vistaCNC iMachIII P1B User manual

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www.vistacnc.com - 1 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
iMachIII P1B CNC Control Pendant

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www.vistacnc.com - 2 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
PREFACE
Any machine tool, including computer controlled machine tool, is potentially dangerous. VistaCNC LLC accepts
no responsibility for any damage or injury caused by its use. It is your responsibility to insure that you
understand the machine you are using and the procedures for safety operations.
If you are in any doubt you must seek guidance from a professionally qualified expert rather than risk injury to
yourself or to others.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The manufacturer does not make any
representations or warranties (implied or otherwise) regarding the accuracy and completeness of this document
and shall in no event be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not limited to
special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
WARNING
E-STOP switch button in iMachIII P1B CNC Control Pendant only provides
Emergency STOP signal to Mach3 CNC application.
For further protection in CNC operation, other emergency protection methods
may be needed.

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www.vistacnc.com - 3 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
FEATURES
▪Plug n’ Play USB connection and controls.
▪100 steps high precision MPG.
▪Step, Velocity and Continuous mode jogging through MPG.
▪Feed rate, Spindle speed, and Slow Jog rate change through MPG.
▪Quick step size selection.
▪4 Axis selections.
▪E-Stop with flash LEDs indicator.
PLUGIN
▪Download the latest iMach3-P1B Plugin from www.vistacnc.com download page.
▪Move the plugin file into Mach3 Plugins directory.
CONNECTION and START
▪Directly plug the USB cable into any USB port on the PC.
▪Start Mach3 application.
▪Click Config from menu, select Config Plugins, and enable iMach3-P1B-Pendant.
▪Close Mach3 application and restart Mach3 application.
FUNCTIONS and OPERATIONS
1. Axis and Axis Zeroing
1.1 Axis selection
Turn axis selection knob to X, Y, Z, or A position to select an axis to jog.

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www.vistacnc.com - 4 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
1.2 Axis zeroing
When Axis Selection knob is at X, Y, Z or A position, turn MPG few steps to zero selected axis.
1.3 Pendant offline mode.
Turn mode selection knob to position.
1.3.1 When axis selection knob is at X, Y or Z position, the pendant is in Offline mode, and any
MPG signals are not sent to Mach3 application. Offline mode can be used to align the MPG
wheel to a specific number with no axis movement.
❖When axis selection knob is in OFF position and the E-stop button is pressed down, the
pendant will send E-stop signal to Mach3 application.
2. MPG (Manual Pulse Generator) mode
Turn mode selection knob to select MPG mode.
2.1 STEP mode
When in STEP mode, the selected axis moves 1 step at each MPG click (detent) with the step
size 0.001, 0.01 or 0.1.
Check “Use 0.1-1-10 Step size”in the Plugin Configuration table to move axis
with the step size 0.1, 1, or 10.
❖A fixed step move rate can be setup in PlugIn Configuration table.
Set 0 to use the feed rate currently in the system.

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www.vistacnc.com - 5 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
2.2 VELOCITY mode
In VELOCITY mode, axis moves at 0 to 100% of maximum axis speed based on how fast the MPG
wheel is turned.
❖Speed change sensitivity in V mode can be set up in PlugIn Configuration table.
2.3 CONTINUOUS mode
2.3.1 In C mode, axis moves at constant speed with Slow Jog Rate. The axis movement is
independent to the speed at which the MPG is turned.
❖To avoid accidentally moving MPG and axis, the number of steps to delay the start of axis
movement can be set in plugin configuration table.
2.4 CONTINUOUS RATE mode
2.4.1 In C% mode, turning MPG changes the speed used in CONTINUOUS mode. The rate
displays in Slow Jog Rate DRO (Digital Read Outs) on Mach3 Screen.
2.5FEED RATE mode
2.5.1 In F% mode, turning MPG changes feed rate overridden (FRO) rate from 1% to 250 %.
FRO rate can be changed when axes are moving.
2.6 SPINDLE SPEED mode
2.6.1 In S% mode, turning MPG changes spindle speed overridden rate from 1% to 250 %.
Spindle speed can be changed when the spindle is running.
3. E-Stop switch button

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www.vistacnc.com - 6 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
▪Press E-STOP switch button to send out E-Stop signal to Mach3 application and activate
Emergency Mode in Mach3 application.
▪When the button is pressed, the switch is locked down. Twist the button to reset it on.
▪When the button is pressed and locked, the embedded LED flashes at ¼ second rate.
▪When the button is released and Mach3 application is in Reset mode, the LED flashes at ½
second rate.
PENDANT PLUGIN CONFIGURATION
In Mach3 menu, select Config, then Config PlugIns

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www.vistacnc.com - 7 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
In PlugIns menu, click CONFIG
•Number in Step Jogging FeedRate is the feed rate only used in MPG step jogging. When
MPG wheel stops, the feed rate and FeedRate Overridden rate (FRO) automatically changes
back to the number which was used before MPG moving. Set 0 to use current FeedRate and
FRO rate in the system.
•Numbers in Speed Change Sensitivity is set to adjust the speed change sensitivity in V mode.
The smaller the number, the less turns are needed to reach maximum axis speed.
•Steps to Delay Start is used to set the number of steps to delay starting axis movement. In C
mode, axis starts to move only after that many numbers of steps are turned from MPG wheel.

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www.vistacnc.com - 8 - iMachIII P1B Pendant Manual v.1.0
SPECIFICATIONS
▪Work with Mach3 R2.63 and above.
▪100 steps (clicks) per Rev MPG.
▪MPG MTBF > 10000 hour.
▪Shipped with10' High Speed USB cable. Extendable to 15’ with extension cable, and to 45’
with USB hub cables.
▪Size (over all) 6.1"(L) x 3.1"(W) X 2.7"(H)