Introduction: GRBL CNC Joystick Pendant

So you have built a nice GRBL controlled CNC machine but want to control it remotely without a keyboard. This instructable will show you the simple steps to using a usb joystick of your choice to control your machine.

Step 1: Download Required Software

I use GRBL Panel for my machine control GUI. This program has the ability to control the machine with the keyboard. it can be downloaded on github. The other software that is required is called AntiMicro. It can be downloaded on github as well. Antimicro allows you to map joystick buttons to keyboard strokes. grbl panel has a list of key strokes in the wiki portion of the github page.

Step 2: Find a USB Joystick You Would Like to Use

I had a Logitech F310 joystick laying around and this gives me plenty of buttons for controlling the machine but you could use any usb joystick. once you install Antimicro and plug in the USB joystick, the joystick will show up in Antimicro. from there you can map buttons of your joystick to the keyboard. if you press a button on your joystick it will highlight in antimicro so you know what buttons do what. when you click the button of the joystick in antimicro, a keyboard will show up and allow you to choose what key you would like to map to.