Flat Back for Cheap Metric Dial Indicator

thingiverse

Flat back to replace the back with a lug that ships with the cheapest metric dial indicators money can buy on eBay (~$9 delivered!). Details: I really wanted to use kyoday's awesome [Gauge Dial Calibration for creality Ender 3 MOD](https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3029416), but the rear lug on my dial indicator got in the way, so quickly threw together this flat back. The provided settings are just what I ran and worked great in PLA, printed with the counter-bores face down. I didn't bother with supports for the counter-bores, figuring it's easy enough to spin a small drill bit or chisel out any offending overhangs if needed. You can probably go lower on the infill since it's not structural. You can easily kill the counter-bores altogether in the code, but you may not be able to use the screws the indicator came with. Inside the dial indicator there's a retaining screw for the main spring around the outer perimeter, it was loose so I tightened it down slightly so the back could be mostly flush. Your mileage may vary and you can of course make a divot for it in the scad file if you so choose, but I decided to keep it simple and so it can be screwed on in any orientation. The eBay listing from the seller I used seems to not be up anymore. But I believe the search string "0.01mm Accuracy Measurement Instrument Gauge Precision Tool Dial Indicator" should get you a lot of listings. Here's a link to one that at least *looks* identical to the one I bought: [Affiliate Link](https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_id=114&ipn=icep&toolid=20004&campid=5338475932&mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2F112360181977) [Non-Affiliate Link](https://www.ebay.com/itm/112360181977)