Genmitsu MPG Handwheel Controller

Genmitsu's version packs that into a black pendant with a metal wheel. The encoder behind the wheel gives 100 pulses per full turn, so each detent is one small, repeatable step.

• Wheel: metal, with a 100 PPR encoder.
• Multiplier: X1, X10 or X100, which scales how far each click moves the axis.
• Pace: the axis also follows how fast the wheel spins, so a quick flick covers distance and a slow turn creeps.
• Axes: X, Y and Z, one at a time.
• Setup: no software driver; it plugs into the machine's controller board and works.

Why bother, when a sender like Candle already has jog buttons? Keyboard jogging moves in fixed jumps and reacts after a delay over USB. A wheel responds immediately and stops the moment the hand stops, which is what matters when a 1/8-inch bit is a hair away from a finished face.

At 0.83 kg the pendant sits steady on the bench while the wheel turns. The Genmitsu 3018 entry covers which of the brand's machines carry the matching board.

The usual routine uses the multiplier as a coarse, medium and fine control. The high setting crosses the bed quickly, the low one closes the last fraction of a millimetre.

1. Select X at X100 and spin the wheel to bring the bit near the left edge of the blank.
2. Drop to X10 and move until the bit is about a paper's thickness away.
3. Switch to X1, start the spindle, and click one detent at a time until the flutes just kiss the edge.
4. Zero X in the sender, add the bit's radius as an offset, and repeat on Y.
5. For Z, lower onto a slip of paper at X1 until it drags, then zero.

A touch probe does Z faster, and many owners use both. The probe handles tool changes; the wheel handles edges, bores and anything the probe cannot reach.

• Re-clamping: after flipping a part for a second side, the wheel lets the bit pick up an existing pocket wall by eye.
• Squaring a vise: run a dial indicator along the jaw with slow X moves and tap the vise straight.
• Tramming the spindle: sweep Z by tiny amounts while checking the bit against a gauge block.

Maple, walnut and other hardwoods reward this care. A few tenths of a millimetre of edge offset shows up as a lopsided border on a sign.

The common thread is the controller board. These machines use Genmitsu boards with a port for the handwheel, so the pendant connects and works without drivers or firmware changes.

On a supported machine the steps are short. Power the machine off, plug the pendant into the handwheel port on the board, power up, and the wheel takes over jogging whenever it is used.

• Cable routing: run the lead away from the spindle cable to keep electrical noise off the encoder signal.
• Mounting: a magnet or a hook on the frame keeps the pendant from sliding off the bench.
• Unsupported board: a non-Genmitsu 3018 needs a different route, such as keyboard jogging or an offline controller with buttons.

The PROVer Mach3 stands apart from the other two, since it runs Mach3 software rather than GRBL. The pendant still plugs into the machine's board rather than the PC, so the connection works the same way on all three frames.

For owners without a matching board, the upgrade order entry suggests which controller parts change jogging and zeroing most.

An offline controller runs G-code from a card and jogs with buttons. A Wi-Fi module sends files from a phone. The handwheel does neither; it gives fine, tactile control over where the bit sits.

For most PROVer V2 owners the order is offline controller first, handwheel second. Running jobs away from the computer changes the daily routine more than finer jogging does. Genmitsu names both for the PROVer V2, so the pendant can join later without replacing anything already fitted.

• Pick the handwheel if parts often come off the machine and go back on for second operations.
• Pick it for aluminium and brass work, where edge location matters more than in soft wood.
• Skip it if every job starts from a probe and a fixed corner stop.

Check the machine model, confirm the board has the handwheel port, and leave room on the bench beside the frame. The pendant earns its space for owners who treat the 3018 like a small mill; for pure sign-carving it often sits in a drawer.