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Here is my first attempt at mapping the various control panel connections to parallel port pins and thence to GRex:
#Gearotic to cnc usb controller Pc
I plan to use a PC parallel cable and connectors to connect the control panel to the drive electronics enclosure where the GRex resides.

Voila! Still need to purchase 2 pots for spindle and feed overrides. Rhino 3D actual size CAD drawing to layout the holes…Ī few chips later, and fresh of the drill press we’re ready to mount the controls… Longer term I want to explore creating an engraved panel once I get my mill converted to CNC. Initially, I’m just going to paint the panel and support frame PC beige to match the NEMA box and touchpanel, and then use stick on clear labels. We’ll see as the project progresses how clean the design can be. I suppose I could mount a wall wart supply inside the panel, connect the touch panel (USB mouse + video back to PC as well) AC into the panel, and have a single power cord. In addition, there will be cabling for the MPG, and for power supply connections. When all is said and done, I think the panel will have a USB or PS/2 keyboard passthrough from the attached keyboard to the emulator card, and then a single keyboard cable back to the PC. I purchased a Combo Breakout Card from Campbell Designs that not only drives the steppers from a parallel port, but also provides the necessary inputs for an MPG. The MPG is a little more difficult, but not too bad. For something like the fast jog joystick, this is a perfect avenue, and I plan to use this approach for most of my switch contacts in the control panel. One simply connects the device to switches on the panel and then programs the emulator to send along the appropriate key sequences. One can purchase keyboard emulator cards that convert switch contact closure to a pre-programmed keystroke sequence. There are a couple of mechanisms by which control is sent from the panel to Mach 3.
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Micronor Manual Pulse Generator: Rogers Machineįortunately the Mach 3 software is tailor-made for creating these kinds of control panels and many have come before me. Slot machine buttons and Joystick: Happ Controls – Cycle Controls: The cycle controls are used to manage the execution of g-code. – Coolant: Manual control of coolant is provided. – Feed: A feed speed override pot is provided. – Spindle: The spindle cluster will allow manual operation of the spindle as well as a spindle speed override pot. – E-Stop: Fastened to the side where its easy to reach, but not too easy to accidentally reach. I believe having both fast jog and fine mpg control will promote good manual feel in the machine. It’ll be connected to fast jog (shift+arrow in Mach) the axes much like the way Centroid controls work. – Fast Jog Joystick: This is an arcade-style industrial joystick with 4 microswitches. I’d like to have the active axis light its respective button as well. MPG’s are expensive, so I need to buy one and switch it between axes. – Z and X axis selector buttons for the MPG. Rundown of Detailed Functions ( Left to right, top to bottom): A full-sized keyboard lets me type productively if I need to power some g-code in. A touchscreen eliminates the need for a mouse, and makes it possible to access a bunch of soft configurable controls on the screen if need be. The MPG and Joystick will hopefully make manual operations easy and natural feeling. My experiences with radio controlled airplanes tell me that when you have to both exert fine motion and hold the control box it is more difficult. I like the idea of a sturdy panel better than a pendant. The panel can sit either to one side of the lathe, or even in front of the area that encloses the motor, making it easy to reach the controls while staying close enough to see what’s going on. Most of the electronics for the overall lathe will be kept in a NEMA-style electrical box that sits on the floor beneath the lathe.
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It will hopefully also look very professional and nifty. The result should be stable in operation, yet not take up too much space on the bench.
#Gearotic to cnc usb controller full
The idea is to attach a touchscreen, control panel, and full sized keyboard (in a tray) to a framework made of square tubing. I studied a whole bunch of CNC panels that were out on the Internet and learned a lot before making plans for my own version. As my goals for the overall project include a desire for manual operations of the lathe, this panel is the key to success in that respect. This page describes my efforts to design and build a control panel for my CNC lathe conversion that will be useful, practical to construct, and professional in appearance.
