ShuttlePro Installation Cookbook

[zeeway]

After using a Xbox controller for quite a while as a pendant, I decided that a ShuttlePro would offer more options for remote control of my machine. After some research, and some false starts I was able to install my ShuttlePro and it does look like it will make my CNC easier to use. For reference, I am using Mach 3 (Blue Screen) on a Windows 7 computer. So, if you want to install a ShuttlePro with minimum hassle and are willing to accept the choices I made, here is a detailed list of steps:

1. Buy a new ShuttlePro from Ebay – mine cost $56 including freight. I would suggest you avoid used ones, as you would not be sure what you are getting.
2. Go to machsupport.com and download the instructions and the plug-in for the ShuttlePro. These instructions included a way to check to make sure the ShuttlePro was working correctly – decided to skip this step to see what would happen, and it was okay (remember I bought a new one).
3. After a bit of fussing around, I decided on the target layout as shown here:

4. That’s when I figured out I needed to also download PoppaBear’s expanded plugin that allowed use of more macros, so here is the ref:
New PlugIn just about done... It is reply#95 and the file is ShuttlePro2.zip.
5. You can configure many of the buttons right off of the choices provided by the plugin. In Mach 3, click on Configure, Configure Plugins, ShuttlePro (Config), and make the choices for the button layout. The choices I made are shown here:

6. As you can see, for several you need to configure custom macros – that is not as difficult as you might think.
7. For example, the top right button is for zeroing the z axis to a grounded plate. So in Mach 3, I clicked on Operator and then Edit Button Script and then I clicked on the Z down arrow on the Mach 3 blue screen (lower right side). I then clicked on File, and the Save As, and then I entered M650.m1s, and saved it to Mach3, Macros, and the subdirectory that is named for your machine’s XML file.
8. Then in Mach 3, I clicked on Configure, Plugins, ShuttlePro (Config); and for the top right button I chose Custom Macro #1, from the available choices. Then in the box for Custom Macros #1, I entered 650. Get the idea?
9. I did the same sequence for the Laser Zero button and the Ref All Home button; in my case, Laser Zero became M651.m1s, and Ref All Home became M658.m1s.
10. Then, I made some truly custom macros – in looking back, one or two of these may have been available as choices from the plugin, but I didn’t figure that out until afterwards. Oh well. Guess I cannot attach these as m1s files. I will try to attach these as txt files. You can copy these into the same target directory mentioned above (Mach3, Macros, and the subdirectory that is named for your machine’s XML file), and then change them to an extension of .m1s. Then, you should be good to go.
11. Enjoy.
M653.txt
M654.txt
M656.txt
M657.txt
M658.txt
M655.txt

[zeeway]

And here's the button layout I used: