P1A-S CNC MPG Pendant for Mach3, Mach4, LinuxCNC,PathPilot, UCCNC

I bought one of these 2 years ago and it works very well on my Mach4 controlled router..Installation was very easy too.This pendent is as basic one. Basic in as sense that it only allows you to jog the machine around which is all I need but more advanced models will have cycle start, feed hold, spindle start etc. but I decided that having those features in a pendent are unnecessary for me.It's been a great addition for a CNC machine

If you are interested in seeing a demonstration of the functionality of the pendant, checkout the numerous videos on YouTube. I bought the pendant to replace a Shuttle Pro I have used for years to control a Sherline Lathe and Mill CNC conversion running Mach3. Installation of the pendant was plug and play. I had it up and running in less than 5 minutes. Ergonomics are such that it is easy to hold the pendant and access selector knobs and the rotary encoder wheel. The E-Stop switch is easy to reach and is a twist to reset design. The USB cable is more robust than a typical USB cable, has good strain relief at the pendant end, and is expected to holdup well in a shop environment. The plastic enclosure is solid, but I recommend buying the protective boot to provide that layer of extra protection in the event of a fall from the bench. I find the LCD display to be very useful. In addition to pendant setup information, the LCD can provide real-time information on axis position and RPM. With three modes for moving an axis it is easy to accurately position an axis. You can even zero an axis and switch Mach3 screens without having to go to the keyboard.In addition to the quality of the pendant I was pleased with the technical support provided by VistaCNC. Responses to my questions were prompt and professional.

I have used this on my CNC with Mach 4 and I just now switched over to UCCNC and it works with it also.

I bought a CNC converted knee mill and needed a pendant for it. You know, once you've run machines with pendants, trying to do it without one is pretty inconvenient. I did a whole bunch of excruciating research on CNC pendants, couldn't decide, went with this one on a leap, and was not disappointed. It was dead easy to install, responsive, and configuration is very simple. It actually worked satisfactorily right out of the box without any configuration at all. I was worried about the controls being laggy because I'd read about people having that problem with some of the other brands, especially the wireless ones. I can't speak for them but I can say this one works great, just like the ones on the "real" CNC machines. I opted for this particular model because it had a MPG wheel, a screen, and wasn't overloaded with features. I also liked the fact that it had rotary switches and none of the features required holding one button like a shift key while pressing another to get an alternate function. I especially like the "velocity" function where you can jog at various speeds controlled by how fast you spin the MPG. It lets you rush up on something and then slow right down to a creep as you approach it without having to stop and change the step size. Good for setting up with an edge finder. Also, if you're going to do some simple machining and don't need to write a program, you can use the "constant" function to sort of set a feed rate. Jog into position, switch to constant, and then jog as normal to do your cut but you don't have to pay close attention to how fast you're turning the wheel. I'm 100% satisfied with my decision to purchase this one. I had originally thought I might want to just spring for the top of the line model with a bigger screen and a bunch of program manipulation type features like feed hold, pause, single block, etc. but, after thinking about it, decided I just didn't need to do all that stuff from the pendant. You may be different but, for me, the pendant is about two things: Doing work piece setup, where you need to be able to do fine positioning of the machine with your face close to it where you can see, and using it for quick manual operations. Having all that other functionality on there just would have made it more unwieldy and harder to be smooth and positive with. One other thing I did was get the optional 16 foot coiled cable. I recommend doing this because you can feel the coils stretching without having to look and this might save you from accidentally unplugging it at the wrong moment. It will also help prevent you from accidentally yanking it with full force if you trip on it or snag it on something, possibly damaging the USB port in the computer. I hope this review helps someone make a decision. It literally took me a year before I was ready to part with $200 but I do not regret it at all.