My DIY Dedicated Mach3 Control Panel

Thought you guys might find this interesting. I got alot of help from you guys getting my warthog router up and running with Mach3, and I appreciate that! I always hated having a full desktop computer to run the machine and wanted a control panel that has the functionality of the industrial units, with the convenience of Mach3. So here it is, built it using. LCD, arcade buttons/joysticks, a ipac board and a industrial keyboard/mouse combo all built together. All I need is a couple of new buttons in the right colors, like green and yellow. The kicker is that it was built using only scrap parts I had laying around in my garage. Didn't put any money into it! Let me know what you think!

What a terrific idea to use an IPAC...! I wish I had one laying around for such a purpose...

The panel came out nicely, I assume the keyboard is wireless?

Adam,

Sorry ... what's an ipac?

Looks good! Do you need another parallel port to get all those inputs?

An ipac is a keyboard emulator for mame arcades. So using that I did not need a second parallel port, just a open USB!

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Originally Posted by Ed3XP

An ipac is a keyboard emulator for mane arcades. So using that I did not need a second parallel port, just a open USB!

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I guess you meant MAME. It's indeed a great idea to use one!, and far better than messing around with diodes to bypass the usual keyboard problems.

What keyboard is that? is that a "mousestick"?

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Originally Posted by Ed3XP

An ipac is a keyboard emulator for mane arcades. So using that I did not need a second parallel port, just a open USB!

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How cool is that! An entire product line that I knew nothing about, but is so useful around the lab. Thanks!

This would be a pretty cool thing to enter in our cncmentor.com build log contest. Consider this some encouragement!

The keyboard model number is DU-5K-USB it is not wireless, but is completely sealed so dust can not get under the keys. The mouse is kinda a "mouse stick" and us also completely sealed. If you notice it also contains 12 more "F" function. Buttons along the top.

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Originally Posted by jwolin

This would be a pretty cool thing to enter in our cncmentor.com build log contest. Consider this some encouragement!

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I'll check it out!

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Originally Posted by Ed3XP

The keyboard model number is DU-5K-USB it is not wireless, but is completely sealed so dust can not get under the keys. The mouse is kinda a "mouse stick" and us also completely sealed. If you notice it also contains 12 more "F" function. Buttons along the top.

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Just made a search for that keyboard and... 460+ bucks! (nuts)

It seems I'd have to let that one go and look for alternatives :p

I'm actually against using wireless keyboards with my CNC, it just doesn't feel right considering a lot can go wrong (which is sad considering most keyboard/mouse combos are wireless, at least those on Cool Gadgets at the Right Price - Worldwide Free Shipping - DealExtreme).

Walky, keep your eye open on eBay, theres a guy that sells these keyboards, 2 for 50 bucks.

how about regtollpath button? i think its important...

Yeah that's a good idea. Maybe on version 2?

I use a keyboard like this

Newegg.com - TRIPP LITE IN3008KB Black 106 Normal Keys USB or PS/2 Wired Slim Compact Flexible Keyboard for Notebook/Laptop

My mouse is not dust proof but at lest the keyboard is.

Walky thanks for the link.

Heres some more info and pictures on my site along with a video...

Dedicated Mach3 Control Panel

That is fantastic!

This project was just featured at Hack-a-day, nice!

MAMEing a CNC router - Hack a Day

What keyboard code do you use for feed speed reset

Nice panel. I’m another that has never heard of iPac. Learning something new keeps me coming back!!!

Old thread, but I'll throw this in anyways...

They make silicone rubber flexible waterproof keyboards for not too much $$$. A quick search of Amazon shows a bunch for about $15USD; search terms were "rubber waterproof keyboard". Likewise, searching for "USB trackpad" or "USB touchpad" yields a bunch of results for not too much $$$.

For the touchpads, I might think about opening the case on them and sealing them with electronics-compatible silicone.

Also, Arduinos with native USB (for example, Leonardo, Zero, and Due based boards) can emulate a USB keyboard or mouse; if you're at all comfortable with writing scripts or programming.