Neiko Plastic Caliper Fine-Adjustment Wheel + Lock Screw

thingiverse

So I've been wanting a Caliper for quite some time, but being as broke as I am, I settled with the Neiko 6 inch Plastic caliper when it was on sale for $7.50.While it works perfectly fine as is, it has no capability of locking in place and making fine-adjustments was a bit awkward. Being the weirdo I am, I couldn't settle with it so I rigged something up to do both. As a bonus feature, you don't have to handle it by the battery cover so it shouldn't be falling off all the time anymore. I didn't exactly plan on sharing this, but I'm sure there's other people out there who could use something like this so if anyone cares to improve upon it, go for it.Also, For anyone who might be wondering why I used the M2.5 knob for the wheel instead of designing a new one, I printed an extra one by mistake and it turned out to be a happy little accident that it worked as well as it did.-What I used--1 x 6 mm wide (give or take) flat rubberband-Cyanoacrylate glue-1 x nail (shoot for around 1.5 mm in diameter, 2 mm in length)-2 x M 2.5 knobs from https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4558217-1 x M 2.5x18 screw (You could (and probably should) go a little up in size as well.)-Tips/suggestions--Have a soldering iron handy if you struggle to get the nail through both ends.-Print slowly and be sure to use easily removable supports. -Steps-*Locking screwTake the screw and gently thread into the center hole found on top of the the caliper. While doing this, slide the caliper up and down until movement seizes then remove the bolt. Thread the screw into one of your printed knobs until you have around 12.5 mm sticking out from it.You can use nut to secure your screw into the knob, but If the length of your screw is too short for a nut, you can simply put a little super glue onto some of the threading then screw it up a little and it should stay in place just fine.*Fine-Adjustment WheelWith your other knob, lay a thin layer of glue around the entire circumference then take your rubber band and tightly grip it onto the wheel. Keep your finger pinched close (please be careful not to glue them together, use pliers if you can help it.) for a moment until you believe the glue has dried. Once you believe it has dried, cut off the rest of the rubber band making sure to keep the ends as flush as possible. It doesn't need to be perfect, but you'll have a smoother roll the closer it is. On the Caliper attachment, take your nail and be sure it can clear both ends. If not, either gently hammer it down or, more drastically, patiently push it down through the hole with your soldering iron (just be sure you can pull it out prior to the next step)With the nail removed, angle the wheel/knob with the "nut" end towards the "pipe". Push it into place where the holes are completely aligned from end to end then push your nail through it.Check to make sure the wheel can completely spin. A little resistance is fine. Simply super glue one or both ends of the nail into place.*AssemblyTake your locking screw and push it through its designated hole on the Caliper Attachment. Like shown in the images, slide it over the digital caliper so the screw is aligned with the previously threaded hole and tighten it into place. If done correctly, the screw should tighten just enough to stop the caliper from moving and your wheel should adjust the caliper as desired.Final word:Frankly, this is my first upload and I had no intention of writing this much. I just figured I'd dump this thing online, but I realized I did this in a pretty messy way and would've felt bad if someone messed up their caliper. It's all very straight forward and I may revise this one day if I care enough to do it.I'm sure there's only about 5 people in the world who own a 3D printer and are too cheap to get a decent caliper, but this one's for you lot so I hope someone gets some use out of it.And although this isn't how they're intended to be used, thank you to Perinski for making and sharing the knobs!