Wayne,
    I can't help you with your Ascension - I never even heard of it before.
    If your equipment is all powered off a single 110/120V (or 220/240V)  line, you could use a magnetic switch, of the kind used on most stationary power tools (table saws, band saws, etc.).  They're inexpensive (US$30-50), and provide the necessary action.  Pressing one button, or a line power outage, and everything will shut down, and not come back up until you press a different button.  Here's one example:  http://tinyurl.com/4kdjxh

Regards,
Ray L.

I have an Ascension 1000 controller from Alan at Custom-CNC.  He's out of biz now, but the product seems to work pretty well.  Its a breakout board with Gecko 201 drives and a power supply.  I wonder if it has an estop capacity that I'm not aware of. 

I do agree that whatever I do can't be a momentary switch.  The Estop I have has a mechanical interloc, so that it locks off until you twist it to release it.  But I have to agree that a relay that requires deliberate action to restart would be best.  I'll work that direction.  This is all very good input, and valuable to others as well I'm sure.

I'll see if I can find out if the board I'm using has an additional relay or can trigger a relay in this fashion.   Wish me luck finding some help with the Ascension controller. 

Thanks for the valueable insight.

Wayne C

Hi Wayne,

There are all sorts of ways to implement EStops, dependent on your setup and requirements. I don't now your electrical skills, but the link below is a good start. If you have any questions, ask away.

http://f1.grp.yahoofs.com/v1/cAzgSG0_KKwkSIgiLT8HDQi-7dMagE9I7KaCALI-sFTd73mLdws9Ycy6q3evSg6DYKLhVWH0jcVY8mg-CxgU-DpMwGpKmg/%20Circuits/Emergency%20stop.pdf

The file is in the Mach3 yahoo groups files directory under the circuits directory

Cheers,

Peter.