Hello!

I'm looking for a cheap 4+ axis controller board that I can control with just a MPG, the type with a large dial and selectors for axis and speed (x1,x10,x100). And by controller board, I mean the type that talks to separate stepper controllers.

This is supposed to be a quick alternative to a proper CNC setup, mainly for testing if the hardware works, maybe quick cuts if it works well enough for that.

Does such a thing even exist? So far I've found the nvum-sp, which has a "MPG mode", and the STB5100, which states in the manual the MPG doesn't control the motors directly but through software. Am I right in assuming both need a computer connection to work?

I can see why it might be a problem - the board would need to know about preferred acceleration, translate pulse signals coordinates, handle things like dual-y axis.

I also looked the Jogging mode for grbl, but that also looks like it would at least require a separate logic board to translate MPG input into commands.

Can someone suggest a controller board that does this?

Or an easy to implement solution. I have a bunch of Arduinos and STM32s, so I'll also be grateful for suggestions that don't involve much beyond uploading some code and connecting wires.