Rod to Rod dial indicator bracket by Dracos

Last crawled date: 3 years ago

I made this dial indicator bracket to allow for aligning X carriage rods to the Y rods. Most similar bracket designs place the dial mount between the rod clips, which only allows the tool tip to reach the bed. However, X axis rods should be Y axis rods to ensure the carriage travel is aligned to the Y rods. The bed has its own positioning mechanism (leveling screws) which should be removed from the rod (axis) squaring process.
To get the probe to sit correctly on the Y rods, remove the ball end.
Required hardware (per bracket):
(1) m5x20 hex cap bolt
(1) m5 locknut
For best results, adjust your bed to it's lowest position and home your printer on Z to allow the probes to reach the Y rods. If you can't move your print bed out of the way, mount the brackets facing backwards. Turn on the indicator before mounting and be careful not to zero it out. Make sure the bracket is seated all the way down on the rods and that the (sans-ball) probe is on top of the Y rod.
Why do I have two indicators? Because the X rods pivot at points outside the carriage travel range; adjusting one Z rod will change the height all the way across to the opposite mount point of the X rods. Having two indicators in place allows both sides to be adjusted simultaneously for faster, more accurate results.