TouchDRO Plus Available for Beta Testing

A few hours ago I published the first build of TouchDRO Plus to the Google Play Store's Beta track. I've been working on it almost full time since March, and most of the core functionality has been in decent state for at least a month. A few of my friends and I have been using it in our shops for a bit over a month, and it seems to be stable enough to inflict on a few more people.

UPDATE April 14, 2024 - TouchDRO Plus has been released and the Beta program is now paused. People who participated in testing will continue having access to the Plus features, but I am not accepting new members (at least for now). For more details about the features and how to get access to the Plus version, please see the TouchDRO Plus page.

What's In TouchDRO Plus

In my last post I listed some of the features I wanted to add to the Plus version. Somewhat surprisingly, all of them made it into this beta build, albeit with some tweaks.

Image Overlay Function

Image Overlay function in the graphical view is the feature that I'm most excited about. My original idea was to use an image as a visual reference to a machine or digitize a part. The image can be either a drawing exported from your favorite CAD program, or a photo you take directly on the tablet. I will explain this in more detail in a future post, but in short, when you select an image, TouchDRO will ask you to map two-to-four points in the drawing to their real-world coordinates (as shown in the screenshot below).

A CAD drawing is calibrated by defining two opposite reference points

Once you map the points, you can preview the result, and apply it to the workspace. TouchDRO will scale and transform the image as necessary and set it as a background for the Graphical View display.

You can use the background image as a visual reference while locating the features the usual way, or as a replacement for scribed layout lines. Since the screen lets you zoom in pretty closely, the accuracy will be as good, or better than when using a layout fluid and a scriber. As an added bonus, the lines will not be obstructed by swarf and coolant.

Other Graphical View Enhancements

There are a few more new functions in the Graphical View display. As planned, I added the ability to automatically select a guide line when the spindle moves towards it. The guide lines, in turn, can be used to trigger the near-zero audible warning, or set the cutter radius compensation direction. Together they allow hands-free pocket or slot milling.

Background image and automatic tool offset direction switching simplify pocket milling

There are two more functions coming in a few weeks: the two buttons in the lower-left corner automatically select or add a sub-datum when the spindle moves down and up. The latter is particularly useful when performing multiple operations on a number of holes. The first operation is usually spot drilling. As you locate each hole and spot drill it, TouchDRO will add the coordinate to the sub-datum list. By the time you spot drill all holes, you will have them in the list. Now you can turn on the automatic sub-datum selection, and move from-hole-to-hole without touching the DRO. These two functions are almost ready, but I haven't had time to fully tweak the sensitivity, so they are hidden in the initial release. I expect to have them ready in a week or two.

Touch Probe Improvements

The Indicate Workpiece function with active touch probe input

The Indicate Workpiece function received two more features in TouchDRO Plus.
First is the automatic edge detection when the probe is activated. Rather than selecting an edge and then touching it off with the probe, you can toggle the "magic wand" button, and touch off all four edges. The DRO will determine which edge was touched by analyzing the direction and speed of travel before the probe was triggered. This in itself saves a few button taps, so it doesn't seem that useful.
The feature really shines when used with the second addition - the ability to save the indicated coordinate to the sub-datum memory, and sub-datum export function (explained below). Together the three features can be used to quickly and accurately "digitize" an existing part with just a few clicks. You can check how this works in the "Finding Edges and Cenerline" video. https://youtu.be/E23duRiUFxQ?t=277

File Import/Export

Originally I was planning to have import and export functionality for sub-datum memory, but while working on it, a friend convinced me to also add it to the tool library. As a result, TouchDRO Plus can import and export sub-datums in the current workspace, and the saved tool offsets for the given configuration.

The new sub-datum import and export option

The latter you would likely use for backup/data transfer if the tablet were to fail. The former is more interesting: when working on a part with a lot of sub-datum coordinates, it's very useful (and much less error prone) to pre-enter the coordinates before turning on the machine. You can do this by long-pressing the "Add Sub-Datum" button, and selecting the "Custom Coordinate" option. This is not too hard, but takes lots of clicks per coordinate.

With the ability to import a CSV file, you now can type the coordinates into a spreadsheet on your computer. To get the file into the tablet you can email it to yourself, or download directly from Google Drive app on the tablet.

Exporting sub-datum coordinates can be very useful when reverse engineering an existing part, or designing a mating component. For example, you can use the "Indicate Workpiece" function with a touch probe to locate various features on an existing part and add them to the sub-datum memory. When done, export the coordinates to CSV and then import them into your CAD program for further processing.

How to Access TouchDRO Plus

Beta access is invitation only, at least for now. I'm planning to invite a few dozen people to try out and test the features. There are a few hard requirements for getting access to TouchDRO Plus beta builds:

You will need an @gmail.com email account (which you should in theory already have, since you are using Android).
You will need to be using the current TouchDRO Adapter for Glass and Magnetic Scales; not a kit or an iGaging/Shahe adapter.
You will need to register on the Hobby Machinist forum. We will be using the TouchDRO sub-forum there for any feedback and bug reports.
You will need to follow a specific "handshake" process to activate the Plus version, explained below.
You can tolerate some minor bugs and glitches in the Beta version

If you meet these requirements and are interested in trying out TouchDRO Plus, please contact me via a private message on Hobby Machinist and I will add you to the list.

Secret Handshake to Activate TouchDRO Plus

TouchDRO Plus code is already in the standard version, but it's hidden behind a secret handshake. To activate the features, you will need to log into touchdro.com API with your google email and I will need to activate the Plus access for that email. The process is as follows:

Long-press the TouchDRO logo seven times. When a long-press is registered, you will hear a beep.
After the seventh beep, you will see a new icon in the upper right corner - a crossed over "account" circle.
Tap the icon. This will open a browser window where you can log into TouchDRO.com API with your google account. After you successfully log in, the icon will turn green.
Send me a private message on Hobby Machinist - my user name there is ycroosh. In the message, please include:
- Your email address
- Android OS and tablet version
- TouchDRO adapter version.
Once I receive your PM, I will manually mark your account for Plus version and will send you a PM with confirmation.
After you restart the app, you will have access to TouchDRO Plus