Hey, everyone I’d like to share a project I’ve been working on for the past few months. It is a CNC pendant that works with the Control software. You can view the current status, jog the machine, run jobs, probe Z, there's tool change support, and much more. I’ve been using it for a couple of weeks now and it is super convenient. I only need to go to the PC to load the gcode and to view error messages when something goes wrong. It is fully open-sourced. You can find the software and hardware details on Github: GitHub - ivomirb/Controlinator-3000: CNC hand-held pendant for OpenBuilds CONTROL It is compatible with the stock Control software, however it works better with my fork, which adds an extra event for monitoring the Grbl responses: GitHub - ivomirb/OpenBuilds-CONTROL: OpenBuilds CONTROL: Download from https://software.openbuilds.com
Great work! Decoupling the core functionality / comms into an Arduino Library, combined with the Macro, would be a game changer for people to build their own, everyone always wants a little different spin on things
Hello Ivo, Looks very professional. The arduino software is not available on github? Best regards, Marc
Hey, Marc. Sorry for the late reply. I forgot to Watch this thread. The arduino software is on github. It's all here: Controlinator-3000/Source/Pendant at master · ivomirb/Controlinator-3000 You start with Pendant.ino, which includes all the other .h files.
No, rotary is not supported. It could possibly be added. You will need to find a way to fit an extra line of text, either by sacrificing some functionality or by using a larger screen. And add an extra button.
I built the pendant and when I plug it into the computer it immediately displays Connected to PC Connected to CNC It never does anything else. Any idea what I could have done wrong?
Is the macro running inside OpenBuilds CONTROL? Do you get any messages in the software about attempting to connect to the pendant, and failing?
Try a different USB port. If you have the Arduino console enabled, turn it off because it might be connected to the same port. Only one application can use it at the same time. Try a different cable. Some USB cables are only for charging and don't transmit data. If nothing else helps, then shut down everything and try to connect using the Arduino serial console with baud rate 38400. Type the command "PEN". You should get a response "DANT". If not, something very basic is not working.
Moving the USB cord to different port brought it to life, Ivo. Thank you very much for your help and for designing the pendant.
Hello Ivo I have a problem with probing. If i start the probing script. It travels to the Probe and stops when it makes contact. Then nothing else happens, it doesnt retract and it doesnt finish the script. Its almost like the pendant thinks it cannot move upwards. Do you have an idea what the problem could be? Thanks!
What controller? BlackBox X32? If so, is your Firmware up to date? (Section 7.1 and 7.2 of the BlackBox X32 documentation https://docs.openbuilds.com/blackbox-x32 relates)
Does the probe work without the pendant? (if you use the probing functionality of OpenBuilds directly) Does the pendant work otherwise? Jogging, starting/stopping jobs, etc. What are your Z Probe settings in the pendant software? A screenshot would be nice. What is the log output while the probing is going?
