Jet JJP-12HH iGaging Readout Install

[Matt Meiser]

I mostly finished up the install on of an iGaging readout on my Jet JJP-12HH jointer/planer tonight. Installation was pretty straight forward. I fabricated the red bracket seen in the first photo form a piece of 18ga steel I had around and painted it up pretty with some leftover paint from making the mobile base. The shape is the way it is mostly just because but also to clear the nut on the motor mount. I just drilled and tapped holes for some 10-24 screws in the machine frame to mount the scale and in the table for the bracket. The holes in the bracket are significantly over sized to allow some wiggle room during calibration.

For the display, where it is sitting is actually a pretty convenient spot. Since its magnetic, I can just stick it anywhere during changeover. If that becomes a pain, I might make a bracket and mount it about where the big instruction sticker is to the left of the handwheel, but I'll aim it up at about a 60 degree angle if I do.

Here's my calibration procedure:


I planed a piece of wood to some random thickness.
I zero'd the display.
I measured the previously planed piece with my calipers (lets say it was0.710".)
I removed the screws holding the bracket to the table and moved the sensor until the readout read -0.710".
I hit zero again.
I moved the sensor back down to where it read 0.710".
I installed the bolts.
I moved the table and ran a board through again and double checked the calibration.

It pretty much took as long to type up as it took to actually calibrate. Other than removing the screws its really not much different than the Wixeys I've had before.

[Ed Hazel]

I have the same setup on my wide belt Sander. The only drawbacks that I have with it is that at times it will lose calibration and of course it takes batteries.

It would be great if they made one that you could wire right into your machine or at least one that you could use an AC adapter for.

[Curt Harms]

That's a great idea, Matt. I hadn't considered mounting the sensing mechanism on the back of the machine. I do like having the display above the planer bed elevation wheel though. It seems a natural place to look when cranking the wheel and I don't have to move it when flipping the hood. I can't see the display when the bed is more than about 4" down but I've never planed anything more than 4" thick anyway so it doesn't matter. The advantage of this DRO over the 6" wixey is that I don't need to be fussy about how far I lower the planer bed so not being able to see the display is no big problem for me.

[Rob Wright]

Matt - thanks for posting this. I was wondering how the calibration on the iGaging unit was accomplished. May be an upgrade on mine. I was really going back and forth between this and the wixey. I know another member posted in your build thread that he added a iGaging unit, linked a picture, but did not see any additional information on the install. This answers most of my questions...

One ? that I have - do you actually move the scale 0.71 up and down(in your example)? that seems like a lot of movement in the red bracket...

[J. Greg Jones]

Looks like a nice addition, although I too would like a battery-free solution. I used a Wixey for years on a DW735 and while it was nice enough, the battery replacement became tiresome. I keep hoping that Jet USA will offer the digital display that has been available as an option for the European machines. Anyone know why Jet USA has no interest in offering this, other than I expect it is metric only?

[Matt Meiser]

Rob, I'm not sure I understand the question--I do move the bracket during calibration by removing the screws that attach it to the table.

[Rob Wright]

Matt - do you actually move the Red bracket 0.71"? The slots would need to be very oversized to do that - that's what I was wondering. see how the igaging works without the mechanism that the Wixey has is one reason I was starting to steer towards the wixey. If you say that's it's easy with the igaging - I will go that route.

[Matt Meiser]

Yes, I move the red bracket 0.71". I thought about slotting the holes but there was no need--I just remove the screws completely, move the bracket up 0.71, zero the display, then move back down 0.71 and put the bolts back in. Its easier than it sounds.

[Rob Wright]

OK - I re-read the instructions and now see REMOVE the screws. Thank you!

[glenn bradley]

Looks great Matt. Your calibration procedure is the similar to mine. Works great and as you say, very quick to do. I have only had to calibrate twice; once when I first set it up and the second time when I hit the "zero" button by accident :o. I have checked it several times during 40 or so hours of operation and it is still correct :).

[greg a bender]

Matt,

Looks good! I am going to add one to mine. Which model iGauge did you use?
Your base looks great, BTW!! Nice job!

Thanks,

Greg A.

[Matt Meiser]

The 12" model. Grizzly has it as part T23012 which cost me about $45 delivered.

[John Coloccia]

Nice, Matt. I've been toying with the idea of adding one to my JJP-12. It's helpful to see how you ended up doing it.
How are you liking it, by the way?

[Matt Meiser]

Someone else PM'd me the same question. I had to leave town for work the day after I got it through last weekend so I've only had a little time in the evenings this week. I've spent that time taking care of the DC changes I had to make, tuning it up and installing this. But so far so good.

[Cary Falk]

I installed the same gage on my G0453Z thanks to Glenn's thread. I am still happy with it.
178139

[Joseph Tarantino]

Looks like a nice addition, although I too would like a battery-free solution. I used a Wixey for years on a DW735 and while it was nice enough, the battery replacement became tiresome. I keep hoping that Jet USA will offer the digital display that has been available as an option for the European machines. Anyone know why Jet USA has no interest in offering this, other than I expect it is metric only?

because the walter meier group is more interested in trading on the past reputation of jet and powermatic tools than they are on satisfyinig the requirements of the unsuspecting they dupe into buying their machines with great marketing.

[Van Huskey]

Nice job, nothing like a DRO.

[Alan Schaffter]

Nice installation.

It sure seems like the iGaging calibration requires more steps than the Wixey and requires the use of calipers. With the Wixey you just put a freshly planed board between the unit's two feelers and hit "CAL". No chance of inserting human-caliper error.

For those who still haven't decided on which unit and those who have been wishing for longer battery life- take a look at the new remote reading Wixey planer gauge. It is better than the previous units in all ways- It has a new 12" measuring capacity, still calibrates in one easy step which requires no calipers, and uses standard, inexpensive and readily available AAA batteries which yield an exceptional battery life of at least 2 years! Hard to beat that!

I have been using the beta model for over a year now and the batteries are still going strong!!

See his ad banner above for a pic and link to his website.

(no financial connection)

http://www.wixey.com/remote-planer/images/install03.jpg

[Curt Harms]

Thanks Alan. Yours is the first review of the new Wixey I've seen. It sounds like there's two good options available now.

[Matt Meiser]

For the minor inconvenience though, the iGaging unit is 1/2 the price. The battery life would be nice, but since I have the TS Wixey and previously had the planer one, I have a bunch of CR2032 batteries in the shop. Also, I perceive that the iGaging unit will show you the fractional display when you are within a couple thousandths where the Wixey required being right on. Both are US companies that have their product made in China. In the end, both seem good.

I'll freely admit that one part of the reason I chose this one is the love/hate relationship I have with the Wixey on my TS which requires regular recalibration since it jumps 0.2". Wixey had me try a number of things, sent a replacement head, then blamed it on static when none of that fixed it.

To me the ideal unit would be one that let you plane or cut something, measure it, and set the reading to that measurement like setting a clock.

[Matt Meiser]

I picked up some supplies yesterday and cleaned up the wiring a little. The wire duct is from Home Depot (Lowes only sells a big kit of it.) The 1/4" split loom tubing came from Napa and fits neatly into the ends of the wire duct.

I also made a little bracket to hold the readout right by the handwheel. Its just more 18ga steel bent to angle the display a little. I just stuck it in place using some automotive trim tape I had around.

[Alan Schaffter]

Also, I perceive that the iGaging unit will show you the fractional display when you are within a couple thousandths where the Wixey required being right on. Both are US companies that have their product made in China. In the end, both seem good.

The Wixey has a patented way to display fractions and decimals, both at the same time but it does not require you to be right on. Rather than try to explain, just read the description on their website. Does the iGaging unit show both at the same time?

The only thing I will say about both being US companies, is that Barry Wixey has a long history as a US tool designer and inventor with Delta, Dewalt, Dewalt/Delta- Google him and see what patents he holds! It surprised me! (Here is a 2008 Lumberjocks interview (http://lumberjocks.com/MsDebbieP/blog/3224)). I know nothing about iGaging except they have an office in California, but the text on their website sure sounds like it was written by someone with English as a distant second language. And lastly, I know for a fact that there has been at least one instance (maybe more) of patent infringement where an offending Igaging product had to pulled from vendor inventory because they infringed on a Wixey patent.



I'll freely admit that one part of the reason I chose this one is the love/hate relationship I have with the Wixey on my TS which requires regular recalibration since it jumps 0.2". Wixey had me try a number of things, sent a replacement head, then blamed it on static when none of that fixed it.

There can be problems with any home installation of a precision measuring device. There have been occasional reports of problems attributed to the unit (you can get a bad one like any machine or device) but frankly most problems I read about here and on other forums have been user induced. I'm sure Barry gave you all the things to check out. I have had the Beta then production Wixey on my TS for years now (I was one of the early Beta volunteers he solicited here (?)). I have not experienced the problem you had.


To me the ideal unit would be one that lets you plane or cut something, measure it, and set the reading to that measurement like setting a clock.

That is pretty much how you set the Wixey- except, because of his special mount, his device does the measuring, so all you need to do is slip the board between the feelers and hit CAL. This is one thing many people don't truly understand, but frankly, in the mind of this fellow tinkerer, is the most truly incredibly and unique feature of his device.

But to each his own, and competition is better for consumers. If you look at the tilt box competition you will see. If I get a chance later today I will post a review and actual photos of Wixey's new unit. Gee, I'm starting to sound like a salesman, but not so, unfortunately I am not getting any $ from Wixey- just a satisfied customer and a wannabe fellow inventor.

http://www.ncwoodworker.net/pp/data/500/Wixey.jpg

[Dan Friedrichs]

I like the idea of using AAA batteries better, but still really wish there was a battery-less solution available on the market. These things use so little power, why not put a small solar cell on them (like a calculator)? Or use a little piezoelectric crystal to convert vibration from the machine into electrical power?

[Matt Meiser]

Yes, the iGaging displays both at the same time. Same with any digital readout calipers I've seen that display fractions.

The 0.2" problem is widely reported. He even mentions it on his site (and blames static.) Gee...static in a shop? Anyway, it left a bad enough taste in my mouth that I didn't really care whether I supported him or not. Not enough to say I would never buy one of his products or anything like that, but at 1/2 price, I'll go to the competition. I had two different planer readouts on two different small planers and was happy with those and never had cal problems. And I'm happy with my angle gauge too.

What I mean by "setting like a clock" is buttons to bump the cal up and down. That would almost solve my fence problem because I could just quickly bump it up/down (can't remember which it always does) by the 0.2 instead of pulling my splitter, sliding the fence over and bumping it back and forth until it just kisses the blade and recalibrating. Other than grabbing the calipers and an allen wrench its almost as much work as calibrating the iGaging unit on the planer.

Dan, there is a battery-less solution--buy a dial caliper and adapt it. I did that on a 15" planer I had several years ago before the Wixey came out. Other than the fact that it read in decimals it was a good solution. I was tempted to go that route here. Had Jet made the readout shown above, that's what I would have done for sure.

[Alan Schaffter]

I like the idea of using AAA batteries better, but still really wish there was a battery-less solution available on the market. These things use so little power, why not put a small solar cell on them (like a calculator)? Or use a little piezoelectric crystal to convert vibration from the machine into electrical power?

Dan, I think he actually looked into solar. I don't know the reasons why he chose not to go that route but have some ideas- in daylight I'm sure it would provide enough power, but even when the display is off the circuit is still powered to retain calibration, so it would go out of cal. everytime you turned off the lights. A solar panel would require more displayh real estate, and of course it would be more expense. But who knows, it may be something he is working on. Truthfully I don't know.

[Alan Schaffter]

Matt, I'll take your word for it, but that .02 error sure sounds exactly like the problem he notes on his site and which is caused by a sensor unit subjected to "very rapid movement" or one "that does not fit tight enough on the track," both of which are easily fixed.

As to static- any of these digital devices are subject to static which can act like digital (0/1) signals. Like TV- lightning just caused a fuzzy picture on the old analog TV's, but it can causee a digital picture to completely break up or be severely pixelated.

[Matt Meiser]

Yep, I'm aware. My sensor is adjusted as tight as possible to the track. Any tighter and the magnet isn't strong enough to keep the head in contact with the bracket on the fence. And I've tried to reproduce by moving the fence unrealistically fast. I can't. I even tried just moving the sensor very fast and can't. Its fine for a while and then all of the sudden its off 0.2. Its so random I can't figure out when it happens. For a while I thought it was the gap between the two sections, but I've had it go out of cal when I pretty sure I haven't moved it across the gap too.

My point on the static issue is that it exists in the environment where its intended to be used and he can't just blame a functional problem on something he hasn't solved. Its like saying that using it in a dusty environment would cause it to fail.

[Eduard Nemirovsky]

I agreed with Matt. I do have a three Wixey devices - and only one work without problem. I did talk to Barry to troubleshoot both DRO without positive outcome. I just remove mine DRO from JJP-12 and router table. In my opinion - not worst a penny if it not working. I maybe unlucky one, to have both devices not work properly and I am not complaining - just stating the facts. It is not a user error, because I can recreate same error after every attempt to troubleshot device. In my opinion, if I bought over 3 1/2 years five total devices from Wixey and exchange/return two - it is a bad ratio of not properly constructed/designed units. And not my simple luck.
Ed.

[Curt Harms]

I had problems similar to Matt's with the Wixey 6" planer DRO as well, jumping .20. You can only tighten the fit of the head to the scale so much until the scale moves when the head moves. Mine developed other problems as well so i replaced it. My Wixey tilt box has been pretty reliable. One thing that seems to help with battery life on the tilt box is to store it upright. When i stored it on its back it would turn on every time the drawer it was stored in was opened or closed. Stored upright I haven't changed the battery in months.

[mreza Salav]

Matt,
I have a J/P combo too (a MM), haven't set it up yet (as I'm away from my shop). I have been thinking about getting a digital read-out, mainly the Wixey.
Now after reading your post and the positive review of the cheaper model I think I will consider this one seriously. I'd be happy to hear your opinion after a while
of use on it. So if you get a chance after a few months to report back what you liked/didn't like on it that would be great.

[tarik yousef]

I have an igaging readout on my planer and wide belt sander and they have been fairly reliable. Recently however, both seem to make 0.2" jumps regularly, it is a real pain because I have to take it off the mount to calibrate it. I really wish I had known of the wixey unit before i got the igaging ones and wasted all that time setting it up. At least with the wixey, if there is a jump, calibration is easy and quick.

[Matt Meiser]

I haven't seen that with mine-hopefully I won't. Mine has so far been reliable longer than two different Wixey's.

[Ken Harris]

Matt
I cannot thank you enough for the precise directions for Igaging calibration which I just finished on my g0453z planer.I do not know how to post pictures but will be seeing my hi-tech sons and nephew and I will provide pictures after christmas.

[Alan Schaffter]

Update on the .2 error- possible cause.

I haven't checked with Barry to see if this is common or what, but I was using my Wixey digital calipers recently and had the same issue. I would close the jaws, hit cal and after reading zero and without moving the jaws, the display would quickly go to .2. I said what?!?!?!? The display, measuring, etc., was working fine, just off by .2. So I paid more attention to what the unit was doing and noticed it was taking a little longer for the display to turn on. Hmmm??? I installed a new battery and all problems, including the .2 issue went away! It seems the battery had enough oomph for the unit to work, but not calibrate properly.

[Matt Meiser]

You're welcome Ken.

I haven't had.any issues with the iGauging readout. I had to recalibrate when I change batteries about a month ago but it was no harder than the Wixey, especially since I used to have to do it do often. Highly recommended.

[Trent Wilms]

I like it! Thanks for posting Matt. I'll be doing it the same way.