Dewalt gyroscope screwdriver

[Stuey]

New review: http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-gyroscopic-screwdriver-review/

http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-8v-gyro-screwdriver-dcf680/

Dewalt's coming out with a new gyroscope-controlled cordless screwdriver, uses a new 8V li-ion battery pack.

More info via above link, but all you really need to know is that it's a twist-controlled adjustable handle driver.

Yay or Nay?

I say Yay. Yes, it sounds kind of gimmicky, but the tech worked quite well in B&D's 4V Gyro driver (my review here), and I have little doubt this one will work even better.

Price is under $100, but barely.

 

[TheGrooveking]

Thanks for posting, cool technology and since it can go straight (180 degrees) it will make it great for those super tight areas where trying to change directions can be a pain in the ***.

TheGrooveking

 

[Stuey]

Thanks for posting, cool technology and since it can go straight (180 degrees) it will make it great for those super tight areas where trying to change directions can be a pain in the ***.

TheGrooveking

I think most if not all other brands' 7.2V screwdrivers have pivoting handles as well, so that part isn't really new. This one kind of rotates, I think, possibly to make it more compact.

I'm very optimistic, but a little hesitant. The Gyro was a lot smaller and worked pretty well, but I'm not convinced this geometry will be as comfortable to twist and operate.

 

[TheGrooveking]

I'm wondering if they are trying to preempt Milwaukee's M4 screwdriver.

TheGrooveking

 

[Stuey]

I'm wondering if they are trying to preempt Milwaukee's M4 screwdriver.

TheGrooveking

Possibly, but I don't think so. Manufacturers tend to be inspired by each other, but I think that there are enough differences between the products that there will be non-overlapping target audiences.

 

[Mandres]

I just don't understand what advantages a gyroscope-controlled motor bring? Seems like I'd much rather use a switch or a trigger than have to turn my wrist a certain way.

 

[Stuey]

I just don't understand what advantages a gyroscope-controlled motor bring? Seems like I'd much rather use a switch or a trigger than have to turn my wrist a certain way.

Good question. I plan on squeezing an official answer out of Dewalt, but my feeling is that the gyroscope helps make the tool smaller and more compact.

If you notice, the handle's pivot is not a knee-joint, it's an angled swivel.

If that's not the reason, then I'm out of guesses.

 

[Greatbear]

The gyro is a practical way to have a directly controllable variable speed. Triggers can't always be operated cleanly in certain positions. DeWalt did it well with the DW920 7.2V, but that driver was a bit more bulky. I bought the B&D Gyro driver on a whim, and found the gyro control handy and intuitive once I got the knack of it. I'd buy this to replace my old 920, which has been mostly retired.

 

[Givl Reggin]

Dewalt's coming out with a new gyroscope-controlled cordless screwdriver

Okay. So this thing has a gyroscope inside of it? You push the trigger and it spins up, provides a stabilized attitude? In an attempt to keep the tip aligned with the screw? Then spins down when you release the trigger?

What happens when you want to change orientation while it's running? Do you have to let it spin down first?

A spinning gyroscope has a lot of mass that needs to be kept in motion and would seem to eat batteries?

Looks like the target audience is along the lines of another father's day//birthday gift idea for those that don't know any better!

 

[nowlan]

when i read gyro, i imagined a fly wheel inside.
greatbear makes it sound like an accelerometer, like tilting your mobile phone.

 

[Stuey]

Okay. So this thing has a gyroscope inside of it? You push the trigger and it spins up, provides a stabilized attitude? In an attempt to keep the tip aligned with the screw? Then spins down when you release the trigger?

What happens when you want to change orientation while it's running? Do you have to let it spin down first?

A spinning gyroscope has a lot of mass that needs to be kept in motion and would seem to eat batteries?

Looks like the target audience is along the lines of another father's day//birthday gift idea for those that don't know any better!

Modern gyros are packaged on teeny tiny IC chips and operate differently than what you're thinking of. They're little black boxes with micro circuitry that can sense rotational motion while consuming very little power. I have a good grasp of how they work, but not strong enough where I can explain it well enough.

 

[Givl Reggin]

I see - it's a microelectromechanical system gyroscope - doesn't provide any stabilization, just shows what direction you're pointed in... honestly I can't see how/why anyone would want that in a screwdriver, but maybe I don't understand how it's being used.

 

[Stuey]

I see - it's a microelectromechanical system gyroscope - doesn't provide any stabilization, just shows what direction you're pointed in... honestly I can't see how/why anyone would want that in a screwdriver, but maybe I don't understand how it's being used.

I made a video about how the Black & Decker 4V Gyro gyroscopic motion-controlled driver works.

Basically you twist the driver clockwise or counterclockwise instead of toggling a reverse switch and squeezing the trigger.

As yo why, I think it's to make the tool more compact, but it could also be to improve control over the speed range.

 

[Greatbear]

The "gyros" in these tools, as well as cell phones, game controllers, digital torque-angle wrenches, etc are not mechanical in the spinning-flywheel sense, there are no moving parts. They aren't full absolute positional sensing like the aerospace gyros most are familiar with. These are rate-based devices that have a fixed mass inside (albeit very small) which is held in place with strain-gage devices similar to those used by electronic scales, torque wrenches, etc. The devices respond to motion via the inertia of the small mass resisting changes in position and motion, outputting an electrical signal in proportion to the change of position or motion. Additional electronics amplify and scale the signal, these signals are sent to a digital signal processor that interprets the signal changes and calculate the relative position of the device. The process seems very complex, but it is very straightforward and repeatable. These "gyro" sensors can be used to determine relative position (one arbitrary position to another), and they can also determine absolute position via gravity. The mass is always being pulled by gravity, and the processing can be used to read this as well. Most modern "digital" electronic levels and angle finders (like a Wixey angle cube) use a solid state gyro as their active sensor.

Another form of nonmoving gyro sensor uses a pair of equal-length fiber optic cables wrapped around a cylindrical form with a common pulsed light source (a laser) feeding each cable, and a separate receiver (photodiode) on the opposite ends. Like the solid state device, the output of these photodiodes are sent to signal processors. Each pulse sent through the cables hits the receivers at the same time. It turns out that if you spin the cylinder on the same axis as the cables are wound, the light arriving at the receivers at different times due to Doppler shifting. You need three such cylinders to make a full positional, three axis gyro.

The optical gyros are far too large and unnecessary for your average cell phone or gyro screwdriver. but work wonders in aerospace applications. They are also not sensitive to gravity, making them true inertia devices.

 

[Mohawk Dave]

I guess I'd have to use one to really get a well rounded understanding. B/C right now, I'm hearing "more compact" but I'm seeing that you must rotate the entire tool. How would that work if you're in a tight area?

Your finger is already where a trigger could/would be, and if it was there you would not need to rotate the entire tool.

 

[Givl Reggin]

I'm going to hold off purchasing one until they make one that can read brain waves - a thought controlled screwdriver; it's what everybody's been asking for!

 

[Stuey]

Review went up today: http://toolguyd.com/dewalt-gyroscopic-screwdriver-review/

It took longer to get used to the design than I thought would take, especially given how it only took me 30 seconds to adapt to the smaller B&D version.

I don't think this is a tool I would use heavily, but I do think a lot of installers and technicians might grow to love it.

 

[theknurl]

no thanks, more electronic tomfoolery

the only battery powered tools I own are flashlights......
and vibrators for the girls

my tools are corded electric, pneumatic, hydraulic or manual
they will all outlive me

 

[TomB19]

I just don't understand what advantages a gyroscope-controlled motor bring? Seems like I'd much rather use a switch or a trigger than have to turn my wrist a certain way.

The gyroscope allows for variable speed and torque. The Black & Decker Gyro works very smoothly. I like it a lot. My only complaint about the Gyro is it is too slow.

After using the Gyro, it would be tough to go back to something like the M4 Milwaukee with a switch. I'm a big Milwaukee fan but I will be going with the DeWalt DCF680 the next time I see it on sale.

 

[TomB19]

I just don't understand what advantages a gyroscope-controlled motor bring? Seems like I'd much rather use a switch or a trigger than have to turn my wrist a certain way.

I've never seen anyone explain this properly. I've been using a B&D Gyro for a couple of years so I'll take a shot.

There are two primary advantages and they let the tool do work that would normally be only suitable for hand tools. I don't have the DeWalt gyro offering but I have a few B&D Gyros and like them very much.

First, the gyro is variable speed. Every other one or two cell screwdriver that I've seen has on/off switching.

Second, the feedback is incredible. You can feel exactly how much resistance the fastener is providing. It's better than any tool with an on/off switch and just as good as a manual screwdriver, IMO.

When more torque is required, that causes the operator's wrist to twist slightly, reducing torque. It's a bit of a safety feature. It will default to slowing/stopping, instead of ramming a fastener in and damaging threads. This is why I wonder if the concerns about the DCF682's lack of a clutch are valid. I don't have mine yet but I suspect it will be fine without a clutch. The B&D Gyro is.

This makes the tool useful for jobs other power drivers are not. I have no issue using a Gyro to start machine screws in electronic equipment. If it starts to cross-thread, I can feel it just as easily as with a manual driver. If I want to back it up until I hear the thread "click" and then go forward, that is effortless with a Gyro. That ain't happening with an on/off switch. I would ruin a lot of electronic equipment if I started chassis screws with a traditional driver.

I would have no concerns about driving a screw into particle board or MDF, using this style of driver but I wouldn't dream of using an impact driver for the same job.

The Gyro isn't for everyone. It's weird. Outwardly, it appears to be for the Wii generation. Perhaps this is the case. Also, there have been lots of negative comments on the palm switch of B&D's offering. I share that perspective. It could be better. My other issue with the Gyro is it's too slow. DeWalt appears to have improved the two weaknesses of the Gyro with their products.

 

[Fretters]

I'm going to hold off purchasing one until they make one that can read brain waves - a thought controlled screwdriver; it's what everybody's been asking for!

If they ever made thought controlled tools, hospital A&E dept's would be inundated with tools being removed from orifices and body parts. How many times have you mentally thought that you could suggest exactly where someone ought some tool they're farting about or creating hassle with?

 

[Vvmvbb]

Don't forget the sensor is a chip. It's likely to be less expensive to make than an electromechanical variable speed trigger. I wonder if they integrated the sensing features into a chip that's already in the drill in which case the trigger just became free.

Should be more reliable too, though really doesn't need to be.

 

[JefeJulioElGringoJudio]

I love mine. Great for electrician or low voltage data installing receptacles & face plates. Drill holes all day long in wood & drywall.

Ask anybody, "Do you know how to work a screwdriver?", then hand them yours. Nobody has a clue. Many just give up saying its broke. The look on their face when you take their hand and rotate it is amusing.

"They" took away my Man Card when I had to read the instructions. I thought mine was NIB broken. Simply twisting your wrist is hardly intuitively obvious to the most casual observer.

I almost stole one from an FBI agent when I installed a security system in his home. He saw mine, then bought one for himself before I finished wiring his house. I picked it up his, thinking it was mine.

I keep a couple batteries charged. The 8V LED light is bright and fits between my teeth when both hands are occupied.

 

[Al Borland]

"More Cowbells!"