Expatria Technologies jog controller for GRBLHAL2000 and Flexi-HAL boards
This jog controller was developed for the GRLBHAL20000 and Flexi-HAL boards. It is designed to be relatively inexpensive and simple to assemble. It needs minimal manual wiring and leverages 3d printable parts for assembly. The system consists of a small interface module that is installed on the Real-Time/I2C headers on the Flexi-HAL, plus a simple lighted button keypad that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico to send character commands to GRBLHAL and receive status information. This pendant relies on the modified I2C Keypad plugin that was extended by Expatria Technologies:
https://github.com/Expatria-Technologies/Plugin_I2C_keypad
The key features of the Jog2K:
- Immediate access to GRBLHAL jogging functionality and real-time commands
- DRO with selectable WCS
- Alternate button function macros
https://github.com/Expatria-Technologies/Mods-Accessories/tree/main/Expatria/Jog2K_Deluxe
Many of the buttons on the Jog2K have alternate functions that are accessed via the SHIFT/FUNCTION button. The XYZ jog buttons give access to the configurable macros. In the event that a 4th axis is enabled in GRBLHAL, the macro functions of the Z axis buttons are lost and the alternate function for those buttons changes to jogging the A axis.
When used with GRBLHAL, always ensure that "limit jog commands" is true and ensure that the soft limits are properly configured and enabled for your machine. There are 3 modes:
- Fast mode continuous jogging. Machine will jog at the $50 speed until it either travels the $55 fast jog distance or hits the machine limit
- Slow mode continuous jogging. Machine will jog at the $51 slower speed until it either travels the $54 slow jog distance or hits the machine limit
- Step jog mode. Machine will travel the $53 distance (or to machine limit) and stop. Usually this step is quite small so the $50 step jog speed isn't relevant, but it is still configurable.
Note that the machine will always stop any move if you lift the button. This can mean that at large steps with a slow speed it does not complete if you do not hold the button down.
The alternate fuctions for the Mist and Flood buttons control the current jog mode and rate. The Shift-Mist button toggles between Fast, Slow and step modes (these are configurable in IOSender). The Shift-Flood button will change the decimal place of the current jog mode.
The Shift-HOME function will toggle between the active WCS: G54, G55 etc.
The Shift-HOLD function will issue a soft reset to the controller. This is usually used as part of exiting the ESTOP state.
The Shift-RUN function will issue an Unlock command to the controller. This is usually used as part of exiting the ESTOP state. Note that this will stop any executing program or motion.
The HALT button has an alternate function which is to flip the OLED screen vertically. There is no standard orientation for these screens so if yours is upside-down after installation, simply activate the screen flip. The screen orientation is stored in NVM. The Jog2K should reset automatically around 2s after the command is issued.
It is easiest to configure the macros in IOSender.
Each macro is limited to 127 characters.
Some pre-release Jog2K systems used RJ45 connections, but all current and future releases will use USB-C connectors on both the Jog2K and the host interface module. It is cricitical that the correct USBC cable is used. Many USB-C cables do not have all of the conductors inside and these will not work with the Jog2k. Always use a cable that is rated for USB-C display (5 Gbps data transfer). An Oculus Link cable is commonly available and works well. These cables also have the advantage that they are usually high quality and well shielded.
Please note that on A4 and earlier revisions of the PCB, e-marker cables do not work.
The Jog2K uses an RP2040 microcontroller that has an integrated UF2 bootloader. To enter bootloader mode, the Jog2K must be connected to a PC via the HID USB port. Hold the BOOTSEL button while connecting the Jog2K, or else hold the BOOTSEL button while pulsing the RESET button to enter UF2 mode. The Jog2K will appear as a USB drive with the label "RPI-RP2" and then drag the UF2 file onto the drive.
Most users choose to assemble the Jog2k Deluxe edition of the mechanical design. These are a series of community updates that increase the polish and legibility of the Jog2K.
Upon receipt of the Jogger, the small interface module should be snapped off from the main PCB if it is not already. This module is installed on the 5 and 4 pin QWIIC/I2C headers on the GRBLHAL2000 or Flexi-HAL board. The reason the module is included with the Jog2K is due to part availability challenges. Different interface designs may be used as parts go in and out of stock, and therefore the interface module is included to ensure compatibility.
In addition to the interface module, the Jog2K requires a 0.96 or 1.3 inch I2C OLED screen. The current A6 revision of the board uses a discrete RP2040 MCU. If you wish to use the older board based on the Pi Pico, the A5 files are archived.
Ensure that your oled screen pinout matches the pinout labelled on the jogger PCBA.
Once the PCBA is fully assembled simply print the buttons in clear PETG so that the neopixel functions are visible. The shift, coolant and override buttons are not backlit and can be printed in black or other suitable colors. For these functions, there are lightpipe models provided. Finally there are two smaller buttons for BOOTSEL and RESET.
Originally the Jog2K was designed to be used with a 0.96 inch OLED screen that was mounted to the PCB. However, thanks to the PrintNC community, a new 3d printed enclsoure was developed that allows for the use of a 1.3 inch OLED that is mounted directly the the front panel. This results in a significantly more readable display and is a massive upgrade over the original screen. However, this means that some manual assemlby and soldering is required. Updated STLs are in the Jog2K Deluxe folder in the Mods & Accessories repo.
This project uses components from the very helpful actiBMS library for JLCPCB SMT parts.