Hello,
I am going to attempt to use a cheap USB gamepad as a hand pendant. I've read several threads where people have done similar things, but I'm looking for quick and easy.
Has anybody used just a cheap USB gamepad and a key mapping software to map (for example) the left button on the gamepad to the left arrow on the keyboard, etc., etc.? Then somehow mapped any of the buttons on the gamepad to the .001, .01 & .1 increments?

I was hoping to get a little encouragement before I wasted a few hours and $25.

Thanks,
Greg

If you are using Mach 3, I have a tutorial for Keygrabber (http://www.hossmachine.info/projects_2.html#control%20panel) that comes with it to assign
the keys to any button.
You can set them up to do pretty much anything you wish.
The Shuttle Pro and Xpress (http://retail.contourdesign.com/?/products/5) are cool too and can be used as an MPG. Cheap on Ebay.
Hoss

Another possibility would be to use an emulator such as GlovePIE. This can map the keys of any game pad and emulate the keys. So now the d-pad on a ps3/wiimote can be used to emulate the arrow keys and page up and down for jogging. You can check it out here. (http://carl.kenner.googlepages.com/glovepie)

I would also recommend the keygrabber that hoss mentioned if using Mach3 (great tutorial on his site for it)

Again if you are using Mach3 then look at the Xbox 360 controller.

It has a Mach3 plugin written specifically for it.

Greg

If using Mach3, Keygrabber and a logitech dual action gamepad plus a couple of hours = one honkin' machine addon.

Since key grabber allows for 4 different sets of controls/pages of controls, you can have a ton of options. I currently am only using one page, but will expand into the second one as I need more and more control.

Iy you are in fact using Mach3 and need more help, feel free to ask.

Mike

Yeah, i forgot to mention that I am using Mach 3.
Sounds like I'll be able to do exactly what I want. I'll give it a go this weekend and see how it turns out.
Thanks for all the input.

Alright, I got the logitech dual action controller, fired up key grabber, and everything is working PERFECTLY so far.
But I do have two questions that would save me a bit of time hunting if anybody here could be so kind.

1. Is there a button that could enable/disable the gamepad jogging? I'd hate to bump one of the sticks and crash my tool. I tried toggling the "jog on/off ctrl-alt-j" but that didn't do it.
2. Is there a quick mapping to make the d-pad be incremental jogging all the time? (meaning that the stick is always continuous jog and the d-pad is always incremental jog) I read that the x-box controller plug-in is set that way so I would assume it is possible.

thanks again for all the help.
-greg

Alright, I got the logitech dual action controller, fired up key grabber, and everything is working PERFECTLY so far.
But I do have two questions that would save me a bit of time hunting if anybody here could be so kind.

1. Is there a button that could enable/disable the gamepad jogging? I'd hate to bump one of the sticks and crash my tool. I tried toggling the "jog on/off ctrl-alt-j" but that didn't do it.
2. Is there a quick mapping to make the d-pad be incremental jogging all the time? (meaning that the stick is always continuous jog and the d-pad is always incremental jog) I read that the x-box controller plug-in is set that way so I would assume it is possible.

thanks again for all the help.
-greg

What I do is assign a button the shift keypress which enables the rapid jogging when your pressing the jog buttons. Otherwise you jog at the normal jog speed. Also I don't have my jogging assigned to sticks just pushbuttons. It's too easy to bump a stick and also to jog in the wrong direction. I have a cheapy gamepad that I use but the buttons tend to get stuck in the down position so I'm going to rip one of these apart and wire it up to normal pushbuttons. I want the axis jogging controls to be on-off-on rocker switches.

Rick

Alright, I got the logitech dual action controller, fired up key grabber, and everything is working PERFECTLY so far.
But I do have two questions that would save me a bit of time hunting if anybody here could be so kind.

1. Is there a button that could enable/disable the gamepad jogging? I'd hate to bump one of the sticks and crash my tool. I tried toggling the "jog on/off ctrl-alt-j" but that didn't do it.
2. Is there a quick mapping to make the d-pad be incremental jogging all the time? (meaning that the stick is always continuous jog and the d-pad is always incremental jog) I read that the x-box controller plug-in is set that way so I would assume it is possible.

thanks again for all the help.
-greg

1.I would have to check, but I thought that toggling the jog on/off would do it.

2. You can just set up a key to switch back and forth, but I don't know if there is a way to do what you want.

Did you get it setup so mach3 starts with keygrabber running all the time so the gamepad works at mach3 startup?

Spent a little more time on this project.
First, I did just add an incremental/continuous button for single step jogging by the d-pad (which for whatever reason it still allowed continuous jogging by the sticks). I tried adding a button to the Mach3 screen to single step for each direction, but it wouldn't allow "G91 G0 .001 G90" to single step, and the screen editor doesn't allow for two lines of G-code (to put the G90 on a second line). So I'm still screwing around with that idea.
Also, the jog on/off only turns on and off the jogging of the d-pad, not the sticks, so I'm still looking for an "enable/disable" game pad button.

All-in-all, the $25 gamepad and mapping of buttons will be very beneficial to me.

I have a wireless xbox 360 controller and the appropriate Mach3 plug-in. It's fun to hide outside of my shop and jog the machine when someone else is checking it out. Gives them a good scare!

I do use the controller for other things, too...

I picked up a Logitech Dual Action controller from eBay. It works great. You can download the 'profiler' from Logitech. I haven't had to use the 'profiler' because Keygrabber does everything I need so far. Makes it handy to use with other programs and games.

I'm using it with all the axis, feedrate increase/decrease, load g-code, cycle start, feedhold, and program rewind. I like it because most of what I do setting things up can be done with it in my left hand. I'll post some pictures later.

They have a ton of them (nearly 100) over there starting at around $11.00 with 'Buy it Now'. Quite a bit cheaper than the shuttle. Logitech Dual Action controllers on eBay (http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=4&pub=5574677228&toolid=10001&campid=5336330433&customid=&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%2Flogitech-dual-action_W0QQdfspZ3QQfromZR40QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ34QQsbrsrtZd).