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Creative Measuring

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Categories: Projects and equipment

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A recent blog of mine dealt with using scales. As mentioned there, even the most pathetic POS digital scale is nearly deadly accurate unless broken. It takes a real idiot to not know how to use it. But it happens all the time; in some instance, numbers are deliberately manipulated.

Measurements are absolute, not relative. The exactness of numbers is necessary for the world to function. Nearly every product is dependent on accurate measurements...I struggle to think of an exception. From the speed of CPUs to the length of lumber to the temperature of a freezer, lives depend on it.

A copper roll was advertised as 36" wide; it was only 18". The seller said they were told it was 36" and it didn't occur to them that it was only half that size when they mailed it. I find it hard to believe but that's their story.

I was recently faced with a problem. I misplaced many cables for my CNC plasma cutter. These aren't something at the local DIY store, not even close. The manufacturer had discontinued them long ago and few workers had any useful knowledge because my system was old. Documentation was sketchy, too.

Being a non-electronics person, I required a quick education of electrical plugs and fittings. Pitch, connector type, volt/amp capacity, wire gauge range, and a host of other factors define a plug, fitting, or block.

One plug was quite challenging to measure. The pin was inset so deep that verniers wouldn't fit inside the small hole. Estimating wasn't going to work because the diameter had to be precise to about 0.2mm. In the USA we know it as smaller than 1/128".

I could have drilled a series of holes in a plastic block and checked which one fit snugly around the pin. However, it would have to drill a perfectly centered hole into a round rod less than 5mm O.D. Or grinded my vernier blades down to almost nothing so they'd fit.

But the drill bits came in handy. I precisely measured the I.D. of the hole using successively larger drill bits until one snugly fit between the central pin and the edge of the hole. Some quick math did the rest.

With all measurements in hand and help from industry pros, I found the necessary plugs, blocks, and inserts. Still searching for an AC/DC converter, however. Luckily, one cable for my plasma cutter was still available. I dawdled on pulling the plug, pun intended, as I continued searching for the missing cables.

My previous landlord had acci-purposely damaged some components; I suspect sabotage was involved so it's no stretch to think my cables took a walk. There is absolutely no way I would forget them. Misplace them, maybe, so I prayed they'd turn up soon. Basically, making new ones was no guarantee my system would work.

Wiring diagrams are not my thing so I'll have to learn everything about interpreting those. One mistakenly placed wire will destroy the components and it'd be thousands of dollars for upgrades. I have no choice but to forge ahead.

Posted by M: June 13, 2025

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