Here's a quick video explaining how a vernier scale works along with some shots of a vernier caliper and some thoughts on their continued value as measuring instruments.
When I was 10 years old, my father showed me how a vernier scale works, and then I promptly forgot how. Today, about 65 years later, I finally understand it, thanks to your really good explanation and the ability to back up and rewatch as needed.
Vernier calipers have another advantage. If it was accurate at the factory, then so long as you don't damage it, it will always be accurate. You will have to check digital and dial calipers on a regular basis to verify they are still reading accurately.
Seen a few RU-vid videos on this subject. You are the only one who points out checking the lines on each side of the actual one. On my 65 years old racing motorcycle, both camshafts and ignition timing is set with gears with Verniers made by hole circles and a locking pin.
I broke down and bought an inexpensive digital caliper. It's surprisingly good for what I wanted (something to keep in my range bag for front sight adjustments), but frankly, I still prefer my sturdy, Polish-made vernier caliper for ruggedness, and my elegant Starrett dial caliper for ease of use at my reloading bench. I like the idea of no batteries needed, and that the vernier caliper will be usable long after I am dead and forgotten.
I moved to using a vernier caliper after I dropped my dial caliper. Never looked back. Only issue, I found, is that I wanted to purchase a 60 - 70 dollar vernier caliper at about 12 inches (assuming the quality would go up in a more realistically usable way, unlike the dial or digital calipers just having prettier displays with the same body), turns out that vernier calipers are generally either 30 - 40 bucks or 200 haha.
Digital calipers work the same way, the only difference is the lines are capacitive. The only cost of a long digital caliper is the finishing of the rail, which is the same for both. Digitals can also take relative measurements.
Interesting, the explanation of the video and what you say makes me understand how it works, or so I think. The IC looks for the highest capacitance between 10 or 20 sensors, and that is the measurement, if the previous one was in sensor 5, and the current one in sensor 6, then it moved x spaces to the right.
How does the spacing affect the numbers? Like what determines the precision of the second scale is it just a division like in your example 10/11? So it's accurate to ten thousands?
i didn't understand the bit where you said "the 5 lines up, the 4 and the 6 don't, so we're at 15 thousandth's of an inch" - where did the 15 come from? Actually, now I've watched again, i didn't understand how "3 on 30" was 3/1000ths, how "0 on 10" was 10/1000ths, or "5 on 60" = 15 / 1000ths of an inch. I can't fathom the pattern.
Hi Nik. In my demo pieces at the beginning of the video, the main scale (numbered 10, 20, 30 etc.) is on the bottom and the vernier (numbered 0, 1, 2, etc.) is up top. The two scales point to each other for the reading. For the main scale, you're looking for where the 0 line on the vernier is. In the case of your question, the 0 is between 10 and 20 on the main scale, so you know your measurement will be somewhere between 10 and 20 thousandths in this case. Now if you move up to the vernier scale, you need to find which one of those graduation lines up with a graduation on the main scale. In that case the 5 lined up perfectly and that's how we got 15 thousandths, 10 on the main plus 5 on the vernier. I pointed out the 4 and the 6 because that provides you with an easy double check of your measurement. On the vernier scale, only one of the graduations will line up perfectly, in this case the 5. The ones on either side of it, the 4 and 6, will be offset from the graduations on the main scale. When you see that pattern of graduations that are not lined up, lined up perfectly, and not lined up again, you know for sure that you're looking at the right spot. Let me know if you're still unsure of it. If need be, I can make a short answer video for you. Take care, Stuart
Sorry for being brief, blunt, and negative. I should say that I did like your opening prop/ demo and your overall explanation. Thumbs up.@@StuartdeHaro
sorry but it's already not a useful measuring tool. buy a metric one! ;) I actually made a 1 metre long vernier scale caliper with my laser cutter out of MDF for a bit of fun :)
What exactly is complicated about my dialect? I feel I spoke quite plainly aside from the necessary technical terms directly relating to the measuring instrument I was describing. Please let me know how I can make this easier to understand for you.
