XHC-HB04 wireless MPG pendant HAL module

I'd like to point out how nice having one of these are. When you first made your post, I ordered the HB04 shortly after, however, I was too nervous to attempt modifying a functioning system when I couldn't have any long downtime. I regret I didn't do it sooner. I no longer have to walk around with the keyboard. This is a fantastic add-on and everyone should get one!

I am still waiting for mine to arrive. Ordered about three weeks ago. That's the disadvantage of ordering in China.
I specifically chose this one because of this topic.

Works like a charm. Thanks f1oat!

I have noticed on mine that the display stops updating unless I cycle the axis knob. It lasts for about 10 seconds, then it stops updating again until I cycle the knob. Is this normal?

I only have one evening playing around experience, but mine did not do that.

I did see some glitches in the display though. Display blanking out, coming back with wild numbers inside, blanking out, coming back again, etc. It stopped when I cycled the axis knob, but I don't know yet if this was a coincidence or not.

bottleworks wrote:

I have noticed on mine that the display stops updating unless I cycle the axis knob. It lasts for about 10 seconds, then it stops updating again until I cycle the knob. Is this normal?

Same behavior with my MPG.
I wonder if it is related to some power saving feature.
If someone can try with the original MACH3 driver, we would know if the problem is only under Linux.
Frederic.

FYI: My display keeps updating, also if I do not touch anything. All I see are occasional wild numbers in the screen such as a position of -99999,000
I bought this one

The pendant i got has 18 buttons (layout2), is marked HB04 on the front, and the label on the back is marked WHB04-L with a date code 201312.


If the pendant is idle (no buttons pushed, no wheel movement) for 40 seconds, the display stops updating. I verified that the usb transfers to it continue (libusb_control_transfer(dev_handle, 0x21, 0x09, 0x0306, 0x00, data+8*packet, 8, 0). So it may very well be a power saving feature.

With some debugging prints, i notice the pendant makes a final transfer at the 40 second time when it stops updating, the hexdump for this transfer is: 04 00 00 00 00 00

Pressing any button restores display updating so I just leave one button unassigned and press it to wake up the pendant.

Thank you for a WONDERFUL bit of code. been lurking from the beginning & have been eyeing up this pendant for a while now. I have just gotten my wireless 18 button pendant about 2 weeks ago.

Straightforward install on my workshop machine, worked first time - Had to # out all references to axis 3 first and all was (and still is) PEACHY

I would like to experiment using the pendant on my Ubuntu 10.10 laptop which has linuxcnc-sim running on a PAE kernel. I use it to verify G-code from the comfort of my old-man armchair!!

(I get stick for using remote desktop to keep an eye on my workshop machine (with camera) while watching TV in the evening)

Now the question:
Is there a way to get /usr/local/bin/xhc-hb04 working without a rt kernel?

Regards
Noel

Realtime is not required, Frederic's excellent driver is userspace.

There is a xhc-hb04 branch and buidbot debs for lucid and precise:

buildbot.linuxcnc.org/dists/

The xhc-hb04 debs are in directories named scratch-sim or scratch-rt


The branch contains sim configs for two button layouts under:

configs/sim/axis/xhc-hb04

It would be helpful if anyone tests to report:
1) source: deb (deb file name) or a git build (last commit)
2) operating system
$ lsb_release -a
3) pendant description: 16 or 18 buttons, id label on back
4) results