Seems I remember this from the past, but.....I have a linear A axis, in my case the knee of my BP clone. I cannot jog A with any keyboard key selection. Is this by design, or perhaps there's something I need to set somewhere to get it to Jog A with keyboard keys? Maybe something with how I have it set in the Keyboard Plugin config? It jogs fine with my VistaCNC P2-S pendant. And in Mach3 it jogs with keyboard keys.

Thanks,
Tom

Hello Tom,

In Mach4, go to Config>Plugins>Keyboard Inputs and you can Add the keyboard shortcuts to jog your A axis. Name it whatever you'd like in the first column, assign a key, then assign the function from the dropdown in the right-most column. Let me know if this helps!

-Bryanna

Yep.  We use 4th Axis on our mills.  We have to setup the Keyboard buttons every time we get a new mill going.  Its very easy to do just as Bryanna has said.

I have it setup like Bryanna said. I must not have something right because I've tried different key combos and nothing makes the A axis job. I'll try adding the A+/A- again. Is there a way to remove one?

I'll be back with a screenshot when I get a chance to get to the machine and check it out and can't get it to work. Actually, I'll be back either way to post what I had wrong or what I had to do to get it working.

Thanks!

I can't get it to work. I'll attach a screenshot. I've tried several key combos, nothing.

How would one delete one of these entries, so I can try by adding the A again?

Tom

Hi,
I see that your two keys don't cause any function to run, thus I assume that you have defined A+ and A- to do something
or otherwise connect to the core?

Craig

If by that you mean is my A axis working, yes. It works and jogs with my pendant.

But, if you mean I don't have anything selected in the rightmost column, notice nothing shows up in X or Y or Z and they jog with the keyboard. So what function do I pick in the right column to get the A to jog like the other 3 axes?

One note, this profile/screen setup has come along with several Mach4 versions, XYZ have jogged all along, but not A.

Tom

Tom,

I am not sure why you can keyboard jog without a function assigned to the key, but if it's not broke let's not fix it. To fix your A axis not jogging, you can map whatever key you'd like to use and choose A+ Jog and A- Jog from the dropdown, or any of the A-related functions in the list. I've included a screenshot of the settings I have in the keyboard input settings window that allow me to jog my A axis. Try that and let me know if 1.) the DROs for the A axis change when you jog and 2.) if your motor actually moves as it is supposed to.

I tried exactly that last night. No A movement and no DRO movement, and no flashing LED on my control panel (from PMDX-126) indicating step pulses flowing. The screen does "grey out" same as when pressing other jog keys. I tried different keyboard keys and I tried different selections in the function box, nothing. What I hate is having to restart Mach4 every time I change this keyboard setup before it'll work.

What I did NOT try is a different keyboard!!! I'll try that tonight when I get back to the machine. I have a little Tormach keyboard which SHOULD be nothing more than a USB keyboard, an ASCII key press should be an ASCII key press. I DON'T have a Tormach machine, I have a home CNC'd BP clone.

And, yeah, I, too, have no idea why my X, Y, and Z jog fine with nothing in the function box and I'm afraid to PUT something in the function box for fear those will stop working, too!!!

Like I said, this was brought along from a version last April, now to 3418 or whatever the current version is on the web site. I DO believe I couldn't jog A back then either, but COULD always jog X, Y, and Z with the keyboard. And......I can Gcode command the A and I can jog the A with my VistaCNC P2-S pendant.

**Edit***

Just thinking about this, I tried a Shuttle Pro last year and didn't like it. Removed the plugin, but it almost seems I saw something about Shuttle Pro is Mach settings recently. Could something like that do this?

Tom

Not the keyboard, tried two different ones. Not the Shuttle thing I saw, which was in MPG and disabled.

Here are two screenshots, the keyboard setup and the Mach Inputs. Are these conflicting somehow, or is this correct?

Otherwise, still stuck, can't jog A with the keyboard. And, still, XYZ jog fine with the keyboard.