saitek P2900 wireless controller programming

[Wolfesmetalfab]

Ive got a gamepad that I am using for lining up to cut parts for plasma, and i have got alot of buttons working, but I would like to be able to zero x and y from the program run tab in mach. how would I go about doing this because there is no keyboard shortcut for those commands?

Thanks
Brian =)

[Biggles]

Hey Brian. THe process is quite easy. First you use Screen4 and edit the buttons for zeroing the X,Y or Z. Give the Zeroing Buttons shortcut keys. Then you use Key Grabber and assign those same shortcut keys to the different buttons on your controller.

With setup, I zero all three axis and then run the GCode. Handy to have is to assign the Esc button to one of your buttons that way you can stop the machine no matter where you are in the shop.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Barry

[Wolfesmetalfab]

I will have to give that a try. I already have the stop and feedhold buttons on the controller and have used them several times! I had been running back and forth for zeroing since i started, cause I had no replies, but If this works, you just saved me alot of trips! =)

I almost forgot I wanted to do this, its been so long, i kinda got used to it!

[Biggles]

I hope all goes well. I would love to have a wireless controller, but I'm having to use my Microsoft Joystick and a long USB extension cable. I have tried to use a PS3 wireless controller, but it only works via a USB cable for now. Apparently its bluetooth so maybe if I can lay my hands on a bluetooth network adapter it might work.

For now I do a lot of Router work and my workshop practices have always been about jigs. The beautiful thing about these CNC machines is that you only need to clamp the work pliece in place and then the machine does anything you want.

All the best

[Wolfesmetalfab]

What is "screen 4" that you speak of? I tried to edit the buttons using the option in the menu, some buttons start flashing as if those you can edit, but the zero x y and z are not??

[Biggles]

Hi, the Screen4 program is a screen editor for Mach3 that you can download form www.machsupport.com. http://www.machsupport.com/downloads/Screen4.zip

It is a screen designer program that allows you to make your own screen sets or modify the ones you have. I use it to do all my custom cutting as it allows you to use VB scripting as well.

When you've downloaded it and opened it up, you can open the screen set you are using and modify it. You are most probably using 1024.set as your screen set. I've saved the program in my Mach3 folder to simply usage. Open the program and then choose open file. Select 1024.set and it will open on the screen set you use. I'm assuming this is the one you are using. For safety sake you can copy 1024.set to a new file and then use that one. So if you make any mistakes or changes and want to change back, you don't have to reinstall Mach3.

With the 1024.set file open you will see some numbers counting up. Don't worry about that. What you want to do is find the zeroing buttons for X,Y and Z. Right mouse click on the first one and then you will see a small option window open with "Use Hotkey" as an option. If its already ticked and you don't know what the shortcut key is, you can untick it and retick again. When it asks you to set the key you type the Shortcut you would normally use Ctrl-X is my shortcut for zeroing the X Axis. You assign a shortcut for all three axis and for Ref All Home. Now save and close the file. Make sure your joystick is plugged in and go to Windows Start ->Control Panel->Game Controllers. There you will see you controller if its plugged in. If its not. Close the game control panel and plug in the controller and then reopen game controllers. Choose your game controller and test it. Map the buttons on your controller to a list so you know which button is which. You can then open the file in the Mach3 folder called Key Grabber. Select you controller and enable it. Then one of the tabs you'll see will aloow you to assign shortcut keys to the controller buttons. For Button 11 you might assign the Esc button. For the other buttons you might assign the zeroing shortcuts, jog mode etc etc.

Save your Key Grabber configuration file so that you can reuse your settings. Now load Mach3.

Sometimes I write small G-Code files to do small jobs I need repeated. I wanted to make a bunch of counter sunk holes in the new reduction drives I built for my CNC Router, but I didn't want to spend 10 years aligning and moving things. So I wrote a small program that made the counter sink holes.

The G-Code doesn't use G54 or any special commands. I just used the controlled to move my router into position then Ref All Home, Zero X,Y and Z and then pressed another button on the controller to start the GCode.

If you play a little with the screen designer and VB you can write all kinds of neat little tools to make pockets and profiles etc. I made a rather nice one which cuts tenons for mortise and tenon joints. with a little imagination, anything is possible.

I hope this helped.

All the best

[Wolfesmetalfab]

Sweet, I must have missed your reply a long time ago, i tried out screen 4, and was able to make shortcuts for zeroing x,y and z, and copied the ref z button to the main screen, and made a hotkey for it by double clicking the button. (took me awhile to figure out, cause all the others were just single click)

[Big-tex]

Most wireless controllers have power save, they will shut off when machine is running.

[Wolfesmetalfab]

Yes mine does have power save, but if it shuts off while the machine is running, its not a problem, the comands have already been given, and to turn it back on, i just have to hit any button, and it will come back on.