I thought I'd share my recent experiences with the iGaging Scales and my DRO installs.
I purchased 6 scales from Amazon (24", 3 6", 2 12") all at the same time. Two came with the mini-USB connectors and displays, while 4 came with micro-USB connections.
This would not present a problem, except I am using a Touch DRO system and built one of my controllers with mini-USB ports.The other controller is using 4-pin panel mounts and connectors. I also ran my cables in stainless steel 1/4" flexible conduit which meant I had to cut one end off the cables.
That set's the stage for the real topic. The standard USB color codes DO NOT APPLY to the iGaging Scales. They seem to do whatever they want whenever they want. In my setup, I had to solder 4-pin connectors for 3 scale cables and solder direct to the reader head at the scale for 3 cables.
The standard Mini USB code for the scales is 1 - Red - Power, 2 - White - Clock, 3 -Green - Data, 4 - NC, 5 - Black-Ground
I found that only one of my scales followed that standard. All had Red on 1 as power and Black on 5 as ground. The remaining connections were all over the place. In 3 scales, Green was Clock and White was Data. In another scale there was no Green and it was Blue for Data. I haven't gotten to scale #6 yet..
I guess the short version of this post is that if you are doing any wiring for the scales; don't assume they follow any standard. Use a meter and check each one. Just when I thought I had it figured out, they threw me a curve.
On a good note, a few of the scales already had shielded cables. I replaced them with shorter ones anyway. The Touch DRO system works flawlessly and it much easier to work with than the standard iGaging displays. I have it running on a Nexus 7 via Bluetooth to the controllers. Inexpensive and easy..
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