vistaCNC iMachIII P1 User manual

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www.vistacnc.com - 1 - iMach
III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
iMach
III
P1 CNC Control Pendant

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www.vistacnc.com - 2 - iMach
III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
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 e pert 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 iMach
III
P1 CNC Control Pendant only provides
Emergency STOP signal to Mach CNC application.
For further protection in CNC operation, other emergency protection methods
may be needed.

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III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
FEATURES
 Plug n’ Play USB connection and controls.
 Step, Velocity and Continuous mode jogging through MPG.
 Feed rate, Spindle speed, and Slo Jog rate change through MPG.
 5 Axis selections.
 E-Stop button.
 Molded rubber sides providing an extra grip.
 Protection boot (optional).
PLUGIN
 Do nload the latest iMach3-P1 v3.x Plugin from .vistacnc.com do nload 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-P1-Pendant.
 Close Mach3 application and restart Mach3 application.
FUNCTIONS and OPERATIONS
1. Axis selection
Turn axis selection knob to select an axis to jog.
If axis selection knob is in OFF position, except E-stop signal, no other signals ill be sent to
Mach3 application.
2. MPG (Manual Pulse Generator) mode and control selection
While the pendant is used to move an axis, any one of other 3 jogging methods (Step, Cont or
MPG) on Mach3 screen can be selected to move another axis using, for example, Keyboard.
2.1 Step mode : One step per MPG click (detent).

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III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
2.1.1 One step per MPG click (detent). Step size can be set up and changed in Mach3 Screen.
Default size is 0.001.
2.1.2 A fixed MPG feed rate can be setup in PlugIn Configuration table. This feed rate is used only
hen MPG moves in Step mode.
It is recommended to use higher feed rate for smooth movement.
When using larger step size, turn the MPG wheel at proper speed or wait for machine to finish
one step before making another click.
Turning MPG too fast and make too man steps will back up steps and the machine will
continue running for some time after MPG stops.
If a longer movement is needed, consider to use Velocit mode jogging.
2.2 Velocity mode : Axis moves at 0 to 100% of maximum axis speed based on ho fast
the MPG heel is turned.
2.2.1 Speed change sensitivity can be setup in PlugIn Configuration table.
2.3 Continuous mode : Axis moves at Slo Jog Rate. The axis movement is
independent to
the speed at hich the MPG is turned.
2.3.1 To avoid accidentally moving MPG and axis, steps to delay the start of axis movement can
be set in plugin configuration table.
The Slow Jog Rate can be changed using C% mode MPG or on Mach3 Screen.
2.4 Slow Jog Rate mode : Changes the speed used in Continuous mode. The
rate is displayed in Slo Jog Rate DRO (Digital Read Outs) on Mach3 Screen.
TAB screen or MPG screen will pop up if the TAB screen sta time is not set to 0 in PlugIn
Configuration table.
The TAB screen will close if the sta time is reached or if MPG mode is moved a mode other
than Slow Jog Rate mode.
2.5 Feed Rate mode : Changes feed rate overridden (FRO) rate from 1% to 250 %.
FRO rate can be changed hen axes are moving.

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III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
2.6 Spindle Speed mode : Changes spindle speed overridden rate from 1% to 250
%. Spindle speed can be changed hen the spindle is running.
3. E-Stop switch utton
Pushing do n E-STOP s itch button ill send out E-Stop signal to Mach3 application and in
turns to activate Emergency Mode in Mach3 application.
The button ill be locked do n hen pressed. T ist the s itch to reset it on.
PENDANT PLUGIN CONFIGURATION
In Mach3 menu, select Config, then Config PlugIns
In PlugIns menu, click CONFIG

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III
P1 Pendant Manual v. 3.2
•Number in is used to adjust the sensitivity of mode. The smaller the number, the
less turns are needed to reach maximum speed.
•Number in is the feed rate used in MPG step jogging. When MPG heel stops, the feed
rate and FeedRate Overridden rate (FRO) ill automatically change back to the number hich
as used before MPG moving. Input 0 is to use current FeedRate and FRO rate in the system
in MPG step jogging.
•Steps to Delay Start in is used to set up a step number. Axis starts to move only after that
many steps are turned from MPG heel.
•Number in TAB Screen Display Time in is to set up the TAB screen stay time in
seconds. The TAB screen ill close if the stay time is reached or if MPG mode is moved to a
mode other than mode. Put 0 to skip the TAB screen.
SPECIFICATIONS
 Work ith Mach3 R2.63 and above.
 36 steps (clicks) per Rev MPG.
 200,000 cycle life MPG.
 Shipped ith10' High Speed USB cable. Extendable to 15’ ith extension cable, and to 45’
ith USB hub cables.
 Size (over all) 5.1"(L) x 3.1"(W) X 2.1"(H)