The 'Never Flat' Digital Caliper Battery Isolation Hack
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- Modding Cheap Calipers - Why Bother: • Cheap Caliper Modding ...
Comments feedback has questioned why this is even a thing. I've posted a supplementary video on caliper power behaviour between cheap and quality branded calipers:
I had the same problem. I just use it without any battery in it. You can read the graduations that are stamped on the strip anyway.
Yep, I can easily tell the difference between 25 thou and 27 with my naked eye on that scale... It isn't a tape measure.
Sorry but that makes no sense to me. Can’t see your face so I’ll assume it’s a joke.
@@836dmar See look! I have a video tutorial for the same result other method is one faster, I will explain in the video what the difference is. speed. one 1s a second the 2. more 10 secund, this matters a lot for many similar operations. Can't you see my face and you're joke? Not at all! The joke is when you don’t find a video valuable because you don’t see the creator’s face in the video.
The video here is really a joke, but not because you can’t see his face!
@@CNCVelMart I’m confused. Your response came out a little disjointed. I was referring to Richard Barton’s comment about just using the graduations and no battery. I don’t call people a joke or make the typical troll comments - that’s in poor taste and ill just move on. I was seriously assuming he was joking. Without talking it’s often difficult to catch a dry sense of humor. I know because I have one.
The only reason to use a set of calipers is for accuracy greater than what you're suggesting.
I found simple solution to this problem - just tighten the lock screw , turn it off and battery is never be flat. I already use this method for long time and never had this problem any more.
is it just me, or is it easier to just take out the battery? i keep batteries next to my caliper stand, or put it back in its case with my more expensive set.
it is a cool mod. and certainly nice for the cheap plastic calipers. my good ones tend to kill my battery faster than my cheap ones from just sitting. but to be fair whats the point of an on/off button if its only a sleep/wake-up button? just make the button do what it says it does, if i try to use the calipers when they are off... i'll quickly realize i have to push the button first. this sleep mode seems like a gimmick by duracell and energizer to sell more batteries :D
This is absolutely easier than trying to pry that fiddly little battery out of it every time or forgetting to do it all together and getting a flat battery which is easy to do when the display is off.
Agreed, I flip my battery over, super easy to do when done with it.
Really nice mod bud. I have the same problem with mine. As far as the 81 people who didn't like this video, as of 30 Dec 20, they're Bozo's who haven't a clue! Thanks for sharing. Much appreciated. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya
I didn't appreciate there was an issue with this - thought I kept leaving it on. Thanks for the mod, followed the video - does the job well - cheers
It's like the little red light that comes ON when you turn your Television OFF... I bought a car stereo that had a light that came on when I turned it off, as if I needed a light to tell me it was off. It would run the battery down in a few days
Cool idea
Quality calipers don't have this problem
Good info
Great idea. The only thing worse than attempting to make a measurement and finding the battery is dead, is attempting to take a measurement and getting erroneous readings because the battery is nearly expired but not quite. What several of the commenters don’t seem to understand is several of the calipers in use today have parasitic battery drain even when the caliper is switched off. You turn the thing off but it really isn’t off so over time the battery is drained. These 357 coin type batteries are expensive. And it’s not just the cheap calipers that have this problem.
You can get a ten pack of the batteries at dollar stores.
I just take the battery out and put it into the little tray! All that work for little reward!
Button cells usually fine just flipped over. i.e. put in upside down.
Yeah but that’s a lot of faff for a tool that often is something you grab and set down a bunch whenever you are using it
Ha ha, the easiest solution is simple and avoid all that messing with a tab, simple remove battery when not in use !
I just put a small strip of paper between the cell and the contact (like the original "remove before use" plastic strip) and putting in that or another strip as part of my tool clean up is standard. This makes it very quick to use when needed and no losing the cell in between projects...although the box these come in seem to usually have a slot in the foam for an extra cell storage...or it's easy to make such a slot in the foam.
For me the best solution was to ditch the digital and replace with a dial caliper. Surprisingly easier to read, and of course no battery.
Sounds good on paper but I'm SURE that would lead to premature failure of the battery compartment door. It's a real POS.
I've got a Mitutoyo Caliper. I've had it for years. Only replaced the battery twice. I also find it "ON' sometimes but it doesn't flatten the battery. You get what you pay for I suppose. :(
My cheap chinese that looks identical to his has been with me for at least 6 years, and is still on its first battery. Just went and checked, it turned right on, haven't used it since 2019. You can never get what you pay for else the seller doesn't make a profit. Part of what you pay for is his lunch.
I'll rather change the batteries
What happens if you keep yanking the battery out is you eventually break the battery cover lock tabs off and create another issue! A little better explanation of why exactly the battery is draining in relation to the fix would help along with a light over your work area would make it possible to see exactly all steps. Never the less thank-you. KTMcandog!
It's draining because it's always on a "ready to use" mode so you can slide it open and it starts working. The AD converter is always running. It's a user "convenience" feature that absolutely makes it not have an ultra low sleep quiescent current.
Pretty good solution for metric users, but for English measurements, one would have to set that button as well as zeroing it. The difference between the sleep mode and just leaving the LCD display always on is only a couple of days. By interrupting the battery, it should last for years.
Great hack, it drove me insane to find the battery dead every time I needed an accurate measurement. In the end I reverted back to using analogue callipers.
i hear they just came out with this new device to solve this issue. its called the "dial caliper"
Nice to see that the YT algorythm has brought us all to this video.
That is what i did, bought a proper one! 😩
For a low-mid budget DIYer, buying a Mitutoyo makes no sense, as these chepos are reliable and accurate enough, and the power consumption issue can be fixed, as you can see. You can ruin equally easily a Mitutoyo and a cheapo by dropping them accidentally on the concrete floor, or dropping a hammer or wrench on them, but ruining a $100 pair of calipers is much more frustrating than ruining a $5-$10 cheapo.
Why the hell can't any one make things anymore with a real on and off switch like it was done.
When the switch was off there was no power to anything, it worked just fine for a 75 years . And then some one thought that they could make it better using a switching transistor, the power is always on to make it work, just dumb .
Couldn't agree more. The simpler a system, the more efficient it is.
Fail to understand why there is a need to change what perfectly worked for decades.
I think there was a good intention behind this design flaw. The developer wanted to make sure the device will still be working if you _forget_ to turn it off. How it is possible to develop such clever device and not to notice it uses (practically) the same amount of power whether the display is on or off? My personal suspicion is: the original product did not have this problem. But then some chineese developer 'reinvented' the device. And since that day, the chip sucks the battery empty...
So it will know the position when you turn it on, if it happens to move when "off". That is a big point for some people, it knowing where it is. But, I always zero out any caliper every time I use it.
There is no power switching in this model, even transistor, it's merely pretending. "off" to it is purely whether the digits are displayed or not. That difference, I measured, is about 0.6uA, but it is constantly drawing ~18uA all the time. So you can choose between using 18.8 and 18.2uA with the power button. Mitutoyo genuines draw 5/1uA between on/off.
What about taking the battery off when not used?😅
That's what I'm doin
I have a height gauge used infrequently - I just remove the battery.
Took me 6 minutes to figure out what the purpose was
Next time i first read your comment
(Didnt finish vid btw😂)
Ditto re my video camera. Means all my videos are filmed at midnight on the first of Jan !
For my occasional measurings I use a simple mechanical (analog) caliper, you can read easyly 1/20t of a millimeter which is suitable for almost all work and of course never an empty battery.
I just flip the battery when I put it away.
the end killed me
exactly what I thought xD
After purchasing several and constantly finding the same 'dead battery' caliper issue, I make it a point to purchase the ever more popular versions with "Auto Off" functionality. Problem averted! :-)
I found the same problem when I first started using mine years ago. Fortunately the case it came in has a cut out for a battery to fit in so I just remove it after use and store it in the space until next time. Must be a defect in the design to drain it though!
I got one of that kind, with a smaller screen, since years (Cannot remember how much).
I use it sometimes and leave the battery inside but never needed to change the battery yet ???
My one also work with a single LR44.
The biggest drains occur with those calipers that have no locking screw. You put them away closed but the slightest knock on the box/caliper and the jaw moves enough to switch it on. I counter this by rolling on an 'O' ring to secure them. Works a treat. I can live with the 'off mode drain', batteries are cheap
I just take the battery out, when I've finished whatever job I've been working on.
It even has a place in the case to store the battery. My time is valuable and although I applaud the hack takes like 10 seconds to just take out the battery.
Soon, the cover wears out and you have to buy a new unit.
@@fungames24 Mine's over 10 years old, and the cover hasn't worn out.
@@reidbridges1774 10 seconds?
@@alfa-psi I've been doing it since I bought it (about 12 years ago), and it still fits OK.
It looks like lots of commenters have similar models with factory on/off switches that actually do what the label says. Mine doesn't!
It's best to be able to pick the thing up and use it without dealing with yet another dead battery. This reliable, accessible switch substitute is much more convenient than having to remove (or flip) the battery whenever you think you might not be using it again for a while, then reversing the procedure every time you need it again.
I just took the battery out and stowed away in the box with the caliper
When the battery went flat i binned the lot and bought a better one, Nether had a problem since, oh that was 12 years ago
I hate klutzing with button batteries. Someone needs to make a solar powered digital caliper much like there are solar calculators.
You know....they make dial Calipers that dont require batteries?!
@@patricksanders858 Not in the same price range as these calipers. You could buy 10 or more sets of cheap digitals for what you would pay for a dial caliper.
I discovered the foam in the top of the case was turning the caliper on when you close it. I trimmed the foam out above the on/off button and no more dead battery.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Chinese knew about that.
Glad you found a solution, but my powered off, untouched for several weeks, flat on my desk/bench unit STILL managed to flatten what had been a brand new battery! Bugger!
Clever. A good fix. I slavishly remove the battery after every use.
So the ON-OFF switch, doesn't switch it on or off. I have an old Swedish digital caliper with the same problem. Though in my case, there isn't an ON-OFF switch at all. Put the battery in, and watch it drain when not in use. A great idea and a simple fix.
Nice to see the step by step, but should have told us what you were going to do and why up front.
Thanks for this great hack. I do Fitting and Turning and have Mitutoyo calipers and the batteries in them last all year using them every day. I have some el cheapo's that I use for my electronics hobby and the battery lasts a month or so. I'll be doing your same hack. 30 min hack and fixed, putting batteries in and out every time you want to use the thing.....Blah!
I just gave up on digitalis until I decide to buy some mitutoyos, it’s dial calipers and vernier for me baby.
Nice hack tho
I just leave the battery out until I need to use the caliper...............
Been doing that after the battery of mine was dead after some time without using it ... but then, re-inserting is stupid, too, so I have it laying around with just the battery cover off, which is prone to losing the cover ... not optimal either.
@@GarryMobi I keep mine in its case, which has a little cut out for a spare battery..........it's a pain having to insert it each time, but not quite as big a pain as having a dead caliper, and then tear the place apart looking for a battery..............
It all depends on how often you use it. I use mine less than once per month, so taking the battery out is the easy solution. But for more frequent use, the insulating tab described here is a good solution.
@@jerrydemas2020 .....why didn't I think of that?
@@PsyPhi25 if you need calipers daily, you can afford a Mitutoyo that doesn't have the flaw and is more reliable otherwise as well
Thanks. So annoying. I have a Digital Height Gauge with the same problem !
Not rocket science to make the OFF button switch off !!
Worked ok for 75 years before .
I have had my harbor freight caliper now for possibly 10 years. The battery is still good. Surprises me.
Has bugged me for years. Thought of adding a small switch myself. Gone thru many batteries. True about getting a quality one.
It pays to get a quality caliper with a locking screw.
I just take the battery out after I’m done using it.
That’s the easiest and costs nothing but 10 seconds of your time.
I insert battery backwards when left for long.
That's my trick too.
Simple.... But so very effective.... Creative Engineering simplicity!.... 😏😎
Huh, this must be a common but not ubiquitous flaw, or it was fixed before I got mine. I leave it off for years in the drawer and it has always turned right on for me, dont' think I've even used the spare battery that came with it yet.
You have probably got one that does not retain its setting. So you have to zero it every time you switch it on.
Same with me. I got the same-branded item from Aldi UK. Had it for a year. Never noticed any battery problems. The only problem is that it often jumps, with the display failing to match the scale position.
it's a hell of a lot faster and less effort to just pop the battery in and out each time I need to use my calipers,not to mention that I think now by 2021, we've got proper circuits that cut power when not in use.
Battery costs 15 cents so i got 100pcs. I have 4 calipers and now the cycle is quite obvious - they eat one battery a year. So if one of them starts to give "BLINK" , I just replace all of them, because they all start to blink in a month. Very ingenious hack indeed if you are not frequent user, but it's not that expensive to change batteries yearly also.
I've got a Park Tools one like this that drains the battery so I just take then it when not using it. Park are supposed to be premium tools in the cycling world
I just bought a new battery for mine. Hmmmmm
a: Why keep replacing the battery every 3 months, when it can last 3 years?
b: The main problem comes when you are trying to measure something at 10pm saturday, the battery is flat, and you don't have more...
These things are like watches - they are never off. If you use silver oxide (SR44) batteries, you'll get about a year before you need to replace them. With the LR44 batteries, you get about 3 months of life. With a SR44 battery in, I just leave it on all the time.
Mine has a case with a compartment for (what I thought) was a spare battery. From now on that's where my main battery is going when I put them away.
I pop the battery out and put it back in upside down in storage. This way i always know where it is and it doesn't drain.
I don't know exactly what happens when you do that, but won't it set up some kind of nasty electrolytic reaction?🤔
@@EleanorPeterson Hasn't so far. The negative is touching both of the contacts while the positive is just hanging out against the plastic.
Had the same caliper and battery problem, so i just hot-glued an AAA-Battery to mine. Looks awful but never runs out either.
I did that with a AA.
I have had a cheap Canadian Tire one that was around 30 dollars Can. that I have had the same battery in it for at least 10 years. If I leave it on and not use it for 5 min it will shut off.
Seems accurate enough for what i need it for.
I've wired my calipers up to a huge solar panel that I wheel around with it - you just can't be too careful.
Actually many come with a small plastic tab that you pull out to initially turn the calipers on. You can put this tab back in by feeding it through the hole for the battery and out the thin gap. It takes longer than taking the battery out, but it quicker when using it.
You just saved tens of thousands of people the hassle of fiddling around with taking the battery in and out every time they use them or a flat battery, you legend. Mine just decided to stop working one day so looks like I will be contributing to more landfill....Unless someone knows where I can just but another board for it?
I will probably do this to mine too.
The company that makes them they sell them very cheap the real money is made on batteries
It seems like a lot of trouble for a cheap device that might not last long just a thought
They should use solar panels like some calculators do so as to not worry about drainage of batteries.
This Chinese caliper has had this same flaw for over a decade.
I use a 1/4"x1" +/- strip of notebook paper under the battery when I'm done using (close the batt lid with end of paper sticking out on face of caliper) . . . or sometimes just flip the battery over (no paper required)
One of my mates reckoned the lining in the case pressed on the switches, so I cut away part of the lining and no problem with battery. Maybe worth a try first.
These calipers never actually turn off, they only turn off the display. They wake up on movement and have to consume electricity to measure movements, so they will drain down the battery just sitting there.
Had a blood test meter that can be accidentally turned on in its case. As it didn't time out, you only discover this on finding it with a flat battery.
I avoid things that need batteries.
Means my mobile phone has a range of 6 feet.
I just added a AA battery holder and use an AA alkaline battery that lasts forever compared to the watch battery.
Like to see a picture of that
Excellent and timely. I just changed the battery in my caliper an hour ago.
8:11 Amazing! It now boots with a nice sound :D
The "real solution" is to buy a set of dial calipers. It's an amazing new invention that never needs batteries.
I recon a decent one of those might be more expensive than one of these and a lifetime supply of batteries, though I’d still prefer one of them
That's fine but the whole purpose of calipers is accuracy to within +/- .001".
@@alfa-psi Maybe you could educate me further by providing an example of a solution that isn't also an alternative?
@@alfa-psi Wrong again. The alternative to oiling your window would be to find out where the squeak is coming from and relieving the interference OR....just replace the window with one that doesn't squeak. Care to try again?
Elegant, but a fair bit of work. I just take the battery out of mine. That probably explains why I use my dial caliper a lot - and I still know how to read vernier calipers to 0.001” even if my vision isn’t quite what it once was.
Buy a Mitu. Battery lasts ages. Cheapo digital calipers are a false economy.
I've found it easier to just remove the battery when I'm not using it. My long-term fix is to replace the battery with a supercap, but even that is too much work...
Just take the battery out
Omg all that BS keep a $1.00 worth of batteries nearby in case
HAHAHA Dollar Tree batteries at that. LOL
Same here, when you close the box, the foam will press on the "on" button.
"I discovered the foam in the top of the case was turning the caliper on when you close it. I trimmed the foam out above the on/off button and no more dead battery."
5
Wouldn't it be easier just to take the battery out when not in use?
Tom. Nice solution. I also just take the battery out each use, but a pain...
External measurements usually ok , try measuring the inside of a bearing ( known size) they are out about 0.13mm .
Brilliant
Today I fixed my micrometer with my hair dryer!
While warming the data sticker on the back it it started working again but I still need to get in there and clean out whatever battery corrosion I couldn't reach. When I do that I'll implement your excellent full off switch technique.
I have two of these, and use them both around 20 times a week, average. I have found them to last around 2yrs before needing a new battery, which I can certainly live with, as the battery cost is £1 (GB) for around 20 batteries, at the £1 store in the UK. Perhaps you have been unlucky, or I have been lucky, who knows?. It's worth noting that I keep mine on a backboard in the workshop, not in A box.
Very good and simple fix. I have the same problem and was training me to take out the battery each time I finished the measurement. It is quit annoying, so thanks for the fix :)
Do either of those calipers read absolutely ?
If you turn them on at zero, remove the battery, adjust them to 3", put the battery back in - do they read zero or ~3" ?
Mine would still read zero
@@FarWesternGarrison Yep, that's what I suspected. Which means any reading is not guaranteed for the simple reason the counter may have miscounted ! Vernier calipers don't have that issue. Any position they're in can be directly read.
I think I will just throw out my harbor freight one and just use my mechanical calipers.
A little explanation along the way would be extremely helpful, I shit canned it 4 mins in, had no specific idea what he was doing.
You can't help it if you're an idiot but we sympathise anyway.
@@gangleweed And _you_ cannot help the fact _you_ are an idiot that can not spell _sympathize_ correctly. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
@@coloradostrong Fuck off....that is the British way to spell it as in the Webster's dictionary........Yanks can't spell anyway.
It's ridiculous that the more expensive ones never turn off either. I mean how hard is it to just design your expensive measuring device so it can be turned off, urgh
The memory needs to stay powered up to remember the absolute zero point. Much like a wrist watch needs to be powered up all the time to remember what day it is, and watch batteries last for years and years. The expense is in the properly designed standby power consumption, as well as other aspects.
@Fester Blats by pulling the battery it does forget the zero point.. if you turn it off at anything different that 0 you will have to zero it at the next use.
@@TomIreson That' what the zero button is for to re-zero , so no need to keep power to memory. so no reason either .
@@TomIreson I pop the battery out of mine when not in use, works fine and the battery is over 5 years old ( lasted 3 days when I left it in until I figured the parasitic drain)
Shame on the caliper makers for not including a "sleep" button as well as a real "off" button!
I take the battery out turn it over and paint it black then I grind all the numbers off then cut the pointy bits off then drill 4 holes in the glass and then drop it in sump oil for a week THEN throw it in the BIN then I will go into my very dark room and rest thinking what can I do tomorrow. I think I’ll start on the kitchen scales that needs fixing. I have 2 nice men with a white jacket with long arms they help me on with it and tie me in a knot.
I have one of these that I use rarely. I just take the battery out. I do this with spare torches, scales etc.
I've had one like that from Jegs for at least 5 years and never changed a battery
Good hack. My cheapies are as accurate as any I own but the battery issue is annoying.
Just keep lots of batteries handy.
Interesting to see the internal workings of this very handy instrument but considering the possibility of getting something wrong doing this mod I think I will just keep a spare battery handy. They are as cheap as chips anyway. Thanks for your effort.
Here's a vid you'll like then: th-cam.com/video/fKSSY1gzCEs/w-d-xo.html
Just pop the battery out.
That’s what I do
Just what i do with mine for the last Five years which I brought from machine mart ,
Excellent hack! Thanks
Got some very similar had them years never had a new battery yet and it’s never taken out
You a lucky stiff.
Nice hack and i have the same problem but not now vhen i see that hack
This is the exact reason why I'm using mechanical caliper.... it lasts for life and during that period you don't have to deal with dead batteries at all :)
I just upgraded from a mechanical to an electronic one. My eyes are not so good any more to read the mechanical one to any level of precision.
I cannot understand why your batteries go flat so quickly.
I leave my Mitutoyo digital caliper on permanently. Never had to replace the battery in years, and it's always on and ready to measure. If the battery ever does need replacing, it's a cheaper fix than having to replace a power switch.
Its a cheap chinese caliper. I'm sure Mitutoyo wouldn't have such an obvious flaw.
Comparing a $120 Mitutoyo caliper with with $10 !?
@@moot2046 I did not know it was so valuable. I paid £2 for it at a car boot sale!
That's my philosophy as well
@@moot2046 batteries are 3 for $6 at Home Depot so I can see why owners of $10 calipers would squeel. Why not just buy verniers?
Mine mechanical one has no batteries.... works just fine.
I just have lr44s on automatic delivery 😅
That works too.
I have two of these, time to mod these . Great video !
Would be quicker to just fold a piece of cello tape about 2" long and wide enough to fit then slide it under the battery and slide the cover back, so just slide out the tape before use and put it back after, simple! :)