Using FluidNC? Check Out This Nifty CNC Pendant

There are many, many different CNC controllers out there to choose from. But for those of us who like open-source systems that we can tweak and hack, FluidNC firmware is ideal and a compatible controller is a great low-cost option. PiBot sells a FluidNC controller that costs less than $90 with stepper drivers and an ESP32 development board included. If you have that or another suitable FluidNC controller, you can use this nifty CNC pendant with it.

CNC pendants are a matter of personal taste. Some people can’t live without them, but other people don’t even bother. Personally, I really like pendants and think they’re very useful for tasks like probing and jogging when setting up a job.

But while CNC pendants for commercial machines tend to be absurdly expensive, the PiBot CNC Pendant V4.0 costs just $79.99. That’s pretty darn affordable, especially when it has features like a full-color capacitive touchscreen, a nice “industrial-grade” encoder, wired and Bluetooth connectivity options, three dedicated buttons, and two physical dials. This pendant is affordable because it uses off-the-shelf components and a 3D-printed enclosure.

The PiBot CNC Pendant V4.0 may work with other FluidNC controllers, but it is guaranteed to work with PiBot’s controller. You can connect it with an RJ12 cable for a tethered, battery-free experience. Or you can pop in an 18650 lithium battery and the provided Bluetooth modules if you’d prefer a wireless experience. Whichever you choose, the pendant’s functionality will be the same.

You will, of course, be able to use it with the FluidNC WebUI. But you may also be able to use it with other software, depending on what firmware you’re running (FluidNC, GRBL HAL, or GRBL1.1f). The table above, provided by PiBot, shows their controller's compatibility with popular software. The pendant already has FluidNC support and GRBL HAL support is coming soon.