Found a zero-compromise way to touch off tools in under 10 seconds

Been fighting with paper method for months. Always crushed the paper or got inconsistent Z heights. Tried that $40 touch plate from Amazon. Worked okay but kept losing connection. Finally just wired up a brass plate to my VFD's ground. Clip it to the tool with a alligator lead. Auto zero macro hits it in 8 seconds flat. No more crushed paper or fiddly connections. Anyone else build their own touch off setup or buy something that actually lasts?

2 comments

2 Comments

wilson.emma1mo ago

and honestly this whole thing reminds me of how we overcomplicate so much stuff in life just because there's a "proper" way to do it. like my dad spent years fighting with a rusty old lawn mower that would stall every five minutes, always adjusting the carburetor or whatever. finally just bought a cheap electric one and it works fine. same with cooking, you don't need a $200 thermometer to tell if bread is done, just tap the bottom and listen. your brass plate trick is exactly that kind of "good enough is better than perfect" thinking. sometimes the janky solution that actually works beats anything you can buy off a shelf.

the_mia1mo ago

Read somewhere that people spend more time researching the "right" way to fix something than it would take to just try something janky and see if it works. It's like we're afraid of looking dumb if our solution isn't the approved one from some expert. Your dad's lawn mower story is a perfect example of that - the "right" way was just burning his time and patience.