Thanks Brian and Cliff! ? Looks like setting decimal places to 2 and otherwise operating in ¡°preset¡± mode works well enough.? I've found that setting the number of decimal?places to 4 or 3 causes ouEr errors whether next?to the mag strip or not (i do not see ouEr errors when dec is set to 2 even when not next to mag strip, so it does not appear to function as a lost signal error, at least on my unit, it just continues to show the last reading). would be nice if the manual said "unless your measurement range is below a few tens of mm, don't use more than 2".? ?I still don¡¯t understand the functionality of asking for a password, which is posted online in the attached video and thus not much of a security feature.? if the rationale is liability reduction, any lawyer would point out the fact that said password is online and thus a conspicuous hazard anyway.? having to hold the button for a few seconds to get to the setting is plenty of inside knowledge and rigamarole to prevent accidentally changing anything.?
On Tue, Mar 15, 2022 at 7:32 AM Cliff Rohrabacher, Esq. via <rohrabacher=[email protected]> wrote:
sounds like a few of you have a great deal of experience with
these units so wanted to get tips.? I just installed an F7 on the
rip fence of my Hammer K3.? that went smoothly.? using this thing
however, is another matter.? I did not see a lot of sturm and
drang, in searching the board history, so will just assume I have
"weaknesses" (just ask my wife for her comprehensive illustrated
guide on the topic).? This product is one of the most frustrating
combinations of user interface design and not-helpful manual
writing I think I've ever seen.? After some hours I think I have
it working, but have the following questions:
is there any way to turn off the password requirement to
access the settings?? is a real drag having to laboriously
march through the sequence to change anything.
I kept running into the "ouEr" error message, which page 6
of the manual says is that the current value cannot be
visualized, without any explanation of what might be the
causes or how to correct it.? it was happening even when the
read head was not in proximity to the mag tape.? I was able to
get the unit to function by limiting the number of decimal
digits to 2.? when you then switch to inches, it displays
three decimal places (one thousandths resolution, which is
fine, if confusing).? apparently the F7 is doing everything
under the hood in mm and then just changes the display?? are
there other causes for the ouEr error?
I assume the sensible workflow with the F7 is to arrange for
some sort of reference stop and associated preset in the unit,
given the mag tape is not an absolute scale (meaning if you
lift the fence such that read head is no longer with 1mm of
the tape, it will lose track of where it is). I machined an
aluminum button which fits into the scoring blade height
adjustment hole in the cast iron table.? Then I just bring the
fence to touch the button, run the preset function on the unit
and it seems to be good to go within a few thou.? Lemme know
if there are other workflows or logical stop approaches out
there.??
When I decided I wanted a DRO on my fence, I was going back and
forth between the wixey and the F7.? Now that I'm committed: I
like how compact the F7 is, and how gracefully it integrates onto
the existing scale extrusion, allowing you to flip the fence out
of the way when needed.? However, the read head on wixey is always
on the scale and thus knows where it is, thus not requiring
referencing stop and associated workflow (I don't have one, so
this is from reading what others have said).? of course the wixey
has a relatively clunky extra rail you have to mount, with a
magnetic coupling, which is less graceful and easier to bump.? the
wixey is also 1/4 the price of the F7.? time will tell if there
are differences in durability or dust resistance.? I have a wixey
DRO on my planer and can say it is waaayyy easier and more
intuitive to get set up and operate than the F7.? the F7 does have
a bunch of functions like multiple offsets, directional control
and such, but I find those functions very hard to set up and use
due to the user interface issues mentioned.? this password thing
is just crazy, at least from a hobbyist point of view.? I guess it
makes sense from a business accident liability mitigation
perspective.?