Sign me up!!
Iāve had my machine up and running for less than a week now and Iām already tired of using the mouse and trying to locate the cursor on the laptop screen from a 3 foot distance.
Please put me down for one.
I use V Carve desktop and UGSC. (I cant use Easel due to no internet)
Got some new parts in today and wanted to share. Iām thinking to have several button function configurations to choose from or the button functions can be customized to order even after the controller is assembled. For example my personal one i plan to have laser on/off buttons but others who havenāt made that leap yet may want other functions.
One of the 2 boards used has an issue so I have to order a new one but should have it next week. In the meantime I will work to carve the button layout into the console this week to ensure that goes smoothly and the fit up matches.
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where is the link for this part?
Instead of the buttons, you should use a rotary encoder. 
This is something on my to-do list.
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I used 16 x buttons, 2 x joysticks and a 5" touchscreenā¦ 
@B.F Itās not available yet but will be soon.
@TonyNo I looked at an encoder but the engineering part of my brain is continuously trying to improve the design but at some point I have to decide on a good design and move forward or Iāll never finish. This is on the list for future investigation.
While I wait for new pcb boards to be delivered, Iāve been tweaking the code looking for ways to optimize or get new features from the existing setup. Having said that, below are the current functions the X-Pendant will have and Iād like to get some feedback on what other functions you would find useful to have access to for the final version. I havenāt posted an update on the function side in a while.
- Movement in X, Y, Z
a. Each axis has 2 buttons for each direction to have 2 levels of movement per tolerance mode. - Toggle between micro mode and macro mode
a. Micro = .001 & .01
b. Macro = .1 & 1 - Toggle between inches and mm mode
- Toggle laser on & off (on is low power S20 mode for zero finding)
- Zero all axis as well as each axis individually
- 2 Parked positions (G28 and G30)
a. Set locations manually with G28.1 and G30.1 prior to using these buttons.
b. Also, need to home machine to use these features. - Probe each axis (yet to test this feature)
a. This one will be tough as not everyone has the same thickness of probe plate.
Including all of the above, I have 3 additional buttons available for new features.
Appreciate the feedback.
Updates:
8. Auto powers off after 10 min of no activity to save battery.
9. Toggle accessory (i.e. vacuum) on/off using M7/M8/M9
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A āhomeā button to go with the parking spots.
I actually had that on there and realized that you really only home once when you boot up the machine. So I thought maybe there was another function used more often that would be more useful but I will keep this one in mind. Thanks.
Thatās true in most cases. Unless you hit the ābig red buttonā which I find my self doing now and again lol. That and Easel has been acting a fool lately so Iāve had to Restart several times. The only other one I can think of would be $X.
Just found this thread and loving what you have done thus far!
-I really thing the rotary encoderso for moving the axises would be even better. Only 3 knows instead of 13ish buttons!
-Maybe instead of having it say laser on/off just have it say AUX on/off?!
-Lastly, I donāt really see the need for the mm/inch button if you already are going to have one for changing between micro/macro.
Iāll definitely be interested in h9w it turns out!
Keep up the great work!
Good work!
Hit me up for your second iteration release and maybe you can shove https://cdn-shop.adafruit.com/product-files/3269/pinout_wroom_pinout.png into it and websocket directly to the EaselLocal driver.
Been a while since Iāve made much progress on this with so many other projects but I finally finished the final design (for now at least). I ended up making it much smaller than the previous photos I shared. I found some improved methods with the code to cut down on the number of buttons. Unfortunately one of the chips I currently use has been out of stock for almost 4 months so I canāt make any to sell at the moment but for anyone still interested I will keep this post updated when they become available.
I used it today for the first time in its complete capacity and worked quite well. I was able to completely set up several cuts without ever touching the computer. The label layer needs a little adjustment but other than that Iām pretty happy with it.
New overall size = 6" x 4" x 1-1/8"
All the buttons on the RH side are programmable to any g-code with the exception of the POWER button. I will adjust these as I go based on what I find most useful.
Rather than āmacroā vs āmicroā as I did previously, the STEP button changes the step size according to the top 4 LEDs. This mimics the Easel interface.
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Please contact me when you have these for purchase!!! My email is donspells@comcast.net.
THANKS!!!
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This is a game changer. Great job!
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Yeah, I started writing a Windows phone app to use Bluetooth to communicate with an arduino that I would then use as a keyboard wedge, but my schedule changed and I havenāt gotten back to it. When I start up again Iām thinking I may switch to an android phone app, since so few people have Windows phonesā¦
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Wouldnāt mind the Windows Phone App and neither would my HP Elite X3 =)
But would this also somehow work with the X-Controller? I assume not, eh?
Would there not be too much lag if you used a smartphone app to send inputs?
@BobJewell My current price is targeted at $165. Since one of the chips is hard to come by Iām investigating an alternative as I know a few people were interested in getting one.
One of the issues I was still facing was that the console is buried under a few layers of menus so after a job or at any point I wanted to start using it, I would still have to go back to the computer. Fortunately, with the Ctrl+Shift+D shortcut to open the console I learned about recently, I can now open and close the console from the pendant making it a little more āwirelessā.
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