Rugged touch interface for CNC mill/lathe

[CNCModeller]

Hi All,
Starting to think about switching my CNC Mill and Lathe over to Duet / RRF so was thinking about a rugged touch interface as they are both in the workshop / garage.

I currently run two Panasonic cf-m34 tough books with SSD upgrades running Windows 98. They just work with the denford control boxes and software as they have hardware rs232 ports and it's all from the same period, circa 1999. I guess I could continue using them via IE as a first option but that'd mean running network cables to them as they don't have WiFi.

Next thought was some form of rugged screen for a raspberry pi using an SBC setup. I can't find much in the way of low cost rugged touchscreens though.

Next was a newer Panasonic tough book tablet like the cf-d1 converted via cloudready to chrome OS. I've just installed it on a 2007 iMac with an SSD upgrade and it's gone from being useless to brilliant for internet browsing, Netflix, YouTube, etc.

I've already got a Arduino based pendant sorted so that's in hand.

Not sure what else to consider, so thought I would ask the community. Any constructive thoughts would be much appreciated!

All the best
Barry M

[oliof]

@cncmodeller Diabase has a fork of the paneldue firmware to work as pendant including a rotary encoder. It's a bit behind the upstream PanelDue release train, so I am not sure if it works with the latest releases of RRF ...

[jay_s_uk]

@oliof it works with 3.3 and there's no reason it shouldn't work with 3.4

[rjenkinsgb]

For a bombproof touchscreen, an old touchscreen toughbook laptop/tablet is unbeatable.

They have a very hard protective layer, while conventional touchscreens are usually quite fragile.
(Using toughbooks since the CF-27, whenever that was, & every model since).

This may just be a small hobby machine and it's up to you, but do note that touch controls for axis movements or starting cycles etc. are extremely frowned on in industrial machine tools, as you cannot be looking at the tool & job then operate the controls by feel - you have to look at the screen rather than the job. Physical buttons that can be identified by feel avoid accidents.

[jay_s_uk]

@rjenkinsgb I have my paneldue in a handheld box with the encoder so I can look over the job and move the head around without looking away

[CNCModeller]

@rjenkinsgb agree, that's why I will be using a pendant too. I'm hoping to have some additional hard keys as you suggested just not sure how to implement them yet. Possibly additional pendant buttons sending commands as per the DIY one on the forum that connects via the panel due interface.