A push-to-lock stop button made for Genmitsu's 3018-PROVer and 3018-MX3: slap it and the controller halts the job, then a software reset brings the machine back once the button is released.
Every 3018 job has a moment where something goes wrong faster than a mouse can reach the pause button. A bit grabs, a clamp lets go, or a zero set in the wrong place sends the spindle into the bed. Genmitsu's E-stop puts a large push button on the bench that halts the controller with one slap.
The design choices are the ones a machine stop should have:
The contacts are rated 250V AC at 5 A and the body carries an IP54 rating, which covers dust and splashes. On a 3018 it carries only a low-voltage signal to the board, so the rating is headroom rather than a working load.
For the two machines it names, fitting one is among the cheapest safety steps on the 3018 upgrade list.
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Part number | 101-60-388 |
| Switch type | Push button, push to stop and lock |
| Reset | Via the control software after the button is released |
| Contact type | Normally closed (NC) |
| Wire colours | Red: NC; black: COM |
| Contact rating | 250V AC, 5 A |
| Circuit | 1-way, single position |
| Contact material | Copper |
| Lead length | 20 cm |
| Connector | 2.54 mm pitch, 2-pin, crimped |
| Mounting | Snap-in |
| Ingress protection | IP54 |
| Dimensions | 3.46 × 2.83 × 1.54 in |
| Compatible machines | Genmitsu 3018-PROVer, 3018-MX3 |
| In the box | 1 Genmitsu E-stop |
The button earns its keep in a handful of familiar failures. Most happen in the first minute of a job, when a wrong setting meets real material. Knowing what each one looks like makes the reach for the button automatic.
| What happens | Material | Why stop at once |
|---|---|---|
| Bit squeals and chatters, chips turn to dust | 6061 aluminium, brass | Next comes a snapped bit or a gouged bed |
| Blank shifts under the cutter | Plywood, MDF | Every later pass lands in the wrong place |
| Chips weld into the slot | Cast acrylic | Heat builds, the bit clogs and can break |
| Spindle plunges below the stock | Any, after a bad Z zero | The spoilboard, or worse the bed, is next |
| Cable snags on the gantry | Any | A pulled lead can stall an axis mid-cut |
After a stop, the machine no longer knows exactly where it is. An abrupt halt in mid-motion leaves GRBL unable to vouch for its position, since the motors may have skipped as they stopped. Recovery follows the same pattern every time:
Work offsets are worth saving for that reason. GRBL keeps G54 to G59 offsets in memory, so a machine with homing can return to the same stock corner after a stop without a fresh touch-off. Without limit switches, re-zeroing by eye or with a probe is the only way back.
Feed rates that keep aluminium and acrylic out of the first rows are collected in what a 3018 cuts.
Fitting takes minutes. The lead plugs into the E-stop header on the PROVer or MX3 control board, and the button snaps into a mounting hole or a bracket. Placement matters more than wiring: the button must be the first thing a hand finds.
Three practical notes from the fitting:
Model-by-model differences between Genmitsu boards are set out on the Genmitsu 3018 page.
A single E-stop suits a PROVer or MX3 that already has limit switches, or an owner who wants the stop before anything else. Where switches and a probe are also missing, a kit covers all three in one order. On non-Genmitsu frames, a kit made for that board family fits better.
| Option | Machines | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| This Genmitsu E-stop | 3018-PROVer, 3018-MX3 | A plug-in NC stop, 20 cm lead |
| Genmitsu Essential Accessories Kit | 3018-PROVer, PROVer Mach3, MX3 | E-stop, Z probe and six limit switches |
| CNCTOPBAOS switch and E-stop kit | 3018-PRO, Pro-Max, Plus | Six switches and an E-stop on 80 cm leads |
| Genmitsu limit switches | 3018-PROVer, MX3 | Homing and hard limits, no stop button |
Before ordering, check:
A stop button protects the bit, the stock and the bed, and it costs less than any of them. It also changes behaviour at the bench: with a stop in reach, a first plunge into brass or a new feed in acrylic feels like a trial rather than a gamble. For a PROVer or MX3 owner it is a small part with a large effect on confidence at the bench, especially in the first months of cutting harder materials.
Pair it with limit switches later and the machine gains homing too. With both fitted, a stopped job restarts from a known machine zero instead of a guessed one.
No. It signals the control board to stop. For a full power cut, use a switched power strip as well.
Release the locked button, reset the controller in software, clear the alarm, then re-home or re-zero before restarting.
Red is NC and black is COM; the 2.54 mm 2-pin plug fits the E-stop header on PROVer and MX3 boards.
Genmitsu designed it for the 3018-PROVer and 3018-MX3. For 3018-PRO boards, check for an E-stop header or use a kit made for that frame.