[vtx1029]

I bought this controller by accident instead of a Xbox 360 controller. I couldn't find a how to on this when I searched but it was much easier then I thought it would be.



Here's the link to mach 3 standard short cut keys
Standard Hotkeys - MachCustomizeWiki

Link to the controller I got
Wireless 2.4 GHZ Controller For PS3, Black, Model NXP3-062

[DonFrambach]

Thanks!

[motoxy]

Awesome! thanks for that

bruce

[Grunblau]

I used a Playstation controller for mine too... Unfortunately mine is a 'wired' setup and I use a different software for the keygrabbing. I'll have to look into this...

Were you able to drive multiple axes at a time? For example, moving the joystick up and to the left should activate 2 axes, like holding down both of the arrow keys on the keyboard. My current setup, doesn't.

Now you need to figure out how to activate the rumble pack when you hit a limit switch!

-Brian

[Drools]

Just a quick question, how did you get a wireless controller to connect to a PC? I would be guessing the PC would have to support Bluetooth?

[vtx1029]

Just a quick question, how did you get a wireless controller to connect to a PC? I would be guessing the PC would have to support Bluetooth?

The controller I linked comes with a bluetooth dongle. It just plugs into a usb port.

[vtx1029]

I used a Playstation controller for mine too... Unfortunately mine is a 'wired' setup and I use a different software for the keygrabbing. I'll have to look into this...

Were you able to drive multiple axes at a time? For example, moving the joystick up and to the left should activate 2 axes, like holding down both of the arrow keys on the keyboard. My current setup, doesn't.

Now you need to figure out how to activate the rumble pack when you hit a limit switch!

-Brian

Try this site and see if it works for you. For some reason it didn't work for me but not a big deal because the mach 3 keygrabber does all the work.
How to Use a PS3 Controller as a Joystick for Your Windows PC - How-To Geek
I'll try moving more then one axis at a time and get back to you.

[vtx1029]

confirmed I you can only move one axis at a time.

[crane550]

No intention of one upping, but you can control all 3 Axis with an XBOX360 controller. I just set it up on my machine a couple days ago. Mine doesn't even use a real Microsoft controller, just one that came with my used console. It's pretty sweet, and really help with alignment. The left analog pad moves X and Y (speed sensitive) and the 4 way does step increments. Then I set X, Y and B to be my zero's (B is Z in my case) to zero each axis. "Start" is cycle start.

Also, it requires you to pull one of the triggers to it to become active, so there is no chance of jogging on accident.

Anyways, it works really well, and might be worth looking into if you want more control.

Then again, if your familiar with the PS controller (or it's what you already have) then that needs considered too.

[vtx1029]

No problem.

I only went this way because I bought it instead of getting a xbox controller. I don't really care if I can only jog one axis at a time, with 400" rapids it doesn't take long to get where I need to go. I still have 6-8 buttons not used either.

One question for you.

Did you have to toggle something in mach 3 to tell it to check for that input on start up? When I restart I have to open keygrabber and open mach 3 to be able to use the ps3 controller.

[crane550]

No, after installing the plug-in the only thing I needed to do (besides tweak the default buttons to suite my needs) was tell it which controller to look for. This was actually the hardest part of the install, cause the instructions on the Mach3 website didn't explain it that well. When you know what to do, it's pretty easy.

You need to enter a Product ID and Vendor ID into the plug-in and restart Mach before it will work. To find these, go to your Device Manager select "properties" on the Xbox controller icon. Then you go to the Details tab and select "Description" for the dropdown menu. This will give you the two numbers you need. Mine was "0678" and "BEEF", or something like that.

It took me a bit to figure out how to do this, and Google didn't turn up much. Hopefully this will help someone in the future.

[DiaLFonZo]

Probably a real newby question.. but..

Is there's a way to change the Jog speed on the PS3 ?
I would need only to move X-Y-Z to the perfect home position but need to change the speed of job to be accurate but can move fast for big moves.

Thanks a lot

[vtx1029]

You could toggle the jog by saving a button as a Ctrl + J

[DiaLFonZo]

You could toggle the jog by saving a button as a Ctrl + J

Ok that could work.
I am new to Mach3.
Setup my new cnc now and i have a USB controller so can't use LinuxCNC like my old one..

Lot of learning on that soft