On Sat, 12 Nov 2022 08:49:39 +1100, Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:>On 12/11/2022 2:40 am, Ricky wrote: >> I, like many others, have digital calipers that drain the battery while sitting, and have no on/off switch, so the battery must be removed when not being used. I recall a conversation here some time ago about this and some had found different brands that worked better than others, in this regard. >> >> Anyone recall the names of the brands that don't drain the battery? >> >For the record, I got so tired of this problem that I bought a >non-electronic one. There's a slight learning curve, but they're very >easy to read to the nearest 0.1mm, and can do 0.02mm with a bit of effort.I can no longer see well enough to use vernier calipers. I still have dial calipers, and that works, but I've gone over to digital calipers that don't exhaust themselves between uses. They are just too convenient. Joe Gwinn
Digital Calipers That Don't Drain the Battery
Started by ●November 11, 2022
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 6:27:40 PM UTC-4, Sylvia Else wrote:> On 12/11/2022 9:00 am, Ricky wrote: > > I just thought by now, there might be lower cost units that don't drain the battery. It's a damn simple circuit to implement that. I don't even think it requires a separate part. It's just a p-channel pass transistor with the switch as a bypass. Can't they put that on the chip and bring out a pin for the push button switch to bypass the pfet? > > > > I guess it's a matter of them selling a bazillion of the ones they are making now. Why would they change? > > > > But once one of the low cost devices starts bragging about not draining the battery, they will all have to switch. It doesn't take much sales pressure when you are only making a few cents per device. > > > Yes. The actual circuitry required is really simple. I think it's not > included because if the thing is powered down, it loses its zero > position (there are more advanced designs that have absolute > positioning, but they probably cost more to make). > > So it may come down to that. People would notice the loss of zero and > complain before they realise that the batteries run down quickly. > > For me, I'd probably zero it out of habit when I turn it on and not even > notice the loss, but perhaps people differ.Like you, I always auto zero calipers, including the dial variety if I'm trying to make a good measurement. It's hard to think anyone would expect zero to not drift, but many people don't understand electronics and seem to think digital is supposed to be as accurate as the display can indicate. That is seldom true. -- Rick C. +- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging +- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:02:12 PM UTC-4, Joe Gwinn wrote:> On Sat, 12 Nov 2022 08:49:39 +1100, Sylvia Else <syl...@email.invalid> > wrote: > >On 12/11/2022 2:40 am, Ricky wrote: > >> I, like many others, have digital calipers that drain the battery while sitting, and have no on/off switch, so the battery must be removed when not being used. I recall a conversation here some time ago about this and some had found different brands that worked better than others, in this regard. > >> > >> Anyone recall the names of the brands that don't drain the battery? > >> > >For the record, I got so tired of this problem that I bought a > >non-electronic one. There's a slight learning curve, but they're very > >easy to read to the nearest 0.1mm, and can do 0.02mm with a bit of effort. > I can no longer see well enough to use vernier calipers. I still have > dial calipers, and that works, but I've gone over to digital calipers > that don't exhaust themselves between uses. They are just too > convenient.What brand? -- Rick C. ++ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging ++ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On 11/11/2022 23:42, Ricky wrote:> On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 1:03:14 PM UTC-4, Martin Brown wrote: >> On 11/11/2022 15:40, Ricky wrote: >>> I, like many others, have digital calipers that drain the battery while sitting, and have no on/off switch, so the battery must be removed when not being used. I recall a conversation here some time ago about this and some had found different brands that worked better than others, in this regard. >>> >>> Anyone recall the names of the brands that don't drain the battery? >> The ones with an on/off switch! >> Actually mine just has an on switch and times out after a few minutes. > > I suppose I was not clear as to my meaning by "on/off" switch. They typically have a push button to turn on. I've never seen one with a mechanical switch to directly disconnect the battery. Turning them off by the push button seems to only mute the display. >It does turn off the display and likely puts the MCU into deeper sleep. I have one of these, needs a new battery every 3-4 years, cost me something like $10 or $20, don't remember. Is quite accurate, I also have a micrometer (I do have a mechanical workshop, lathe etc. and I am quite experienced doing that sort of thing, too) and they match really well, if you know how to use it you can rely on it all the way down to its 0.01mm resolution. Keeping a blister of cr2032-s has you covered for at least a decade. How long do you expect your battery to work?
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On 11/11/22 18:10, Ricky wrote:> On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 6:27:40 PM UTC-4, Sylvia Else wrote: >> On 12/11/2022 9:00 am, Ricky wrote: >>> I just thought by now, there might be lower cost units that don't drain the battery. It's a damn simple circuit to implement that. I don't even think it requires a separate part. It's just a p-channel pass transistor with the switch as a bypass. Can't they put that on the chip and bring out a pin for the push button switch to bypass the pfet? >>> >>> I guess it's a matter of them selling a bazillion of the ones they are making now. Why would they change? >>> >>> But once one of the low cost devices starts bragging about not draining the battery, they will all have to switch. It doesn't take much sales pressure when you are only making a few cents per device. >>> >> Yes. The actual circuitry required is really simple. I think it's not >> included because if the thing is powered down, it loses its zero >> position (there are more advanced designs that have absolute >> positioning, but they probably cost more to make). >> >> So it may come down to that. People would notice the loss of zero and >> complain before they realise that the batteries run down quickly. >> >> For me, I'd probably zero it out of habit when I turn it on and not even >> notice the loss, but perhaps people differ. > > Like you, I always auto zero calipers, including the dial variety if I'm trying to make a good measurement. It's hard to think anyone would expect zero to not drift, but many people don't understand electronics and seem to think digital is supposed to be as accurate as the display can indicate. That is seldom true. >Sometimes it's handy to "zero" the calipers on some standard part so a measurement gives the deviation, not the absolute length. If you went to lunch you wouldn't have your zero when you came back :-). -- Regards, Carl
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On 11/11/2022 2:49 PM, Sylvia Else wrote:> For the record, I got so tired of this problem that I bought a non-electronic > one. There's a slight learning curve, but they're very easy to read to the > nearest 0.1mm, and can do 0.02mm with a bit of effort.Ditto -- as with micrometer. You *never* have to worry about the battery dying. And, of course, you only NOTICE a dead battery WHEN YOU NEED THE TOOL!! (hardly the time when you want to be distracted with "battery replacement"!) And, if you're working with small things, just slide the caliber under whatever "magnification device" you are already using to view your work.
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
Sylvia Else <sylvia@email.invalid> wrote:> On 12/11/2022 9:00 am, Ricky wrote: >> I just thought by now, there might be lower cost units that don't drain >> the battery. It's a damn simple circuit to implement that. I don't >> even think it requires a separate part. It's just a p-channel pass >> transistor with the switch as a bypass. Can't they put that on the >> chip and bring out a pin for the push button switch to bypass the pfet? >> >> I guess it's a matter of them selling a bazillion of the ones they are >> making now. Why would they change? >> >> But once one of the low cost devices starts bragging about not draining >> the battery, they will all have to switch. It doesn't take much sales >> pressure when you are only making a few cents per device. >> > > Yes. The actual circuitry required is really simple. I think it's not > included because if the thing is powered down, it loses its zero > position (there are more advanced designs that have absolute > positioning, but they probably cost more to make). > > So it may come down to that. People would notice the loss of zero and > complain before they realise that the batteries run down quickly. > > For me, I'd probably zero it out of habit when I turn it on and not even > notice the loss, but perhaps people differ. > > Sylvia.I have an Igaging EZ Cal Fractional Digital Caliper. It measures mm, inch, and fractional inch (128 parts). It has an on/off switch and retains zero when it is off. I can turn it off, then extend the caliper several inches. When I turn it back on, it shows the new reading accurately. I then turn it back off, and move the caliper back to zero. When I turn it on, it reads 0.000 The battery lasts forever. I bought a bunch of spare 2032 on amazon expecting they would only last a few months. It has been years, and the display is still sharp and clear. I haven't had to replace a single battery. The company is www.igaging.com, San Clemente, CA The caliper is CAD$65.33 on Amazon Canada https://www.amazon.ca/iGaging-0-6-Inch-Display-Digital- Caliper/dp/B001AQEZ2W/ It is the best caliper I have ever owned. -- MRM
Reply by ●November 11, 20222022-11-11
On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 7:21:45 PM UTC-4, Dimiter Popoff wrote:> On 11/11/2022 23:42, Ricky wrote: > > On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 1:03:14 PM UTC-4, Martin Brown wrote: > >> On 11/11/2022 15:40, Ricky wrote: > >>> I, like many others, have digital calipers that drain the battery while sitting, and have no on/off switch, so the battery must be removed when not being used. I recall a conversation here some time ago about this and some had found different brands that worked better than others, in this regard. > >>> > >>> Anyone recall the names of the brands that don't drain the battery? > >> The ones with an on/off switch! > >> Actually mine just has an on switch and times out after a few minutes. > > > > I suppose I was not clear as to my meaning by "on/off" switch. They typically have a push button to turn on. I've never seen one with a mechanical switch to directly disconnect the battery. Turning them off by the push button seems to only mute the display. > > > It does turn off the display and likely puts the MCU into deeper sleep. > I have one of these, needs a new battery every 3-4 years, cost me > something like $10 or $20, don't remember. Is quite accurate, I also > have a micrometer (I do have a mechanical workshop, lathe etc. and I > am quite experienced doing that sort of thing, too) and they match > really well, if you know how to use it you can rely on it all the > way down to its 0.01mm resolution. > Keeping a blister of cr2032-s has you covered for at least a decade. > > How long do you expect your battery to work?To work? A few weeks at least. When off? Years, or as long as the batteries last sitting on the shelf. I don't know how long they actually last. Every time I put it away without removing the battery it is dead the next time I use it. I don't have a battery at the moment, so it's useless. It uses the smaller battery. I might have a pack of those somewhere, but I don't care. If I can't find a digital caliper that will not run down the battery, I'll just get a pair of head mounted lenses and use the dial caliper. I do know better than to ever use a Kirkland (Costco) battery again. I had a batch of AAs that ruined a half dozen pieces of equipment. Costco wouldn't even refund the purchase price. -- Rick C. --- Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging --- Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Reply by ●November 12, 20222022-11-12
On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 9:23:04 PM UTC-4, Mike Monett VE3BTI wrote:> Sylvia Else <syl...@email.invalid> wrote: > > > On 12/11/2022 9:00 am, Ricky wrote: > >> I just thought by now, there might be lower cost units that don't drain > >> the battery. It's a damn simple circuit to implement that. I don't > >> even think it requires a separate part. It's just a p-channel pass > >> transistor with the switch as a bypass. Can't they put that on the > >> chip and bring out a pin for the push button switch to bypass the pfet? > >> > >> I guess it's a matter of them selling a bazillion of the ones they are > >> making now. Why would they change? > >> > >> But once one of the low cost devices starts bragging about not draining > >> the battery, they will all have to switch. It doesn't take much sales > >> pressure when you are only making a few cents per device. > >> > > > > Yes. The actual circuitry required is really simple. I think it's not > > included because if the thing is powered down, it loses its zero > > position (there are more advanced designs that have absolute > > positioning, but they probably cost more to make). > > > > So it may come down to that. People would notice the loss of zero and > > complain before they realise that the batteries run down quickly. > > > > For me, I'd probably zero it out of habit when I turn it on and not even > > notice the loss, but perhaps people differ. > > > > Sylvia. > I have an Igaging EZ Cal Fractional Digital Caliper. It measures mm, inch, > and fractional inch (128 parts). It has an on/off switch and retains zero > when it is off. > > I can turn it off, then extend the caliper several inches. When I turn it > back on, it shows the new reading accurately. > > I then turn it back off, and move the caliper back to zero. When I turn it > on, it reads 0.000 > > The battery lasts forever. I bought a bunch of spare 2032 on amazon > expecting they would only last a few months. It has been years, and the > display is still sharp and clear. I haven't had to replace a single > battery. > > The company is www.igaging.com, San Clemente, CA > > The caliper is CAD$65.33 on Amazon Canada > > https://www.amazon.ca/iGaging-0-6-Inch-Display-Digital- > Caliper/dp/B001AQEZ2W/ > > It is the best caliper I have ever owned.Thanks for the info. I ordered a similar device. -- Rick C. --+ Get 1,000 miles of free Supercharging --+ Tesla referral code - https://ts.la/richard11209
Reply by ●November 12, 20222022-11-12
On 12/11/2022 10:10 am, Ricky wrote:> On Friday, November 11, 2022 at 6:27:40 PM UTC-4, Sylvia Else wrote: >> On 12/11/2022 9:00 am, Ricky wrote: >>> I just thought by now, there might be lower cost units that don't drain the battery. It's a damn simple circuit to implement that. I don't even think it requires a separate part. It's just a p-channel pass transistor with the switch as a bypass. Can't they put that on the chip and bring out a pin for the push button switch to bypass the pfet? >>> >>> I guess it's a matter of them selling a bazillion of the ones they are making now. Why would they change? >>> >>> But once one of the low cost devices starts bragging about not draining the battery, they will all have to switch. It doesn't take much sales pressure when you are only making a few cents per device. >>> >> Yes. The actual circuitry required is really simple. I think it's not >> included because if the thing is powered down, it loses its zero >> position (there are more advanced designs that have absolute >> positioning, but they probably cost more to make). >> >> So it may come down to that. People would notice the loss of zero and >> complain before they realise that the batteries run down quickly. >> >> For me, I'd probably zero it out of habit when I turn it on and not even >> notice the loss, but perhaps people differ. > > Like you, I always auto zero calipers, including the dial variety if I'm trying to make a good measurement. It's hard to think anyone would expect zero to not drift, but many people don't understand electronics and seem to think digital is supposedto be as accurate as the display can indicate. That is seldom true.>You mean like https://www.dropbox.com/s/ofdf2ekw1104awn/T_temperature1.jpg?dl=0 Sylvia.
