Steve Conover’s MicroScribe has already lived through two generations of electronics. The PLUS Upgrade is the third: a new arm inside the one you already trust, measuring two and a half to nearly four times better than the day it shipped.
“More on that soon.”
Six weeks ago I ended the story of MicroScribe serial 60327 with that line. Steve Conover’s arm was built around 2000, has measured more race car suspensions than he can count, and somewhere along the way traded its original DLX electronics for our G series. Two generations of electronics in one arm. This post is about the third.
It is the MicroScribe PLUS Upgrade, and here is what it actually is.
We take the arm completely apart. Every internal part is replaced: bearings, hardware, electronics, wiring harnesses. Then it is reassembled and calibrated with our Tri-Test method, based on ASME B89.4.22, a standard for evaluating articulated-arm CMMs. It comes back with a new probe set, a new hand switch, and a certificate of calibration.
What we do not do is make it look new. Unless a body part was damaged and had to be replaced, the scrapes and scratches stay. The arm keeps the character it earned. Inside, it is essentially a new MicroScribe in the old body.
And it measures better than it ever did. Depending on the model, accuracy improves two and a half to nearly four times over the original specification:
| Model | Original accuracy | PLUS accuracy* |
|---|---|---|
| 3D | ±0.012″ (0.31 mm) | ±0.0035″ (0.089 mm) |
| 3DX | ±0.009″ (0.23 mm) | ±0.0035″ (0.089 mm) |
| 3DL | ±0.015″ (0.38 mm) | ±0.0040″ (0.102 mm) |
| 3DLX | ±0.012″ (0.31 mm) | ±0.0040″ (0.102 mm) |
| G2 | ±0.012″ (0.31 mm) | ±0.0035″ (0.089 mm) |
| G2X | ±0.009″ (0.23 mm) | ±0.0035″ (0.089 mm) |
| G2L | ±0.015″ (0.38 mm) | ±0.0040″ (0.102 mm) |
| G2LX | ±0.012″ (0.31 mm) | ±0.0040″ (0.102 mm) |
| i | ±0.005″ (0.13 mm) | ±0.0020″ (0.051 mm) |
| iL | ±0.006″ (0.15 mm) | ±0.0025″ (0.064 mm) |
*Or better.
A few other things come along with it:
- Infinite rotation on the wrist roll joint
- USB power and data on one cable, no external power supply
- Faster communication
- Better behavior with Windows power management
- The third hand switch button, for software that supports it
- New probe set and hand switch
- Certificate of calibration
- MicroScribe Utility Software (MUS)
- New USB cable, tip tool, storage strap, and updated user’s guide
- One-year limited warranty
The upgrade covers the 3D, G2, and i series arms, standard and long reach. For far less than the cost of a new arm, an instrument that has already proven itself goes back to work with a better specification than the day it shipped, and nothing useful ends up in a landfill.
That is what I mean when I say a MicroScribe never has to retire.
If you have an older arm and are not sure where it stands, start with the MicroScribe Arm Tester. It checks your arm in a browser in about thirty seconds.
Then tell me what you have. Every upgrade starts with a conversation about the arm.
About Revware
Revware provides high, quality, simple to use, innovative, cost-effective modeling solutions to solve your design, metrology, and engineering problems.