Nextion controller

This is a great video. Great project. I think you’ve done a good job of coming up with sane features, and a bunch of them. I think the best is the touch to move map. That is something that can’t be done with buttons.

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Thanks Jeff.
It’s one of those items I expect I will ‘tinker’ with as I go. It’s pretty easy to add/remove icons and functions.
The ‘Tap to move’ function is pretty sweet! I originally planned to have a swipe pad function. You dragged your finger across the pad to move in that direction, but these Nextion touchscreens are not that sensitive, so that method doesn’t work so well.
I plan to add the X,Y co-ordinates on that page, so you can see exactly the stopping point, before you hit ‘GO’.
I doesn’t show it in the video, but you can keep touching the screen until you get the spot you want.
It is also constrained within the dimensions of my bed, so there is no fear of a high speed impact at the limits of the machine.
When you go to the tap position page, it checks first to see if you have ever homed the X and Y.
If you have not, then it automatically homes first to ensure bottom left of the machine is 0,0.

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It is already useful and awesome. But it sparked an idea. If you had the gcode file, or at least its dimensions that you were going to carve, you could have a display of the outline in that view, and could check the min and max box against the design. To check for clamp clearances and to maybe choose a spot to do the z probe.

Yes, that is entirely possible.
You can overlay images on the touchscreen. You can set up a blank image that is transparent on the touchpad, and then send the image as a transparent backed file to overlay.
Would need some kind of file conversion, and also would need to ensure the dimensions are accurate.

I used my finger to set the target in the video, but you can use a pen or pointer for higher accuracy.

You can also get the touchscreen to search for certain illuminated points on the screen.
In theory, you could overlay the image, and then have it find the furthest bottom left point of the image and set that as the start position.

I added the X and Y values to the tap controller this afternoon - they display after you have selected a target, but before you press ‘GO’.

I might change the display page to show a grid to help with alignments etc.

To be honest, you could make this ‘Tap position controller’ as a single function controller, bit like a joystick.

I may change the slider on/off switch on the side to a 3 position switch. Up will function as it does now with all pages available, and switch down goes directly to the ‘Tap position’ page quickly.

So many possibilities, so little time.

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This looks awesome! I can’t wait for the bill of materials and code etc. and build one for mine. Very next level stuff here.

Had 30 minutes free today, so I have changed the ‘Tap position’ controller page to have a grid, so you have a better idea of where you are sending the rig.

Also, changed the power slide switch to a centre off style one. Down works as it always did, with all the functions, but slide it up and it fires into the ‘Tap Position’ page immediately and works as that alone.

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take-my-money

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Heck, I would take just the Tap Position screen. Having a 4x4 bed it takes forever to get anywhere with the max 10mm movement on the LCD. And this would be nicer than having my computer down there.

I love the tap position controller. It is very handy.
But, I am also just putting together a joystick to accomplish the same thing. See which one I like better.