RCBS Micrometer questions

[BruceB]

Just today a new RCBS electronic micrometer arrived from Cabela's.

This is a beautiful-looking tool, and apparently fully up to the jobs I envisioned for it.

BUT...it arrived without insructions. I figured out the "on" function, but the "off" doesn't have any effect. The instrument shuts off itself if left for a few minutes.
Then there's a button marked "ABS/INC", which doesn't seem to do much. And, there's a button with a teeny clock face behind a slash, ahead of which is a symbol I don't recognize..a "G" sort of shape with a horizontal bar in the gap of the circle. There's also a "SET" button, about which likewise I am in the dark. A "mm/in" control finishes the whole mess, and it has no obvious effect on the display, either.

I'm going to call RCBS for a set of instructions, but I'd sure be grateful for any guidance from anyone here who understands this business.....

I just found a close-up photo of a virtually identical instrument on Ebay. If you search for item 330006362756 you can see what I tried to describe above. Scroll down for a real close-up.

As usual, any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[utk]

BruceB, I found the instructions on RCBS homepage here:

http://www.rcbs.com/default.asp?menu=1&s1=10

Search in the list. Or send me a PM with your email and I will send you the pdf.

Urban

[redneckdan]

Then there's a button marked "ABS/INC", which doesn't seem to do much. There's also a "SET" button, about which likewise I am in the dark. A "mm/in" control finishes the whole mess, and it has no obvious effect on the display, either.




Assuming RCBs equipment is similar to starrett:

ABS/INC- means absolute and incremental measurement

SET- zero the micrometer, turn the mic down til the anvil and post touch, then zero

MM/IN- switch between SI and SAE

[db2]

Back when I used to work in a high production shop, you would use the ABS/INC feature. Lets say you had a dim. that was .463 +/- .018. If you had to check a hundred parts a day it does get old reading the display, and figuring out were you are at, relative to your tolerance. So you would set your mic to the size your part is suppost to measure at, and hit ABS/INC and the mic zeros out. Now you know exactly were your machine is running, and what offsets you may have to make through out the shift.
Come to thnk about it, that feature might come in handy segregating boolit dias. from nominal.
Hoped this helps

db2

[db2]

Scratch the boolit dia. idea, I was thinking weight. Had a long night at work.
db2

[Oregunner]

Do digital scales have that feature? It seems like they should.

[JBMauser]

A bit of a Rant. today I returned the digital Vernier I bought from Harbor Freight. I was playing with my new toy and I checked it against my mechanical vernier that I got from Midway with their brand name on it. Wow it read .001 differently - consistantly.... then I checked a expander ball what was stamped .313 by the maker. guess what?? The mechanical vernier read it correctly. the .001 error was with the new electronic vernier. consistantly wrong... back to the store it went. I will read my dial and be happy. Rant Mode Off.... JB

[HTRN]

As somebody who has some serious money tied up in measuring tools, let me give you all some advice.

Forget any micrometer/caliper with Redding/RCBS/Lee/any Reloading manufacturers name on it. More often than not you're buying the same cheap *** that the Likes of "Horror Freight" Sells for next to nothing, only you're paying a premium price because they slapped their name on it.

You're much better off buying a Starrett, Brown and Sharpe, or Mititoyo mic/caliper(be warned, Starrett has started making stuff in china, but it's plainly marked and a different line). J&L (http://www.jlindustrial.com/PrecisionMeasuring/Brown&Sharpe/Micrometers/TEA-27266J/SEARCH:CATEGORY/Y/product.html) for instance has a B&S digital Mic for $180.


HTRN