Xbox controller install on Mach3

[zeeway]

Installing an Xbox360 controller as a pendant controller for my CNC router was actually easier than I thought it would be. That’s because Lee Davis has written an awesome plug-in for Mach3. Thanks, Lee.

Here were my steps:

1. Buy new, USB wired Xbox 360 controller from Ebay ($25 delivered).
2. Go to the machsoft website, download section at http://www.machsupport.com/plugins.php, scroll down…and download the plugin and guide for the Xbox 360 controller.
3. Read the guide document you just downloaded. It will direct you to the Microsoft site to download the driver for the Xbox: Xbox 360_32End.exe. After you have downloaded the file, click on it to execute the file.
4. Now plug in the Xbox controller to a USB port on your computer. Your computer should pop up a couple of messages indicating it has recognized a USB device. It should also light up one quadrant of the Xbox button (big one, center of top with an "x" on it), showing all is well.
5. Start Mach3, and click on Config/Config Plugins. You should see a line for Xbox 360. Click on the red “x” beside the Xbox 360 to turn it into a green check mark. Then click on the yellow highlighted “CONFIG” in the same line. (If you do not see this plugin, go back to where you saved the downloaded plugin file, and click on it).
6. You will now see a picture of an Xbox controller with drop down boxes for each button showing your choices. Click on each choice. Here are the choices I made:


7. The only tricky part was putting in a macro for the Green Button which I wanted to Goto Z=0. Reading the guide, it said to use the Notepad to write the macro. In my case, I just had one line:
Code “G00 Z0”. I saved the file per Lee’s suggestion as M798.m1s. Then, here’s the part that drove me a little crazy. You have to save that file inside of Mach 3 in the Macros folder, inside the subfolder that has the same name as the xml file you are using. So if your xml file is billsmachine.xml, inside the Macros folder of Mach3, you will find a subfolder named billsmachine. That’s where you save the macro M798.m1s. If you look around that folder, you can see other macros with somewhat similar names. In the CONFIG screen you insert 798 in the Custom Macro#1 box on the left side of the screen, and then for the green button drop down box, you select Custom Macro #1.
8. With your Xbox controller plugged into a USB port, shut down Mach3 and then restart it, and you should be in business with a working pendant controller for $25 and about 45 minutes of your time invested. This should save me from wiping out another keyboard from dust. Thanks again to Lee Davis.

[rwestbr]

Thanks for the info!!!! Works GREAT!!!LUV IT, much better than the joystick option (only controls 2 axis)

Robert

[Brian Corwin]

Has anyone tried/ had success using this method with a wireless xbox controller?

Might be a nice addition.

B

[SatanKlawz]

Originally Posted by Brian Corwin Has anyone tried/ had success using this method with a wireless xbox controller? Might be a nice addition. B

I as well am very interested in the wireless option....

[Phife]

Originally Posted by Brian Corwin Has anyone tried/ had success using this method with a wireless xbox controller? Might be a nice addition. B

Ive been using my wireless xbox controller just fine for the last several months. Gone through a few batteries already.

Only issue is that the wireless controller powers down after 15mins of no use so you have to power it back up again when you want to use it. Mach3 doesnt see this power down/up so it doesnt care either way.

[SatanKlawz]

Originally Posted by Phife Ive been using my wireless xbox controller just fine for the last several months. Gone through a few batteries already. Only issue is that the wireless controller powers down after 15mins of no use so you have to power it back up again when you want to use it. Mach3 doesnt see this power down/up so it doesnt care either way.

Whats the setup process for the wireless controller?

[Phife]

Originally Posted by SatanKlawz Whats the setup process for the wireless controller?

Same as the wired controller, In the mach3 xbox plugin settings is a selector that allows you to choose between wired and wireless.

[SatanKlawz]

Originally Posted by Phife Same as the wired controller, In the mach3 xbox plugin settings is a selector that allows you to choose between wired and wireless.

Ok, I did some searching last night and it looks like it is the exact same except you have to buy the wireless controller AND the wireless adapter for your PC. Either way I will be going wireless. IS this just an xbox controller or is it a xbox 360 controller or are they the same?

[RC-Archer]

No, They're not the same. You must get the Xbox 360 controller. I just tried to hook up an older Xbox controller and it didn't work.

Maybe there is another way to make the older xbox controller work..

[WayneHill]

My CNC router has a new wired XboX 360 controller. My reference was this thread. I thought long and hard about using a wireless. The practical wired factor won out over having glitches with a dead batteries.

[rchacich]

I have played with the Xbox 360 controller and Mach 3 so I wanted to share my findings. I purchased a clone controller from Walmart for $25, and it worked fine. They also had a $15 dollar model, but I didn't try that one. I then wanted to go wireless. You need to purchase the wireless Xbox 360 PC package in order to get the USB wireless receiver. A white version can be purchased from Best Buy for $65. Once you have the receiver, any wireless Xbox controller will work. I wanted a black wireless controller, so I returned the white one and bought a black one and the receiver off of an Ebay ad. You can find new wireless recievers being sold on Ebay, but I could not find any sources locally.
The wireless controller will shut itself off after a certain length of time, otherwise you can pop out the batteries and pop back in to shut it off immediately. Even when the controller is off, some will still drain the batteries slowly. I read some blogs and others are having the same problem as me. If I leave the batteries in overnight, they will be dead the next day. I am now looking at getting the rechargeable batteries and the charging base.
Wireless is cool, but I would suggest looking at the total cost before you decide which way to go. I thought I could just buy a $50 wireless version of the controller, but there is much more to it than that.
The set-up and programming was straight forward.

[SatanKlawz]

Just picked up a genuine wireless xbox 360 controller for $35. now I need the pc adapter.