Digital Calipers

User Manual

By: Jacob Porter

 What Are Digital Calipers?
Digital Calipers are measuring instruments that can
be used to size the inside or outside of parts to very precise
and accurate measurements.

Characteristics/Abilities:
Digital Calipers feature two sets of jaws (one big set
and one small set) and a depth bar on the bottom. These two
sets of jaws and depth bar slide along a ruler body, calcu-
lating the distance as it slides along the body. The big jaws
are used to measure the outside distance, the smaller jaws
for the inside distance, and the depth bar for the depth of
the part. These calipers are designed to measure distances
accurate to .0005 in or .01 mm.1 Since the calipers are digital
they feature a digital screen on the sliding body of the jaws
that will display the measurement. This digital system can
also save the measurements being taken and can then be
uploaded to a computer for to use and analyze. All but the
digital screen hardware is high carbon steel.1

Figure 1 1
Uses/Applications:
Digital Calipers are used for any situation where very
accurate and precise measurements need to be taken. They
can be used in biology, engineering, manufacturing, or even
DIY home projects.
 The Breakdown
Digital calipers are measuring instruments take mea-
surements with great accuracy. The usual set of digital cali-
pers features a 12 inch rule with two sets of jaws (and upper
and lower set), depth bar, and a digital screen. In this section
will be a layout of the different parts of a set of standard dig-
ital calipers and their description. Only a basic knowledge in
taking measurements is needed to understand what is dis-
cussed in this section.

Parts:
The standard set of digital calipers has a unique
group of parts that make it a very accurate and useful tool
for measuring. The parts that will be discussed are listed as
follows:
Ruler Body
Lower Jaws
Upper Jaws
Digital Screen
Depth Bar (outside of Figure)

Ruler Body: Figure 2 1

The ruler body is what all the parts of the calipers are
attached to. This body features a slide that has attached to
it the digital screen, depth bar, and one jaw from each set
of jaws. The two other jaws are attached to the fixed part of
the body.

Lower Jaws:
The lower jaws (large jaws) are used to measure the
outside distance. These jaws are made of the same steel
and are longer to fit around the outside of the piece you are
measuring. One jaw is fixed while the other is attached, un-
derneath the screen, to the slider to take the measurements.

Figure 31
Upper Jaws:
The upper jaws (small jaws) are used to measure the
inside distance. These jaws are shorter and thinner to easily
fit inside the piece you need to measure. One of the jaws is
fixed right above the fixed lower jaw, and the other is at-
tached, above the screen, to the slider to take the measure-
ments.

Figure 41
Digital Screen:
The digital screen displays the measurements. It has
three buttons all located on its face, the ON/OFF button, the
MM/IN button, and the ZERO button. It also has a locking
pin located on the top of the screen. It features a small
encoder inside it that is used to take the measurement as it
slides along the main ruler body.1

Figure 51

Depth Bar:
The Depth bar is attached to the slider and extends
out the end of the calipers. This bar is used to measure the
depth of the piece you need to measure.

Figure 61
 Using Digital Calipers
With these procedures, you will learn how to operate
the several different functions of digital calipers. These func-
tions include measuring inner and outer distances, measur-
ing depth, and using the digital display.

Required:
You will only need the digital calipers and the piece
you are going to measure
A basic knowledge in units and taking measurements

Preparing to Take Measurements:

1. Push the ON/OFF button to turn the digital calipers
on. (Figure 7)
2. Push the mm/in button to set desired units. (Figure 7)
3. Slide the jaws until they are closed.
4. Push the ZERO button to set the current position to
zero unit. (Figure 7)

Figure 71
Measuring the Inside Distance:
1. Put the upper jaws (small jaws) inside the two
surfaces of the piece you want to measure. (Figure 8)
2. Slide the jaws apart until the fit snug against the two
surfaces. (Figure 8)
3. Read the measurement directly from the screen.

Figure 81

Measuring the Outside Distance:

1. Slide the lower jaws (large jaws) apart until they can
fit around the piece.(Figure 9)
2. Close the jaws until both jaws are snug against the
piece. (Figure 9)
3. Read the measurement directly from the screen.

Figure 91
Measuring the Depth:
1. Slide the depth bar out of the calipers.
2. Place the depth bar in the piece you want to measure
until it has reached the bottom of the piece.
(Figure 10)

Figure 101
3. While keeping the depth bar at the bottom of the
piece, slide the shaft of the calipers down until it rests
flat on the piece. (Figure 11)
4. Read the measurement directly from the screen.

Figure 111
 End Notes
1. Digital Calipers, Micrometers, Gauges, Indicators Online - Tres
na. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://
www.tresnainstrument.com/