Remote Arrow Keys

[mwpfeifer]

This may sound a little strange to some but due to the way my shop is setup I have to control my Buddy from the opposite side ShopBot intended. I have mounted my spindle VFD and Emergency switch along with the laptop on the left side (see photo). What I would like to rig up, find, or purchase is a way to remote the keyboard arrow keys to the right side of the BOT which would make aligning the spindle to the desired 0,0 location much easier. Most of the work I do is less than 2-3 sq feet. Yes, I know, I could swap 0,0 to the same side as my laptop but that's just one more way to get confused and screw-up a project and I get confused easy! I don't really want to go to a wireless keyboard so any alternate ideas and help would be much appreciated.
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[gabepari]

Would something like this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Adesso-19-Key-Numeric-Retractable-AKP-150/dp/B0000TW3N8

[beacon14]

I share your desire to not use a wireless device to control the Shopbot. You can use a simple extension cable to allow you to bring the keyboard and/or mouse to wherever you want and still be wired up.

[mwpfeifer]

Gabe,
You might have something there! When I blow-up the image on Amazon I can see the arrow keys.

David,
I considered the external keyboard routine but would much rather have something smaller that I can mount on the right side.

[zeykr]

I use a logitech wingman cordless game controller and wouldn't be without it. Someone suggested it here quite a while back. Hit start to open Keypad on shopbot, joystick to move, a cntrl button held while moving the joystick is jog speed, B is bump mode to zero in fine, Z is run zzero, Y zeros x and y axis etc. Really nice when zeroing someplace on the table rather than the lower left corner.



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[blackhawk]

Ken - Tell me some more about the wingman. What exact model is it and how is it programmed for the commands? Thanks

[zeykr]

I have the older model I think, but believe most of these can map buttons to keyboard keys or a series of keystrokes. On this model one joystick can be mapped to keystrokes (move the machine in keypad mode) and the other cannot. There are more buttons than I've used, so more custom cuts or features could be added.

Here's a collection of old notes on it I sent out to someone else:

Purchased a Logitech PC Wingman Cordless Rumble Pad 963246-0403 from ebay for $25

The reciever plugs into a USB port.

I've attached my config file, but you may like it setup different.

Basically you install the logitech software and it sits on your task bar. You double click it to start the logitech program, then start shopbot from within the logitech software. You can program the buttons on the logitech to be different key sequences using the logitech software.

The software is here: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/486/2977&cl=us,en (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/486/2977&cl=us%2Cen)

I can't find any instructions here on online. Basically you load the logitech software and set up a profile for shopbot. There is a picture of the controller on screen and you click on each button and tell it what keystroke or keystrokes to mimic. Save your profile. Then to use you load logitech software, choose 'play shopbot' and it will load shopbot or in your case Mach 3. Think there is help file in logitech software.


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Logitech shopbot profile
Shopbot_profile.wgp (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/33572/Shopbot_profile-36743.txt) (2.2 k)

[mwpfeifer]

Gabe,
I went down to Staples this morning and picked up one of those keypads. Hooked it up to the laptop after running a 6 foot USB extension cable thru the center of the Y axis support beam. Powered up the laptop and after windows found the new hardware I was able to move the spindle using the arrow keys. This forum is awesome, thanks guys!

[blackhawk]

Ken - I just received my Logitech Wingman. I just finished setting it up. This thing is the bomb, I love it. I bought the newer model called the Rumblepad 2. I setup every button that I could with a command and then labeled them with my label maker. If anyone tries one of these, you will want it. This is going to save me miles of walking back and forth.

[zeykr]

That's great Brad!

They sure are handy!

[tparr]

Why the Rumbpad2? For technology or vibration? Can a non-tech person set it up. Is ducumentation available? Why does it save you steps/miles? Sound very interesting!!!

[blackhawk]

Thomas - The Logitech Rumblepad2 is meant to be a game controller for PCs. The reason that it works with the Shopbot is that you can program all the buttons to be keystrokes or series of keystrokes. The vibration function just comes with it since it is meant for playing games, when you get blown up the games make the controller shake for extra effect. If you are running a Shopbot, you can definitely setup the Rumblepad. The documentation comes on the included CD, you might be able to get it from Logitech's website. It saves me walking because now I can have this cordless controller with me when I am at the opposite side of the machine from the computer. I can jog all 3 axes, do the zero routine, XY zero routine, plus zero each axis individually. Before I had to walk back and forth to the keyboard 4 or 5 times on every setup. If you have a Buddy 32 with the computer right next to the machine, the Rumblepad probably wouldn't gain you anything, but with a 48x96 it takes out a lot of back and forth travel.

[tparr]

Brad: Thanks for the detail. It might help me because I am used to running the Bot from the right side, with the computer parallel with the Y axis. So the curser keys are 90 degrees from reality. I did read that the devise goes to "sleep". Have you had that experience?

[zeykr]

Thomas,

While the controller will 'sleep' between runs on the shopbot, you just hit a key on the controller to wake it up when you're ready to set up for the next job.

[tparr]

Thanks for your comments. When the controller "sleeps", does the screen go black?

[zeykr]

No, the screen dosen't blank, just controler powers down after a period of time. It's hardly noticable - you just hit a button on it to wake it up, then hit the button you need.

[tparr]

Thanks Ken. I just found and bought one (cordless version) on Amazon for $29.95 including shipping.
Regards:tp

[hdmyang228]

This clock projects the time, date, or temp on the wall or ceiling http://www.liangdianup.com/clocks_1.htm some people call
it a ceiling clock but I call it a digital projection clock. I got the black one because at the time that was the only color
they had. But now they have them in black and also in white.

[tparr]

Ken & Brad: I finally got to the point of installing the Logitech Rumblepad 2 and up to the point of seeing the buttons that are ready to assign tasks and am stumpted. Could you assist with the next steps for a person with shallow pc skills? Thanks: Tom

[zeykr]

Thomas,

Above in this thread is my Shopbot_profile.wgp file. Download it to your machine, then open the logitech profiler, and choose profile/import from the menu and import the wgp file. That should set you up with my button assignments.

Choose play shopbot from the profiler screen, and it should start the shopbot control program and buttons should be active - i.e the start button on the control should open the keypad mode in sb3, then the right joystick should move thr gantry. (you always start the profiler first, then run shopbot control software from it).

there is an option under profile to print out current key assignments.

If you want to change them to suit you look under the edit menu. You can create commands that are a series of keystrokes here. on the main profiler screen, if you click on a control on the picture of the rumblepad you can set it to either a single keystroke, or one of the previously defined commands. If you load my profile, you should have most commands you'll need already defined, but you may want to re-arrange to suit yourself

Hope that helps.

[zeykr]

Thomas,

On re-reading your post, I see you have the model 2 so my wgp file may not work for it.

Maybe Brad can share his with you.

[radavis]

thank Ken I love my, it may my life ez.
Robert

[blackhawk]

Here is my wgp file. I use the left pad for moving the shopbot around in manual mode.
wgp profile
\Shop2\desktop\LogitechBrad.wgp (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/messages/33572/__Shop2_desktop_LogitechBrad-40082.txt) (1.1 k)

[tparr]

Thank you Ken for sharing your details about the Logitec Profiler. It is a powerful accessory for the SB. Once I caught onto the "macro" approach to customizing it, things went well. I noticed that you have revised the program many times. Would you please share how you use the buttons? Your experience should be helpful. Thanks again. Tom

[jon]

This forum is great! I'm going to save my back and knees from pointless stress! Thanks for the tip, going to get one.