DIY CNC MPG

An MPG, or Manual Pulse Generator, is a handheld device commonly used in CNC machining to control the movement of a CNC machine's axis. It allows the operator to manually control the machine's motion during setup or troubleshooting, offering precise and incremental adjustments to the machine's position. Typically, an MPG consists of a control wheel (also known as a handwheel or jog wheel) and buttons for selecting the desired axis and step size.

The primary purpose of an MPG is to provide an intuitive and user-friendly way for operators to interact with the CNC machine. By rotating the control wheel, the operator can move the selected axis in small increments, allowing for accurate positioning during setup, testing, or fine-tuning operations. This manual control can be particularly helpful when aligning tools, setting work offsets, or verifying CNC programs.

In the context of our custom CNC MPC, the MPG functionality is incorporated by using the replacement encoder as the control wheel, while the Arduino microcontroller acts as a keyboard for sending commands to the computer. This unique combination offers a DIY solution to achieve precise control and an intuitive user interface for your CNC machining tasks.