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IndustryArena Forum > MetalWorking Machines > Benchtop Machines > Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)
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  1. #1
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    Apr 2018
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    Question Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Hello,

    Can anyone who owns a SIKO MA523/1 3-axis DRO, or the re-branded Optimum DRO5, help me with the magnetic linear encoder sensor pin-out.

    The sensors are actually SIKO MS100/1 and they connect via mini-DIN 6 pole connectors. On the SIKO webpage there is no information regarding the connector pin-out.

    The machine I own is DRO-ready (prepared for SIKO sensors). I want to use them + a china DRO display and for this I need the sensor pin-out.

    Can you please post the pin-out. At least the sensor supply and sensor ground pins would be very helpful. For the rest of the signals I could use an oscilloscope to identify them.


    Thank you

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
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    182

    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Heh. I've just purchased an Optimum DRO5-RH read head in the hope of using it with a TouchDRO setup. I cut off the connector, and the wire colours match up with what's printed on this sensor (which looks identical to mine, except mine is gold-coloured, and branded Optimum).
    https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6C3DA4A6H...nnectors-3.jpg

    However, the signal off the A and B outputs (and their complements) are very low - with a 5V supply, I was kind of expecting that kind of voltage, but the amplitude is more like 75mV, so I'm not sure if my supply voltage is way too low, or if these particular sensors are meant to have their outputs amplified...

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2018
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    88

    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Quote Originally Posted by RussellK View Post
    Heh. I've just purchased an Optimum DRO5-RH read head in the hope of using it with a TouchDRO setup. I cut off the connector, and the wire colours match up with what's printed on this sensor (which looks identical to mine, except mine is gold-coloured, and branded Optimum).
    https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6C3DA4A6H...nnectors-3.jpg

    However, the signal off the A and B outputs (and their complements) are very low - with a 5V supply, I was kind of expecting that kind of voltage, but the amplitude is more like 75mV, so I'm not sure if my supply voltage is way too low, or if these particular sensors are meant to have their outputs amplified...
    Hi RussellK,

    Have you checked the sensor datasheet? Perhaps the outputs are open collector and in this case you need pull-up resistors.

    BTW: from where did you order the sensors? What is the price?

    Thank you,
    Andrei

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

  4. #4
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    Jul 2006
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    182

    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Unfortunately, for all my Googling, I can't find any kind of datasheet for this sensor. I'm guessing it's a re-badged Chinese "SPM" sensor. I purchased it here:
    https://www.machineryhouse.com.au/D696

    It seems pretty cheap for a magnetic read head.

    I think I did try pulling up the signal to VCC (5V in my case, it could need a higher supply voltage, but am scared of cooking it) but can't remember exactly - I'll have another go tomorrow and report back.

  5. #5
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    Apr 2018
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Can you please share the connector pin-out? I am interested in which wire goes to which pin

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

  6. #6
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    Jul 2006
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    182

    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    I just wandered down to the shed. First, pulling the "A" signal up to VCC with a 3K3 resistor just changed its steady-state voltage from 2.5V to 3.2V. The amplitude of the signal when the read head moved along the magnetic strip was still only made a ~75mV ripple.

    As for the plug, Going by the previously-linked colour code:
    6 - Red - VCC
    5 - White - 0v
    4 - Yellow - A
    2 - Blue - A'
    3 - Brown - B
    1 - Green - B'

  7. #7
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    Apr 2018
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    88

    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    The 2 sensors do not quite match. Something must be off.

    The Optimum branded one is 6 wires and the SPM one is 8 wires (additionaly there is the index pulse).

    Perhaps they are not 100% compatible

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

  8. #8
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    The cable actually has 8 wires, the grey and pink wires, which I assume are Z and Z', are there, but not connected to the 6-pin plug. I'm guess because the DRO unit doesn't use them.

  9. #9
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Quote Originally Posted by RussellK View Post
    The cable actually has 8 wires, the grey and pink wires, which I assume are Z and Z', are there, but not connected to the 6-pin plug. I'm guess because the DRO unit doesn't use them.
    Something is very strange with many of these china products.

    In the Optimum documentation from my milling machine the indicated DRO5 sensor is the MS100 from SIKO.

    I finaly found more info about the MS100 which is a passive sensor. This means it is just a reading head without the amplifying circuitry (which is actually located in the DRO5 display). Therefore your 75mV make sense. This would be the induced voltage in the reader head coil. It would seem this sensor can only be used with the DRO5 display and not with a generic china DRO panel which accepts quadrature signals.

    I will stay clear of the MS100 sensor and will go for a SINO KA800MC sensor from aliexpress:
    https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/Tfy5Dzemagline-magnetic-length-and-angle-measurement-systems.pdf

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

  10. #10
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Quote Originally Posted by DLF View Post
    I finaly found more info about the MS100 which is a passive sensor. This means it is just a reading head without the amplifying circuitry (which is actually located in the DRO5 display). Therefore your 75mV make sense. This would be the induced voltage in the reader head coil. It would seem this sensor can only be used with the DRO5 display and not with a generic china DRO panel which accepts quadrature signals.
    Yep, I think the relatively low price for this head is because it has no signal conditioning in it, and can only be used with a proprietary display.

    That said, I ran the A and A' and B and B' signals into instrumentation amplifiers and was able to get a decent 0-3.3V A and B quadrature signal. However while hooking into the TouchDRO board works, and it counts up and down accurately and repeatably as I run it along the magnetic strip, the resolution is only 0.5mm, which is 100 less than the 5 microns the unit is sold as, so clearly I'm missing something...

    Thanks for the MS100 info - unfortunately they don't specify what the supply voltage is meant to be. I'll have to hunt around and see what other information I can dig up.

  11. #11
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    The low resolution you are getting is because of the magnetic tape.

    The reading head might be capable of 5 microns, in the end it is just a magnetic pick-up coil. But the tape must also be formattted at the right resolution.

    Try better quality tape. SIKO has the MB100 which is speced at 10 microns. But it is not cheap: 40 euro/m + shipping.

    With china tape I do not know what to say. I was wandering the same for the SINO heads which come with tape included.

    Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

  12. #12
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    Re: Optimum DRO5 pinout (rebranded SIKO MA 523/1)

    Quote Originally Posted by DLF View Post
    The low resolution you are getting is because of the magnetic tape.

    The reading head might be capable of 5 microns, in the end it is just a magnetic pick-up coil. But the tape must also be formattted at the right resolution.
    I'm not too sure about that. A bit of Googling suggests a pole spacing of 1 or 2mm in the tape is not uncommon. The raw signals from the read head are sine and cosine, making me think the head can infer movement based on the change in voltage of the A and B signals, allowing it to interpolate between the poles on the tape. That's quite different to a microcontroller detecting a pin change when the A or B signal goes above 1.65V.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Nov 2019
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    I also think that the sensors are not a match. Just like the above comment said optimum branded one is six wires and the SPM one is eight wires.

    Off topic: My one stop website for Gardening tool reviews, Gardening facts
    Last edited by Roelner; 12-02-2019 at 03:21 AM.

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