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View Full Version : CNC Pendant with 100 MPG



Lee Roberts
25-02-2009, 08:46 PM
Just found this via kipper: http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110345509181&ih=001&category=633

Surly we can make these for allot less ? is there anything special inside these i may not know about ?

Zapp also wants: http://www.slidesandballscrews.com/ismm1468-p-177.html?cPath=65&osCsid=c0fd22b0981c103ec12708d04a19410a

So all that is really needed is a nice case to mount the hand wheel and switches in or is there somthing special inside these units ?

Smiler
25-02-2009, 09:26 PM
Just found this via kipper: http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110345509181&ih=001&category=633

Surly we can make these for allot less ? is there anything special inside these i may not know about ?

Zapp also wants: http://www.slidesandballscrews.com/ismm1468-p-177.html?cPath=65&osCsid=c0fd22b0981c103ec12708d04a19410a

So all that is really needed is a nice case to mount the hand wheel and switches in or is there somthing special inside these units ?

That's like mine!!.

Nothing special at all Lee. They wire direct to your BOB (+5v, GND, and two inputs) then tell Mach which inputs and that it is an MPG, simple as that. The only problem comes if you are running out of ports on your BOB in which case you could just add a second parallel port and a BOB for a few quid. You will also need a couple of switches to tell Mach which axis is selected. I've modded mine with extra switches for cycle start, stop, Step or continuous jog by using the wires from the 5th and 6th axis inside the case (which I will never use)

Probably be able to make one for less than 70 quid all in, maybe even less.

Got to say that the one I have is very well built and works beautifully.

Jeff

Lee Roberts
26-02-2009, 01:02 AM
ok thanks for that Jeff, i just wanted to know because they seem like high prices for what they really are.

I was pointed to these the other day: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ShuttlePro2-CONTOUR-DESIGN-ShuttlePro-2-Shuttle-Pro-New_W0QQitemZ270288548673QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPCA_Mi ce_Trackballs?hash=item270288548673

Seems like a better price to me, although a small ali box with everything mounted to it would also do the job, would also be handy for later expansion as well if it was a "home-brew" device. :beer:

EDIT: i think kip said he's got one of these, they do a smaller version as well. Here is a vid of this one being used:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc-9gTFj-y4

Smiler
26-02-2009, 07:14 PM
Hi Lee,

That's a Shuttle Pro, MAch has a plugin for it. I did consider it as It works very well so I'm told. I went for a pendant because I wanted to keep my USB port free as possible to avoid any issues with the SmoothStepper. I'd noticed a couple of times I had missed steps when I'd tried the XBOX360 controller on the same USB port.

I do know the Shuttle has two rings which you can set up for continuous jog on say, the outer and step on the inner, plus you have all those configurable buttons ready to go :p

Let's have the SP from Kip! Not seen him on here for a wee while.

Regards, Jeff.

Smiler
26-02-2009, 11:37 PM
On the subject of making one, one could probably design a simple circuit with a PIC and some quad bi lateral switches to enable for the switching of the various signals, a circuit board could then easily be designed with smd components, it could be milled to a shape, and then a case milled from plastic to the same shape and voila, you have a pendant.

How do these things work? Are they just pulling certain input pins to the parallel port high (or low)?

Regards

Can you have it ready by say, next weekend?:p

And, yes, I believe that is how they work.

Regards, Jeff.

Lee Roberts
04-03-2009, 07:09 AM
Check this out: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57759