# Pendants - Preliminary New Tool Review.



## Robert LaLonde (Jul 12, 2014)

Ok, I have been being cheap in this regard. Having 4 Mach 3 machines in the workshop right now I couldn't even begin to count how many times I've grabbed the keyboard for a machine and used it like a giant unwieldy pendant. I tried numeric keypad keyboards plugged into a USB port, but the programmable ones require a driver which seemed to have issues with Mach 3. When I retrofit the 1982 vintage Hurco KMB1 over to GeckoDriver servos and a Mach 3 control I wired up an arcade joystick and buttons to use kind of like a pendant, but since I would have to do some things with the keyboard anyway, it was easier just to use the keyboard. (And the joystick didn't work all that well IMO anyway.)  


My newest mill was supposed to be turnkey, but its been a bit of a struggle. Finally to try and stabilize the controller I cut a hole in the wall of the little air conditioned office in my workshop, moved the controller inside, and ran all the cables through the hole in the wall. 


Now I found myself really needing a pendant, and when I sold several small, but profitable custom jobs recently I ordered a purpose built one. A VistaCNC P1AS. I had a few little troubles at first, but they were all mine from being in a hurry. No fault with the pendant or plugin. In fact it just worked instantly the first time as I followed the instructions. 


The E-stop on my control is a little weird. If I use the E-stop on the pendant I have to reset it, the reset button on the mill, and then the onscreen button on Mach, but not always it seems. Weird, but ok. 


If I have the pendant in step mod and just start cranking I'll fault the machine, but at the reasonable speeds I should be using step mode on it works perfectly. If I need to move the mill a long distance quickly I can switch over to velocity mode with the on pendant selector and it whizzes right along. 


I mostly got the pendant for jogging, because that is mostly what I need it for, but I imagine it will be handy for a lot of its other functions as well once I get used to it. I know I am still looking at it through the rose colored hue of that new tool glow, but so far I am pretty happy with it. First impressions are very good. If I still feel so good about, the next time I sell a profitable custom job I may just order a couple more of them for my other machines. 

_Now, before you guys get all up in arms and throw me out of here because I mentioned "jobs" and getting "paid" I want to say I still consider myself a hobby machinist.  I have one very narrow field of machining where I make a few dollars, but its not my day job.  I am a mild mannered licensed low voltage communications systems contractor by day, and a cape whipping building leaping hobby machinist by night.  LOL.  _


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## Ray C (Jul 12, 2014)

Bob,

The pendant that came with my PM45CNC wasn't to my liking because it had those membrane buttons that are hard to press.  I replaced it with the same Vista unit you have and like it a lot.  It was plug and play but, I need to review the instructions once again because for some reason, the constant velocity setting keeps losing it's default parameter.  Sometimes I'll jog and any given axis might operate at 100% (my preferred setting) and a moment later, it changes itself to some other seemingly random value much below 100%.  There is no rhyme or reason to the value changes and it's a little annoying.  -Not sure if I'm doing something wrong in the setup so, I'm hesitant to say it's a bug in the software or Mach 3 until I play around a bit more.  If you know anything about that, please let me know.


Ray


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 13, 2014)

Ray C said:


> Bob,
> 
> The pendant that came with my PM45CNC wasn't to my liking because it had those membrane buttons that are hard to press.  I replaced it with the same Vista unit you have and like it a lot.  It was plug and play but, I need to review the instructions once again because for some reason, the constant velocity setting keeps losing it's default parameter.  Sometimes I'll jog and any given axis might operate at 100% (my preferred setting) and a moment later, it changes itself to some other seemingly random value much below 100%.  There is no rhyme or reason to the value changes and it's a little annoying.  -Not sure if I'm doing something wrong in the setup so, I'm hesitant to say it's a bug in the software or Mach 3 until I play around a bit more.  If you know anything about that, please let me know.
> 
> ...




I haven't really used the "constant" velocity mode.  I use the one before it on the dial that moves the mill faster if you spin the MPG faster.


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 19, 2014)

Bob La Londe said:


> I haven't really used the "constant" velocity mode.  I use the one before it on the dial that moves the mill faster if you spin the MPG faster.



Well, somewhere I have a problem with it.  I keep getting random e-stops.  I unplug the unit and disable the plugin and all is fixed.  I've got a message off to VistaCNC, but no reply so far.  

Windows 7 Pro.  Mach 3 (latest)


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## Ray C (Jul 19, 2014)

Bob La Londe said:


> Well, somewhere I have a problem with it.  I keep getting random e-stops.  I unplug the unit and disable the plugin and all is fixed.  I've got a message off to VistaCNC, but no reply so far.
> 
> Windows 7 Pro.  Mach 3 (latest)



Did you go to their website and get the latest DLL/plugin?  The software version I have is just a couple months old.  The DLL is 832kb in size.  If you cannot obtain it for some reason, PM me with your email and I can forward the one I have to you if you so wish.


Ray


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 19, 2014)

Ray C said:


> Did you go to their website and get the latest DLL/plugin?  The software version I have is just a couple months old.  The DLL is 832kb in size.  If you cannot obtain it for some reason, PM me with your email and I can forward the one I have to you if you so wish.
> 
> 
> Ray



I downloaded the plugin directly from their site just a few days ago.


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## jcommlab (Jul 20, 2014)

I've had good luck with a simple pendant on Kickstarter (funded) called the Jog It! Works with emc2 linux and mach3 (pick one) No dll's.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-controller-pendant-for-emc2-and/posts/336188


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 21, 2014)

jcommlab said:


> I've had good luck with a simple pendant on Kickstarter (funded) called the Jog It! Works with emc2 linux and mach3 (pick one) No dll's.
> 
> https://www.kickstarter.com/project...-controller-pendant-for-emc2-and/posts/336188




I checked that out.  Thank you.  The kick starter program is over, and he doesn't seem to have them listed for sale on his DT RObotics site, but I did find him on CNC Zone and dropped him a message.  Thanks.


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 25, 2014)

Well, I tried the iMach P1AS pendant and had all kinds of random e-stops, and often it would not reset. I tried it on another Mach 3 driven machine in the shop and had similar problems. I have the Charter Oak running on a brand new Win7Pro64 machine (seems much more stable) and the iMach pendant exhibited similar symptoms on it. I even tried disconnecting the e-stop button in the pendant. I gave up on it. Today I installed an X-Box 360 PC controller (Authentic Microsoft) and it works a LOT better SO FAR. 

It doesn't have the fancy display, but all the controls are configurable via the plugin config menu. I already have run/reset/jog/con-step/feedhold and joysticks for all three axis configured and it works. 

I think this is going to be my pendant of choice. Now to run down to the Mission store and see if they have any used ones laying around I can throw on my other machines. The fact that the XBox controller is a fraction of the cost doesn't hurt either.


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## Robert LaLonde (Jul 26, 2014)

Bob La Londe said:


> Well, I tried the iMach P1AS pendant and had all kinds of random e-stops, and often it would not reset. I tried it on another Mach 3 driven machine in the shop and had similar problems. I have the Charter Oak running on a brand new Win7Pro64 machine (seems much more stable) and the iMach pendant exhibited similar symptoms on it. I even tried disconnecting the e-stop button in the pendant. I gave up on it. Today I installed an X-Box 360 PC controller (Authentic Microsoft) and it works a LOT better SO FAR.
> 
> It doesn't have the fancy display, but all the controls are configurable via the plugin config menu. I already have run/reset/jog/con-step/feedhold and joysticks for all three axis configured and it works.
> 
> I think this is going to be my pendant of choice. Now to run down to the Mission store and see if they have any used ones laying around I can throw on my other machines. The fact that the XBox controller is a fraction of the cost doesn't hurt either.




*Ok, I apologize for posting about my machine accessory in the machining accessory in the board.  Won't happen again.*


_I missed the flipping obvious.  The E-Stop button on the iMach pendant was defective.  When I got around to checking it it showed open on the wired terminals.  I didn't realize it had already failed, so I tried the pendant with the wires cut.  The machine just wouldn't come out of E-Stop.  _

_The guy from iMach sent me a couple other test plugins to try.  One wouldn't allow the pendant to send an E-Stop signal if there was any USB problems, and the other just didn't recognize the E-stop signal from the pendant at all.  _

_I tried the second one first.  It worked perfectly except the display on the pendant kept showing e-stop.  I opened the pendant back up, shorted the wires, and everything works as its supposed to except I don't have an e-stop button on the pendant.  No worries.  I have one on the mill, and the screen button on the computer.  Hopefully Lee will send me a replacement button or two.  _

_I have to say I am almost a little disappointed to have found the problem.  I really like the way the XBox 360 controller works and is so configurable.  I think I'll move it over to the little Chinese Noodle Router.  _


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