Thread: Console the Key Emulator Method

Hi, rod if you want a 8 way joystick I have a box of them here varying types, I can send one your way if you want.

Hi Grunto,
I'm fairly sure they would work - if both switches operate then no reason why they shouldn't.


Hi Chris,
Thanks for the offer. I have to get some motors in the next month or so and we can work it out on that order. A mate is desigining a 10mm steel kit gantry router (laser cut) and I have put my hand up to buy one. At the moment it is bells and whistles and I think it will have a good market potential. Anyway I will need motors for it but not sure on size yet as it is still in design stage. I have to finish LeBot before I start this one and it has been too hot to work in the shed - my excuse anyway.

Originally Posted by rodm

Hi Chris,
Thanks for the offer. I have to get some motors in the next month or so and we can work it out on that order. A mate is desigining a 10mm steel kit gantry router (laser cut) and I have put my hand up to buy one. At the moment it is bells and whistles and I think it will have a good market potential. Anyway I will need motors for it but not sure on size yet as it is still in design stage. I have to finish LeBot before I start this one and it has been too hot to work in the shed - my excuse anyway.

Sounds good, If you can get quantity to the laser cutter it becomes a pretty good price or if you own one yourself

Joysticks were from a sample order so they have been sitting for a few months so I dont mind sending you one or 2.

Hmm. been perfect over here finally getting a few hours a day rebuilding the chinese cnc machine and I go out to find most of the businesses I need stuff from are closed till ~11th of Jan.


Now to contribute to the thread topic.

"Looks good. "

Hi Chris,
Like your sense of humor.

Wish I did own a laser capable of cutting 10mm steel plate.

I am sort of over doing consoles for the moment so no hurry but keen to have a play with the joysticks at some stage. Probably need to make a console for the kit build anyway. I have ordered a touch screen and will jig something together with that.
I wonder if an 8 way joystick could be used for a substitute mouse? Mouse buttons?? Just thinking aloud here.

Thanks to this thread by rod i have managed to cobble together my first console. Its not the best looking and i think i have to many buttons but I'm sure i will make use of them. This is the first time i have tried engraving on aluminum and made a bit of a mess of it, but learn't a lot from the exercise. The next one is bound to be better. I have managed to get the pot working for FRO and mach is turning on my spindle but for the life of me i cant get the spindle speed to work with a pot.
Thanks again rod for the journey.
Denis

Good to see Denis
Ally is fickle but you hung in there and it looks the part.
I hope more join in making a console as it is a great project and it extends the electrickery knowledge. Very useful for operating a machine as well.

I have found a couple of items that should be suitable for a console. A mini keyboard and micro trackball mouse that could be mounted on the facia of a console. The mouse is always a problem and in the past I have used a trackball and a touch pad but this one can be mounted permanently and has a small footprint.
Both are small enough to fit in on a good design and still usable even with my clumbsy fingers. I have put a standard keyboard and mouse in the photo so you can get an idea of their size.
Ebay is your friend mini keyboard and trackball and specs can be found on those links. Apology for my poor photography.

To add to the collection of components for a console here is a rectangular switch I sourced for only $3.00 each. I have shown the triangular ones before and square are also avaialble. They are from the arcade suppliers and the switch can be disembled and labels placed behind the button. They work on a micro switch so should give years of trouble free use. They also have an LED built in that will illuminate the switch from behind.

For the label I used one of the overhead transparency films through a laser printer and was pleased with the result. This will save a lot of grief engraving the panel. The switches come in five colours so plenty of choices to help organise your layout.

What about a playstation or xbox controller? Could you rewire that to the job of the joystick? Possibly configure some of the other buttons to talk to pokeys?

I have an XBox360 wireless that has an interface written for Mach3. It talks direct with Mach3 so no need for any fiddling at all and you can configure the buttons.

They will not handle analogue signals therefore it restricts what you can hang off it like MPG and FRO/SSR potentiometers.

Different toys for different things and I think the hand held controllers are best left as a substitute pendant. They do a good job by the way.

Originally Posted by rodm

I have an XBox360 wireless that has an interface written for Mach3. It talks direct with Mach3 so no need for any fiddling at all and you can configure the buttons.

..... <- those are tears caused by recognition of the coolness of the above tool

I wanted a better look to the consoles and the thing that is hindering that is engraving on the ally face. I think I have found a cure and the photo sequence will show that.

First mount and cut out the ally facia. The clean the burrs from the face and apply double sided tape to the ally. Cut the doubled sided tape to outside and all internal openings.

Get some of that two colour engraving material. This is the type that sells under brand names Gravograph, Romark and you see it used on things like switchboard, etc. You engrave through the top colour to expose a contrasting colour underneath.The sheet I used was 0.89mm thick.

Stick the engraving sheet to the doubled sided tape and then run through all your cuts again so that it matches the ally panel underneath it. Obviously keep your zero, zero position and make sure you include tabs to hold the ally in place on the first cuts. The reason I did this as a two part process was that I was concerned about engraving the ally underneath the double sided tape. The heat might have casued problems with that.

Ok now all you have to do is engrave the top sheet and smile at the result.

Note the switches I have used can have the labels changed at any time to do a new function without having to redo the whole front panel. I have matched where possible the colours of the switches to the Mach3 screens. I quite like that there is a lot of colour on the console as well. The triangular jog buttons are orientated in the direction the axis will travel. Might save a boo boo when I have one of those moments.

Photos will show it better than I have explained it.

That looks very professional Rod,
Which i suppose it would be done by you.(shameless suck-up)
U mm err will you be doing a tute on the Pokeys Jog Mode setup in the future?
Any way i will certainly be looking to get some of this material. I ordered some of those switches and will be remaking my console.
Cheers

Just in case anyone is interested this is a interesting thread about electronic limit switches
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showth...52161#poststop

Yeah I have been following the thread on limit switches.

The Jog Mode switch will be done with a brain through pokeys and I can put up the details here - I'm rusty on it now so need to brush up on that. A lot of those buttons have not been tried with their intended function so I'll post up any that work - the others will have their label changed and nobody will ever know.

Somebody else is looking for a way to do the SRO via a pot so if anyone can help out it would be good. No point me doing it as I use a different VFD to the rest of you. It is also very much on the edge of my ability and I have too much to do at the moment to be diverted.

I got the engraving material local but this mob have it on your side of the world. I'm sure there are other suppliers as well.