is there driver for the new XHC-WHB04B-4

Hello everybody,
do you know if there is a driver ( or the files you need for handheld wheel in CNCLinux) for the XHC-WHB04B-4 ( the precedent model was XHC-H04B).

with regards
Michael

Wow, I JUST discovered this. Mixed feelings. I did extensive work making the HB04 config work the way I wanted and this looked super at first. I seek to remove the terminal from workflow as much as possible and wanted the HB04 to do more.

It's great that they made the multiplier a hardselector. It's GREAT that they used a more versatile dot matrix, presuming you can actually address it that way. The HB04 didn't display messages and cluttered the display with machine coordinates we NEVER use in practice. Over here, we let the machine auto-home then deal exclusively in work coords.

But WTF. What I'm seeing is multiple deal-breakers. They removed half the buttons and use shift key for alt functions, and took Feed and Spindle off the mpg wheel, but they MUST be on the mpg wheel. If you don't like the feel of the feedrate, you need to be able to dial up/down quickly.

That Shift-Function key is unacceptable. Too easy to screw up. I mean if you thought you pressed it but "not hard enough I guess" and instead of Go Work-Home you get a Probe-Z, you may blow the job.

The button labels don't look all that readable, they've removed the distinct colors and icons.

I could make that thing PERFECT just by re-skinning the panel! I'd get the 6-axis version (2 more positions on the axis selector), make B=Feedrate, C=spindle, then make the buttons like the HB04. But as-is, it seems terrible. And I can't realistically make a good reskin. I could color laser print a sheet of transparency plastic but I doubt that'd really work in the long run, mechanically.

What are "lead" and "MPG" modes? The HB04 has that "MPG/STEP" button and I'm confused what it was ever intended to do. The handwheel manually generates pulse-steps, what's this "MPG/STEP" or the "Step" instead of the multipliers mean? What does Lead mean??

for anyone interested:
I am in the process of writing a driver for this device under mach4 & have reverse engineered the USB protocol.
email me and I will gladly share what I know.

Hi there

I too am interested in writing a driver for the XHC-WHB04B-4.
Only I wish to do this for UCCNC.

If it's not too much trouble, could you please share what you have found about the USB protocols for the WHB04B-4.

Hi LBL cnc,

have you written a driver for the WHB04B for UCCNC?

Best regards

No. I am afraid the answer is not yet.

It after waiting too long for a reply to my public post, I eventually sent mkullman a private message.

Fortunately, he responded to that one.
Unfortunately, I received his code only a few days ago, and I've not had time to dive into it yet.

Ask me again in two or three weeks. I imagine I will need time to learn a few things along the way.

ok thank you for the information!
In June we, the company I work for, will receive a milling machine (wabeco) and we do the cnc part ourself. We decided to use uccnc so we can run it on a windows based computer.
For pendant we would like to use the WHB04B instead of the WHB04.

Hi,

have you found a way to write a driver for the XHC-WHB04B-4?

Best regards,

Luc

Hi - I can report that progress is being made - but there is not much to show so far.
To date - I have undertaken an intensive (at times) self stury in programming in C#, since that seems to be the language of choice for UCCNC work. The worst part of it is not learning the C# language (very similar to C-C++) but learning the Microsoft Visual Studio.
Anyway - I can report that this step has been mostly accomplished.

Next, probably this very weekend, I start writing (stealing code) for accessing the USB. Immediately upon the heels of that I will start interfacing with the XHC-WHB04B-4 as per the information I got from makullman.

I should have more to report in about a week.

P.S.: Sorry if I'm taking too long. Unfortunately, there are a number of other items making claims upon my attention.