moonlightprototype.com has a rather elaborate one that has been out a few years for Pathpilot.
Has anyone been able to complete a hand pendant using encoders for SSO and FRO. It would also need an Axis selection switch and MPG support.
I was never able to get the encoders to move the sliders . I could however adjust the FRO and SSO . The encoder was simple but I do need teh Axis selector switch to go along with teh MPG..
(;-) TP
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moonlightprototype.com has a rather elaborate one that has been out a few years for Pathpilot.
mike sr
Wow, those Moonlight pendants are a huge step up from stock. I REALLY don't love the one that came with the Tormach and I don't know if there is something wrong with mine, but there seems to be a lag when hitting the different axis' and it actually changing. Out of habit I just press the axis button I want numerous times to make sure it switches. Maybe I'm a cheap b@stard, but I just can't get myself to pay $300+ for these (if they were even available) when Amazon has the stock ones for $60.
I don't know why but I assumed and CNC pendant would work for a CNC machine. Are the limitations based on the machines control program? (not the controller's OS, but say Mach vesus PP)
The ones I am accustomed to are hard wired directly to the Controller and are not rs232 or USB interfaced . That makes it unique to the controller. It also tends to make it more responsive.
(;-) TP
The delayed reaction of the Tormach pendant axis buttons is entirely due to their PathPilot implementation. A USB interface is more than fast enough to handle a simple button press (compare with a USB keyboard).
I never watch the GUI when jogging anyway. Besides improving the reaction time I simply added a "beep" each time the selected axis changes. I react automatically when I press a button and I don't hear the beep.
Step
HI Step , A while back you had an example of using encoders to do FRO and SSO. Do you still use that setup or have you gone to another pendant ?? Would you be willing to share the code to run the encoders ?? I am working on a new hand pendant for the PP controllers we have here. I prefer that they are direct wired into the contoller and not be usb or serial. The machines use Mesa 7i80 boards and have plenty of available i/o . I can devote 1 entire port to a pendant if needed. IF you have any ideas I am listening.
MPG
SSO
FRO
Axis selection for MPG
??
??
(;-) TP
And every time I look at the site they are 'sold out'. Have been for years. No indication of how to get on a wait list. No obvious way to contact except to subscribe to a newsletter. Site seems to be updated occasionally, so it's not dead.
It'd be really, really nice to know how to get one now (gentle hint, if the developer is reading this thread).
That beep would be very helpful. What does it take to add the axis change beep?
I had his email address but lost it when ATT shutdown the email account that it was located on!
Maybe someone on here has it?? I have the ninja knobs and it works very well with PP. He also had a kit he was putting together?? I think his day job is taking up more of his time lately and he just does this as a hobby.
mike sr
So sorry Step, I am so used to email notifications on threads and P.M's....I'm not setup correctly here. Looking at your messages now.....
I am alive! No good excuses for the lack of communication. It's been a rough couple years to devote time, resources, and space to the project. Hoping to get things going again now that I am starting to get back all three.
Once I get settled in my new place, I am going to reach out to the community and make a fresh batch of pendants.
Very good to see you back on the forum Pete!
I use my Ninja Knobs everytime I run a new program and to adjust speeds and feeds on the fly.
mike sr
Anyone interested in a hardwired version of a hand pendant .
Cnc4pc MPG2 or MPG4. Plugs into a spare port with an adaptor.
Setup does not look to hard as long as you have a spare port to work with.
(;-) TP
Well I have most of teh code done for the hardwired pendant . There is one section I am stuck. It is the Scale selection. It makes use of MUX2 and I cannot get it to work. Here is the code I used. If anyone understands Mux2 I could use some help. I see the 2 selections and I see the single output but I do not understand how it makes the selection. I get errors concerning the net scale1 and net scale2 lines. I am using mux2 because PP does not have a Mux4 component.
#********** JOG Incr MUX2*******************
loadrt mux2 count=1
addf mux2.0 servo-thread
setp mux2.0.in0 .0025
setp mux2.0.in1 .00025
net scale1 mux2.0.sel0 <= hm2_7i80.0.gpio.049.in
net scale2 mux2.0.sel1 <= hm2_7i80.0.gpio.050.in
net j-scale <= mux2.0.out
net j-scale => axis.0.jog-scale
net j-scale => axis.1.jog-scale
net j-scale => axis.2.jog-scale
net j-scale => axis.3.jog-scale
(;-) TP
Hi Step, Yes everything is done in the Post Hal . after working with it all day I finally figured out that the sample code I was using did NOT work like the the Mux2 info said it did. Yes it has 2 selections and IF the input is true it uses in0 and if it is false it uses in1. Not exactly what I needed with a rotary switch setup. I have some more idea to test that may make the switch work correctly with PP.
The idea is to have 4 selections. one for each switch position. The left switch select one of six axis works fine XYZA FRO SSO . I never did figure out how to make teh SSO and FRO work properly but at least it does work.
(;-) TP
Well that idea was a bust so I guess the hard wired pendant run from HAL idea is a bust as well. I can make it work "all most" as you would expect but not exactly the way it should. One of those close but no cigar ideas. I did ask Tormach about their hand pendant on their control panel but it is NOT sold seperate from the panel.
I CAN use the pendant here as I can make having only 2 scale selections work for me.
(;-) TP
Your option in the HAL are limited but I expect it can all be done with the more recent additions in PP.
Are you really trying to multiplex float values? Do you need to multiplex 4 or 6 inputs?
Using Python gives you much more flexibility and far fewer headaches. My current Pendant version (under development - almost everything will change for the next prototype) connects via USB and interfaces correctly with feed, spindle and rapid overrides, Run, Feedhold, Stop, Reset, Jogging via a Shuttle type encoder and axis selection (and more to come).
This wouldn't have been possible with just the HAL due to the USB interface but even without USB I'm not sure I'd have been able to implement everything.
Step