U.S. versus about $70 for shaft." Anyone Know?? U.S digital now has the best prices.

[Lston]

Here are some photo's of the microscribe. Two good quality close-ups and one not so good of the internals of the base with a additioinal circuit board added. If anyone has more please post.
"For max size, click on the Flash generated picture then click on the picture that opens up in a new window then wait for the maximize icon to appear over the picture and click on it."

[Lston]

Avnet sells single quantities of the Cypress laser sensor for $9.38 U.S. but they have no stock and a 6 weeks lead time. I emailed to find out which sensor is included in the sensor/lens bundle they sell. There are five different resoulutions listed in their data sheet.
http://avnetexpress.avnet.com/store/...oducts&x=7&y=7