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If anyone is itching to check it out, you should be able to run my sim config from github.com/tangentaudio/linuxcnc-bridgeport

Look in configs/sim.qttangent in that repo.  Start LinuxCNC with qttangent.ini

 

however the caveat for using momentary buttons being that without some way to know which mpg momentary button is active you would need to remember the last setting, check the screen setting or repress the momentary button increment you desire for each move or you could crash from using a larger increment setting than you intended to use. some of the usb mpg's have a display which might show the user what the currently active increment setting is.

Here's a demo video of what I have so far.  It's intended primarily for a 1920x1080 touchscreen though I am demoing it here with a mouse so the demo is not quite as fluid as it could be.  The design is somewhat influenced by PathPilot but it isn't a 1:1 clone of it (that's another potential project...)

I am first going to be using this on a converted Bridgeport mill, and my goal is something of a manual-automatic hybrid workflow.  Ultimately I'd like to have something like NativeCAM baked in, so it can kind of function like a ProtoTrak system.

I also intend to use this with a physical HMI panel that will replace some of the onscreen controls like feed/speed overrides and cycle start/stop etc. buttons.  But for now I'm leaving them in the UI to make it more generally useful.



As for developing so far - yes, I have a sim config directory and I just have a handler.py and my .ui file in there.  As you know, I've also developed some new widgets for Qtvcp for this GUI, and those are merged into master now.
 

that is strictly determined by what you are trying to accomplish. any mpg that works with linuxcnc will work with probe basic really, but if you want to tie the increments in the ui to the mpg and have true bidirectional support, then whatever mpg you use will need to be able to change the physical state of the switch for increments.

in other words if you use an mpg with a rotary switch, its a static output based on the rotary switch position. if you change the ui increment setting there is no way to physically change the rotary switch's position so it become unsynchronized. if you use an mpg with momentary buttons for increment settings, then there is no static constant output which means it could remain synchronized regardless of where the increments are physically changed by the user..(ui buttons or mpg buttons).

personally i use very basic mpg and my increments setting in PB is pretty much always set to jog for long travel moves where don't want to ring the mpg to death.

you may be able to use a usb style mpg and tie the increments to the ui with halpins or perhaps even if the existing mpg code has provisions already simply set it up in the mpg software. but no there is no PB specific mpg.

You can get a quadrature signal using the same slots and offsetting another detector approx 1/2 the spacing. It can be a little finicky to adjust but gives you 4x resolution and lets you track direction too. ( Important if you want to use spindle like a dividing head)

I added another detector to pick up index, missing tooth should be fine.

I expect the omron install will be a lot easier. I could probably just wrap a belt around the spindle shaft. The omron encoder spins with imperceptible drag to the spindle just about any belt or string is enough to spin it. I also have an omron encoder that I can position on my mill drawbar for rigid tapping. Janky but functional. It worked with a rubber band while I waited for a gt2 belt. After the mill install I ordered another for lathe but haven't gotten around to installing it.