What firmware version is your fluidnc? 3.9.1 or newer? For me a lot of the connection stuff keeps getting better and better. 3.9.1 seems to be a big milestone, and I have not tested it yet but the latest release should be good as well. I have been running 3.9.5 a lot.
I haven’t read the whole thread but a pendant seems nice to have but it should also be easy to make and use?
The cost is really my main issue. I don’t use one so I have been poking at the hive mind to see more about how and why people use them.
I did make a little box, it is almost done. I wanted something smaller without the space for buttons I definitely will not use.
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Cable out the top, or cable out the bottom? (Presuming the handwheel is the bottom). I can’t make up my mind.
How did you package the RJ12? Same breakout board that Bart / Mitch recommend?
Room inside for a battery?
Another dial option from Elecrow that came through in a promotional e-mail today:
Pretty similar looking specs, really. Same screen size and resolution, same underlying micro. Would need to actually put my hands on it to see if the wheel interface is any better, that’s the one thing I was a bit ‘meh’ about with the M5 dials I bought.
That screams ‘top’ to me, but I couldn’t tell you why.
Mmm that pendant looks good! We jeed more info
I was just looking at that email! It’s $5 less expensive. I was hoping for more. There is a few more, for less, not sure if they have the right guts though.
Sorry I was testing out some other parts as well.
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I was worried that stairstep from the shallow angle was going to be fugly but you can barely see it. I had a whole convoluted plan to hide it, glad I don’t need to.
Yeah, for some other use cases I’m not super cost sensitive on a device like that, for me it’s more about finding a good screen/controller/pin availability/periphals option. The orange of the M5 dial is a bit goofy and the feeling in the hand is a little rattly for me to be super happy with it.
Not quite sure what you mean, but the whole thing looks absolutely mint. Would 100% make one of those in a heartbeat.
How does it feel to use just sitting down? Does it move under the force of the scroll wheel? Would some rubber feet or something help, or some added weight?
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On the slick desk it barely moves while spinning the wheel. I think it would be fine on the CNC table. The dial is heavy.
99% sure I will be making another version, so I can use the little dial instead. It feels better to me, but I will not know until I try. Plus it will be a much smaller pendant, lighter, a little less cost.
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It’ll be interesting to see how the actual usability of the 2 is relatively. I prefer the larger dial, theoretically, because it seems like it’ll be easier to get a larger range of motion out of it. Just grab the pendant in one hand and get cranking with the other. It’s the equivalent of having an unlockable scroll wheel on a mouse.
That could be avoided by having a 10x rapid button or something, but it’s all a bit ephemeral. And ultimately it all depends on how hard it is to adjust the resolution of the wheel etc.
The single biggest frustration I had with our laser cutter was getting it positioned for jobs. Motion was hold down the jog button and a direction to move at a fixed speed but to change that speed it was a menu setting. No one setting was good enough for all uses. 1500x1000 was too long to traverse at anything below 100mm/s but anything above that was too twitchy to accurately position. Both of those options were miles away from the cutting speed that I actually ended up using a bunch for cutting down old stock etc.
Dunno how much that translates to a CNC router but I can guarantee you I’d end up doing cuts with the thing 
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Dang, wish I had started with that one. Ready to share it?
Probably a preference thing. “I don’t always jog with a hand wheel, but when I do I want a real wheel ”
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if anyone in minnesota or western wisconsin needs a spare all-in-one HP 23". hit me up. Nothing terribly fancy, but it works and would be functional in the shop and not take up much more than monitor space. I have one like it right next to the lowrider that I use with a wireless mouse and that is my current setup until I get my pendant made, but I won’t bore you with that until it works:
teaser photo:
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Should be ready tomorrow. I missed the stupid little rj11 clip bumps so I kept tweaking the socket. I need another test fit or two. I will add the CAD as well so you all can move things around or make more room if you want it. Should be easy to move it back and add buttons as well.
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Just checked and it’s on 3.9.1 which was your official build when I built it a few months ago.
My ZenXY has whatever was the latest version of “mainline” fluidnc on it when I built it a few months later…but it’s at my office and isn’t setup for a pendant. Maybe I’ll make room on my desk at home for it again and bring it home to compare.
Love the design. And I’m a big fan of the large dial over a small encoder. I tried a standard encoder when building mine but didn’t like the feel even with a larger knob on it. The clicks on the big encoder make it really feel “right” to me.
I would like hardware buttons though. But I’d also like to see the software buttons go away when using hardware buttons and make better use of the available screen. Then again I’m not impressed with my current hardware buttons since they’re just as fiddly as the touch buttons for actually registering.
The M5 is a neat idea…but the interface is way too cramped for me. My fingers aren’t very large but I still had a really hard time using the touch interface and too many things needed to be touched. The dial on the M5 also just didn’t have the right feel - much like a standard encoder over the big metal one.
For me the main reason I like the pendant is I’m not having to look at an interface when jogging. On my ipad I have to look at what I’m tapping which means I can’t be looking at the machine. I want my attention on the machine and the pendant to be intuitive to my fingers. The big knob does that best - easily doing big moves or fine moves depending on how much I spin it. The smaller knobs that just didn’t work.
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I agree about the interface - it was really designed for the M5 and then ported the CYD so there’s a lot of wasted space.
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I’ve been moving house so I haven’t been around as much, but I love this topic!
I built a FluidDial and used it for a while, but when Jason’s work was evolving I built one of his esp32 controllers as well. My problem is I “feel” the WebUI is the worst way to control my machine, except all the other ways I’ve tried. (I also use Lightburn with direct connection.)
I end up back at the WebUI any time I’m trying to knock out a few projects. I love to tinker, so I’m sure I’ll build whatever Ryan comes up with, but I also suspect I’ll default to the WebUI for most of my interactions.
I think jogging is my main pain point.
But - I would love to see a port on the Jackpot for a wired solution.
Thank you to Ryan and everyone on this thread for looking at this so carefully!
Because I don’t think any of these are YBR-compliant, I personally think they should be a separate kit if Ryan sells them. I wonder if it wouldn’t be best to even limit the kit to a particular “mini” esp32 variant and a cable to connect it to the Jackpot. If we listen to MakerJim, perhaps we could have a contest/challenge to design a milled case, encouraging new users to get their machine running before worrying about the accessory. Perhaps common core hardware even forks into joystick and encoder options.
I’ll be watching with interest (as I’m plugging away on WebUI.)
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One really rewarding experience is using your machines to upgrade your machines. I’ve resolved that at some point I’m going to have either the LR4 or the MPR&P mill out pendant enclosures.
For me seeing a milled pendant that I made on my machine for myself would provide great satisfaction. I might even challenge myself to keep improving my skills for that. Like maybe inlays or carves and/or fills on the piece just to help me improve my skills.
The next most satisfying thing for me is to see other makers go out and build the thing.
Each time I see a new member build or a set of projects our community members create that make my day. This group makes my day brighter on a regular basis.
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That video was kinda “disturbing” lol!
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