Custom pendant for Linux CNC

Hey guys,

A few years ago I build a CNC router from scratch and have been an active user of Linux CNC ever since. You can see my router build on my blog here: dtrobots.blogspot.com/

A few months after building my router I got tired of lugging my keyboard around my machine so I designed and built a plug and play pendant that works specifically for Linux CNC.

I recently finished a campaign on Kickstarter to raise funds to build a large batch of them and it was funded late last year.

I have made the pendant open source, so those that want a fun project can build one from scratch. For those that just want to purchase a ready to go model I have kept the pricing as low as I can. These are all hand made in my little shop in Payson Utah, and I do them in small batches and test every one before I ship it.

For the open source files you can check out my webpage here:

dtrobotics.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

and if any one would like to purchase one they are for sale on Ebay here:

www.ebay.com/itm/330876387466?ssPageName...id=p3984.m1555.l2649

Please feel free to post comments, I really felt like the Linux CNC crowd needed a pendant. Game pad controllers work well, but sometimes its nice to have a purpose built item that fits in one hand.

-Jerome

Looks very nice! Congratulations. If I had a router I would buy one. 65 is a fair price also.

Thank you for the kind words! I wish I could sell them for less, but since the case is CNC machined from HDPE and aluminum the cost had to reflect that.

I hope to sell enough of them to raise the $5000 needed for an injection molded case! The cost would drop to around $50 at that point.

The whole goal of this pendant was to make it so that once the G-code is loaded a user doesn't have to touch the keyboard again to make a part.

Since this works off of keyboard emulation using the linux cnc hot keys, all you have to do to set it up is plug it into a USB port.

-Jerome

Nice piece of kit.

I assume it is recognised as a HID, as if you plugged another keyboard in?

..... works off of keyboard emulation using the linux cnc hot keys.....

Presume that this means the hardcoded key bindings in the Axis GUI, linuxcnc does not have any.

So are you limited to only using Axis with the default bindings, or can the keycodes output be programmed?

regards

You are correct, The computer just assumes the pendant is a keboard.

The defaults are the only things that will work out of the box, but the pendant can be reprogrammed if modifying the keyboard scan codes in the firmware and reprogramming a micro chip brand micro is something up your alley

-Jerome