BobWarfield
07-27-2010, 11:55 PM
No Internet connection out by your CNC? No worries, iPad can go WiFi or 3G cell connection. And, it can even access your PC, which opens up a bunch of cool possibilities:
- Use the iPad as a full-featured Mach3 pendant.
- Access software like G-Wizard so you can check your feeds and speeds or do a quick calculation right at the machine.
- Make a quick tweak to your CAM program on the machine in the other room, fire up the DNC and ship the new file to your CNC right from your iPad.
- Read and respond to the latest controversial HSM posts with one hand resting near the "Big Red Button," just in case.
Find out how I did it here:
CNCCookbook: An iPad Pendant for Mach3 (http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCiPad2PC.html)
and you'll soon be doing this:
http://www.cnccookbook.com/img/CNCCookbook/iPad/Little.jpg
Sorry for the somewhat blurry photo, it was dim in my office and I was excited. That's the new Mach Standard Mill screen set running on the iPad.
More testing needed, but for circa $12 (well, sans the cost of the iPad, you but you wanted to get one and write it off as a business expense anyway, right?), this is pretty cool. The biggest issues so far is you have to double tap the "mouse" just right to start a program, and there are no arrow keys, which Mach3 uses for jogging. Just need a slightly updated screenset to optimize for the iPad.
A lot of folks don't like to run the Internet on their Mach3 machine, or may not have Internet in the shop. Here's your chance to access the Internet and your PC software right at the CNC.
Cheers,
BW
- Use the iPad as a full-featured Mach3 pendant.
- Access software like G-Wizard so you can check your feeds and speeds or do a quick calculation right at the machine.
- Make a quick tweak to your CAM program on the machine in the other room, fire up the DNC and ship the new file to your CNC right from your iPad.
- Read and respond to the latest controversial HSM posts with one hand resting near the "Big Red Button," just in case.
Find out how I did it here:
CNCCookbook: An iPad Pendant for Mach3 (http://www.cnccookbook.com/CCiPad2PC.html)
and you'll soon be doing this:
http://www.cnccookbook.com/img/CNCCookbook/iPad/Little.jpg
Sorry for the somewhat blurry photo, it was dim in my office and I was excited. That's the new Mach Standard Mill screen set running on the iPad.
More testing needed, but for circa $12 (well, sans the cost of the iPad, you but you wanted to get one and write it off as a business expense anyway, right?), this is pretty cool. The biggest issues so far is you have to double tap the "mouse" just right to start a program, and there are no arrow keys, which Mach3 uses for jogging. Just need a slightly updated screenset to optimize for the iPad.
A lot of folks don't like to run the Internet on their Mach3 machine, or may not have Internet in the shop. Here's your chance to access the Internet and your PC software right at the CNC.
Cheers,
BW