Author Topic: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please  (Read 8007 times)

Offline awemawson

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Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« on: October 10, 2016, 05:18:53 PM »
I'm looking to source a robust Jog Pendant for MACH3 - anyone know of any good ones on the market ?

I just need +/- X ,+/- Y , and +/- Z to replicate the keys on the keyboard.

Wireless preferably, or USB
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline PK

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2016, 06:11:44 PM »
We have had two pendants. The first was one of these: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CNC-Mach3-Wireless-MPG-Pendant-Electronic-Handwheel-Handwheel-Remote-Controller-/252472100963?hash=item3ac8828863:g:0okAAOSwhMFXkyCg

And it was deadly! Every now and then the spindle would just start!!!!!  Wireless range was terrible. The jog wheel was exactly like pressing the arrow keys on the keyboard (hard to explain why this is bad to someone who hasn't used a good MPG).

Now we have one of these:http://www.vistacnc.com/b08_pendant_P2/pendant_p2-S.htm
and it's fantastic. The MPG gives really good control and you can set up and start the whole job from anywhere around the machine.

For a larger machine, consider getting the E-Stop relay adapter that gives you a set of contacts in your control cabinet that can kill power to drives etc....

PK

Offline raynerd

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2016, 06:42:09 PM »
Andrew, sorry if I'm way off the mark as you are way more clued up about this stuff than me, but is an Xbox controller no use. I use one and I am sure PhilF uses one as well. Just a thought.

Offline philf

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2016, 03:41:47 AM »
Andrew, sorry if I'm way off the mark as you are way more clued up about this stuff than me, but is an Xbox controller no use. I use one and I am sure PhilF uses one as well. Just a thought.

I do use an Xbox controller with no problems. I've got mine configured with X, Y, Z & A as well as Start, EStop, Auto Z height, Spindle On/Off. Beware non-genuine controllers. My first one looked the part but would give random movements after a few months use. I've had no problems at all with my genuine Microsoft controller.

I also use another device for very fine movements e.g. when using a wobbler to find a datum. It's a video editing device and has a wheel which replicates a dial on a machine except that you can change the resolution for fast or fine movements. Mine is a Contour Shuttle XPress.

Mach3 provide a plug-in for both.

Both mine are USB. I didn't like the idea of wireless as it's best to have as little as possible other than Mach3 running on the PC.

Cheers.

Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2016, 09:31:38 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions chaps. Never actually seen an X-Box in real life - are they workshop-robust? Do they emulate a keyboard or how do they integrate?
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline philf

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2016, 09:49:38 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions chaps. Never actually seen an X-Box in real life - are they workshop-robust? Do they emulate a keyboard or how do they integrate?

Andrew - it depends how robust you need it to be. I've dropped mine a few times and it's still OK but I've never tried spraying it with coolant or swarf.

Have a look at this video which explains how to install and configure:



Phil.
Phil Fern
Location: Marple, Cheshire

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2016, 11:02:41 AM »
Thanks for that Phil - a very informative video  :thumbup:

This is for a plasma table, so sparks are flying everywhere and mainly down my neck  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #7 on: October 28, 2016, 01:24:28 PM »
As a temporary fix I ordered this from China for the princely sum of £3.89 including postage

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222200675479?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Just unpacked it and I suspect it'll be good for a while. Totally sealed rubber membrane over the keys, and although I've not tried it on the MACH3 machine yet I don't see why it shouldn't work, as it does plugged into my laptop. Win7 loaded drivers for it happily without my intervention.

The USB cable is very thin and rather short - hopefully if I can find my USB extender then I can use this for jogging the plasma torch about, slightly remote from the PC
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #8 on: October 29, 2016, 11:28:58 AM »
Pleased to report that it works splendidly under MACH3 - so I just need to extend it's USB cable to a sensible length for wandering and I can then jog the plasma cutter anywhere I like and be close enough to see it's in the right place (this plasma table has a 1.5 metre square cutting area)

Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2017, 03:33:52 PM »
Although the wired keypad worked ok, I replaced it with a wireless usb one illustrated below and it's excellent. Only about £9 including postage  :bugeye:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline fatal-exception

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #10 on: April 28, 2017, 05:33:39 PM »
I still use the Contour Shuttle Pro. Unfortunately they are still pretty expensive, even though they are 'old technology'.  :thumbup:

I also bought a Vista CNC pendant a few years ago and it worked alright to start, but I noticed glitches in the machine performance every once in awhile, certainly not what you want with doing hours of v carving. The only thing I had changed was the pendant, so I went back to the Shuttle Pro and the glitches went away. The Vista pendant didn't operate the machine very smoothly anyways.

After upgrading from an old dell with lpt port to a new laptop with Win10 and POKeys, the shuttle was not recognized by windows and I was unable to use it. Out came the Vista pendant again, which also needed a firmware upgrade to work under win10. For the life of me I was unable to put it in boot loader mode on any of my computers. It now resides in the local landfill. I bought an upgraded Contour Pro and am back in business. It was a rough couple of weeks without a pendant... 

Offline awemawson

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Re: Recommend a Jog Pendant for MACH3 please
« Reply #11 on: April 28, 2017, 05:39:36 PM »
I'm still very impressed with that little Chinese numeric pad - I know it will eventually fall foul of sparks from the CNC Plasma cutter, and in fact I have a spare on order awaiting that eventuality  :thumbup:

(after all they are cheap as chips - £8.95 my latest one ! )

Not to plan is to plan to fail  :lol:
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex