Hi all,

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Been a bit quiet on here for a while, hope everyone is well.

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I thought I’d wake things up a bit by asking some dumb questions about a project I’m currently working on where my knowledge of digital electronics is woefully lacking.

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I’m trying to add a digital readout to my lathe.? Nothing too ground breaking, as having spent several months playing with rotary encoders to no avail I have reverted back to the idea of using magnetic scales ultimately connected to TouchDRO.

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I’m intending to use a digital caliper, dismantled to just the PCB and magnetic tape grafted under the cross slide as an attempt to overcome the space issues encountered when fitting a DRO to a small lathe.

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My mate Mark has perfected getting an Arduino mkr wifi 1010, which operates at 3v, to run standard blue tooth and I’ve found a Chinese caliper also running at 3v claimed to be good measuring down to 5 microns.? It’s a 150mm caliper and the full travel on the Myfords cross slide is 140mm so it should work out OK.

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I’ve found a sketch and circuit diagram on line where a chap is reading a 1.5v Mitutoyo indicator using an Arduino Nano.

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This is the circuit diagram he gives …

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The indicator requires a request signal before it will send data and he does this via the transistor.? I assume he uses a transistor to pull the REQ pin low because of the different voltages of the indicator and Nano, 1.5v and 5v.? ?I’m not sure how the Nano sees the 1.5v high from the indicator as high on the data and clock pins unless he’s done something fancy in the Arduino code.

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Anyway that shouldn’t effect what I’m trying to do.? My question is ... as I have a 3v Arduino and a 3v calliper can I just hold pin 5 on the Arduino high and set it low when I want data sent, and do away with the resistor or transistor?

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Appreciate any assistance provided it’s phrased in terms a 5 year old can understand!