[igrau]

Hi

Wanting to eliminate my keyboard as it gets in the way too often (yup small garage.) Will moving to a touchscreen allow elimination of the keyboard, I see in the videos people continue to use the keyboard, but am wondering if its really necessary assuming one has a pendant and tough screen.

Thanks

[GLCarlson]

You can probably eliminate it- but you'll put it back.

(There are always a few things that are faster/easier on the kb.)

[kstrauss]

Perhaps I have missed the option of an on-screen keyboard but without a keyboard how do you enter numeric/alphabetic data such as tool offsets, conversational stuff, MDI commands, etc?

[igrau]

@kstrauss

In the path pilot setting tab there is an enable soft keyboard option I would assume this should allow a touch screen keyboard to pop up when trying to enter character info in MDI etc... I usually use g-code from cam and pendant, so don't use keyboard much, don't have a touch screen but elimination of the hard keyboard would help the justification to get the touch keyboard

@glcarlson

Any specific examples of shortcomings other than its not nearly as nice to typhoon a vertical screen as a horizontal keyboard.

Thanks

[kstrauss]

I just tried enabling the soft keyboard option. It appears to do nothing even after a reboot. Perhaps it only works if there is no real keyboard attached.

[shred]

The soft keyboard works if there's a physical keyboard attached, but only pops up when you select a data entry field to type a number in because it takes up quite a bit of screen real-estate.

I had a keyboard go bad and was forced to just just touch/mouse/jog for a bit. I got annoyed enough with it that I put a keyboard back on within days. Especially for things like editing code, even a rubber keyboard is far superior to just a touch screen.

If you just wanted to pick code to run and run it, it might be manageable but I'd look into small-size keyboards if I were the OP.

[igrau]

Sweet - thanks @shred and @kstrauss

hoping that its full featured enough to eliminate the keyboard and especially the mouse. space key stop is a big loss that has to be compensated some how and now with smart cool the alt U and alt d would be nice to preserve - maybe a keyboard emulator with just a few magic keys

[kstrauss]

The soft keyboard works if there's a physical keyboard attached, but only pops up when you select a data entry field to type a number in because it takes up quite a bit of screen real-estate.

That was my assumption. However the keyboard was never displayed here on PP 1.9.7 even when I went to MDI and also the Offsets tab.

[igrau]

@kstrauss - seems like what I would have done to test it - I presume you have a touch screen?

[kstrauss]

Yes, I have an Amazon purchased version of the standard Tormach Monoprice touch screen. It works great.

[GLCarlson]

@glcarlson

Any specific examples of shortcomings other than its not nearly as nice to typhoon a vertical screen as a horizontal keyboard.

Thanks

No, you hit the one I was thinking of. I'm a touch typist, and it would take longer to invoke a virtual keyboard, get oriented, and (say) type the name of a routine to save than to find the space for a regular kb. My kb swings down flat against the enclosure, so room is minimal when not in use (helps keep the chips out, too).

[igrau]

I like the swing down keyboard idea and eliminating the huge tray

yes, the tormach one is smaller (but at a good price) than what I currently have so was also thinking of going the monoprice route with the 19" 4:3 but its been out of stock

Once I get the monitor, will have to rig the swing down as I have the monitor on a TV swing out arm and the keyboard table is attached where the monitor has it built in stand, works great even with the keyboard and table weight way out there, but its size gets in the way too often.

A few folks figured our the feed rate override in PP, wish someone sold the plans or the actual feed rate override setups and some programable buttons, i.e. to do the alt-d alt-u, etc. I suspect I could figure it out, but today I have no idea where to even start and I have been wasting a too much time on enhancing this and other tools instead of using so need to switch gears soon

thanks

[kstrauss]

I'm unsure what has changed but the on-screen keyboard works today! If you try input into a numeric field you get a keypad with 0-9, +, -, ., Esc, Bksp and Enter. Input to an alphanumeric field gives the same numeric keypad, alphabet keys, up/down arrow and a few more. There is missing punctuation, a shift key, etc. The screen keyboard is are usable on the touch screen but certainly a pain for a touch typist!

[igrau]

Ah nice to here its showing up now, yah am not sure I will do the keypad removal after all - I think I will try the wing down and see how that stays out of the way, still will need the touch screen to enable this as the mouse has got to go. Hoping for the override encoders to become available, and maybe a few programable buttons

thank again for updating

[petenc]

Ah nice to here its showing up now, yah am not sure I will do the keypad removal after all - I think I will try the wing down and see how that stays out of the way, still will need the touch screen to enable this as the mouse has got to go. Hoping for the override encoders to become available, and maybe a few programable buttons

thank again for updating

do you have smartcool? I've been wanting to add some of these controls into my small pendant (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqnNRlXkrOU) and saw you mention alt+u and alt+d.

[igrau]

Hi @petenc

Yup just got the smart cool and the Alt-u and Alt-d are to move the stream up and down. Have not had enough time to see how valuable the short cut is but am thinking it can help to get a better view, to clean up an area, to get coolant above a blockage, or for those that like to video their work to get a better view.

The key overrides I think I would most like to use is the feed and rpm overrides, not sure the alt-d/u will be as important, but with the way your pendant works (very cool) it gives the user options to set to different modes and have just a hand full of hard controls pretty cool. the coupling of your controls with a BT number pad is quite ingenious - kudos

Thanks for sharing that video

Regards

[petenc]

Hi @petenc

Yup just got the smart cool and the Alt-u and Alt-d are to move the stream up and down. Have not had enough time to see how valuable the short cut is but am thinking it can help to get a better view, to clean up an area, to get coolant above a blockage, or for those that like to video their work to get a better view.

The key overrides I think I would most like to use is the feed and rpm overrides, not sure the alt-d/u will be as important, but with the way your pendant works (very cool) it gives the user options to set to different modes and have just a hand full of hard controls pretty cool. the coupling of your controls with a BT number pad is quite ingenious - kudos

Thanks for sharing that video

Regards

Right on, thanks for watching... yea I wasn't sure. I was thinking about getting the smartcool package to try it out, it looks rather helpful. I am familiar with HAAS's version but you have to independently program the position of the coolant nozzle on each tool. This is obviously a step above... which makes me smile considering we have a "hobbyist" machine. I love the idea of it understanding its current position in relation to the part, tool, or work offset. It really doesn't get better than that other than thru spindle.

Pete