7GREEN button — the go / confirm / start button (here Hold); other buttons are page-specific
Figure 00.1 — Every control screen shares this layout. Hover a number to link it to the screen (in the PDF, the yellow lines do the same).
How this guide works
Each section covers one screen, drawn as a diagram whose numbered call-outs are tethered to a key that names every icon, button and field. Photographs are the real pendant; the diagrams are faithful to it.
The two ways you control it
Control
What it is
Use it to
Touchscreen
The 2.8-inch display
Tap buttons & rows, drag to scroll, hold a jog arrow
Jog wheel
The aluminium handwheel
Jog the selected axis — like a machinist's wheel
No “press the wheel”, and no red/green keys on the case. The RED (stop / back) and GREEN (go / confirm) buttons are on the screen, along the bottom of every control page.
Safety & warranty. This pendant commands real machine motion and a hot soldering iron. Keep hands clear during motion and know where the machine's power switch / E-stop is. The station and this guide are provided as-is, without warranty of any kind; hjLabs.in is not liable for any loss, injury or damage arising from use. The pendant firmware is built on the open-source FluidNC / FluidDial projects (GPL v3) — see §14.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§00 Contents · 02
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
Quick reference
Quick reference — at a glance
Keep this page open while you learn. Everything here is explained in full later in the guide.
Touch gestures
Gesture
What it does
Tap
Press a button, or select a row
Double-tap
Open a file, or Go-to a taught point (in lists)
Drag
Scroll a long list
Hold
Keep jogging while you hold a jog arrow
Turn the wheel
Jog the selected axis — also adjusts a value / scrolls on some screens
On-screen buttons
Button
Convention
RED (left)
Stop · abort · back · reset
GREEN (right)
Go · confirm · start
‹ Back
Top-left — step back one screen, or reach Home
There is no press on the jog wheel, and no physical red/green keys — those are on the screen.
Machine states — the colour
State
Colour
Meaning
Idle
grey
Ready
Run
green
Running a job
Jog / Home
cyan
Moving / homing
Hold
yellow
Paused
Alarm / N-C
red
Stopped / not connected
Common tasks — at a glance
To…
Do this
Home the machine
Home tile ▸ Home All (§04)
Set work zero
Jog to the spot ▸ Φx/Φy/Φz or Φ ALL (§05)
Teach a solder job
Solder ▸ Teach ▸ +Point at each joint, Z = once (§07)
Check & run it
Solder ▸ Sim to preview, then Prog ▸ Run (§08–09)
Clear an alarm
Fix the cause, then UNLOCK (§03)
Update firmware
Settings ▸ Firmware Update (§13)
Before every job: switch on → wait for the controller to connect → Home the machine (§04) → jog to your part and set work zero (§05). Only then run a program.
If something looks wrong
You see…
Likely cause
What to do
Screen shows N/C (red)
Pendant can't reach the controller
Check the cable; power-cycle the controller, then the pendant
Nothing moves when you jog
No axis selected, or in Alarm
Tap a DRO row to select the axis; clear any alarm (§03)
Red MACHINE ALARM
A limit, e-stop or homing fault
Read the hint, fix the cause (e.g. jog off the limit), then UNLOCK (§03)
Load / Save greyed out
No SD card seen on the controller
The card is in the controller, not the pendant — check it's inserted (§06)
An axis jogs the wrong way
Axis direction inverted
Settings ▸ Axis Direction ▸ Flip This Axis (§11)
Solder joints too shallow/deep
Touch-Z not tuned
Adjust Touch-Z in Solder ▸ Sim; test on a scrap board (§09)
Screen won't dim
Backlight is fixed on this build
Normal — brightness is full-on on this wiring (§12)
Need a hand?
hjLabs.in support · +91 70165 25813 · [email protected] — quote your firmware version from Settings ▸ About.
Keep it updated
Firmware updates arrive over WiFi (§13). Ask hjLabs for the latest build for your station.
Handle with care
Keep hands clear during motion; the soldering iron is hot. Know where the machine's power switch is.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's ManualQuick reference · 03
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
01 · The pendant
The pendant, its controls & first boot
Meet the hardware — the touchscreen and the jog handwheel — and what happens the first time you power up.
Figure 01.1 — The touch pendant: a 2.8-inch touchscreen above a real industrial jog handwheel.
What is the pendant?
A compact 2.8-inch touchscreen with an industrial jog handwheel below it, on a cable to the machine's controller. It runs the whole station — homing, jogging, soldering, files, settings — with no computer.
The controls, exactly
Control
Action
Does
Touchscreen
tap / drag / hold
Everything: buttons, rows, scrolling, holding a jog arrow
Jog wheel
turn
Jog the selected axis — turn one way to go +, the other to go −
On-screen RED
tap
Stop · abort · back (bottom-left of control pages)
On-screen GREEN
tap
Go · confirm · start (bottom-right)
The handwheel turns only (it does not click), and there are no physical buttons on the case — everything else is on the touchscreen.
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1Connection Mode — the one-time question: how the pendant reaches the controller
2Wired — serial cable — the default for your station (selected, white dot)
3WiFi — reach the controller over your network instead
4Select — tap to confirm the highlighted choice
Figure 01.2 — First-boot Setup (appears only the very first time). Your station ships as Wired, so you normally never see this.
Turning it on
A short animated hjLabs splash plays, then the pendant goes straight to the Home menu. The very first time only, a one-time Setup screen asks how to connect:
Choice
Use it when
Wired
The pendant is cabled to the controller — the default.
WiFi
You want the pendant to reach the controller over WiFi.
You can change this later in Settings ▸ WiFi & Network. After the one-time choice the pendant always boots to Home.
Resistive touch: the screen responds to a firm, deliberate press (a fingertip or plastic stylus) — a light phone-style tap may not register.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§01 The pendant · 04
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
02 · Home & conventions
The Home menu & reading the machine
Home is where you always start. This page also teaches the two things on every screen: the state colours and the position readout.
Figure 02.1 — The Home menu (titled “hjLabs.in”). Tap any tile to open it; the highlighted tile's name shows in the centre.
Home — the main menu
Home is where you always start. Eight tiles ring the screen. Tap a tile to open it. Turning the jog wheel also moves the highlight.
If the cable is unplugged or the controller is off, Home shows a red “Pendant is NOT connected” notice and the tiles are inactive until it reconnects.
The DRO (position readout)
Every control screen shows one row per axis — a coloured letter and the live position. X is red, Y green, Z blue. Values are millimetres (or inches). The selected axis gets a green frame.
Turn the jog wheel to move the highlight around the ring without touching the screen; the centre label names the tile you're on.
Reading the state — the colour tells you everything
State
Looks like
Meaning
Idle
grey text
Ready — waiting for a command
Run
green text
Running a job / cycle
Jog / Home
cyan text
Manual jog / homing in progress
Hold
yellow pill
Paused (feed hold / door open)
Alarm
red pill
Stopped on a fault — must be cleared (§03)
N/C
red notice
Not connected to the controller
A state pill near the top of every control screen shows what the machine is doing. If you only learn one thing from this guide, learn these colours — green is running, cyan is moving, yellow is paused, red means stopped/needs attention.
Always Home the machine (§04) after switching it on, before running a job — until you do, positions are not yet referenced.
Three things you'll see on every control screen
State pill
Top-centre, colour-coded. It tells you at a glance what the machine is doing — running, moving, paused or stopped.
DRO rows
One row per axis with a coloured letter and the live position. The selected axis carries a green frame — that's the one the wheel jogs.
RED & GREEN buttons
Bottom corners of every control page: RED stops / backs / resets, GREEN goes / confirms / starts.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§02 Home · 05
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
03 · Status & alarms
Running a job & clearing alarms
The Status screen controls a running job; the Alarm screen appears whenever something stops the machine.
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1State — the live machine state — here Run (green)
2DRO — live position while the job runs
3Progress — how far through the file (percent) for SD jobs
4Override read-out — tap to cycle Feed → Spindle → Feed/Speed; turn the wheel to fine-tune (10–200%)
5E-Stop — stop everything immediately
6Hold — pause the job (becomes Resume when held)
7Rst Ovr — reset the override back to 100%
Figure 03.1 — Status during a run. Opens automatically when a job starts.
Status — running & pausing a job
When a job starts, the pendant shows Status: the DRO, a progress bar, and a live override read-out. The bottom buttons change with the state:
State
left (RED)
middle (GREEN)
right
Run
E-Stop
Hold
Rst Ovr
Hold
Quit
Resume
Rst Ovr
Jog
Jog Cancel
—
Back
Idle
—
—
Back
Turn the wheel during a run to fine-tune the shown override.
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1Banner — the red MACHINE ALARM header — appears over any screen
2Fault name — what went wrong (e.g. Hard Limit, E-stop)
3When — how long ago it happened
4Recovery hint — plain-language advice; drag to scroll if long
5UNLOCK — clear the alarm once it's safe — sends $X
6RESET — soft-reset the controller (0x18); re-home afterwards
Figure 03.2 — The full-screen alarm screen; it takes over the moment a fault occurs and won't leave until you clear it.
Alarms — how to clear them
If the machine faults (a limit switch, e-stop, or homing problem), the red MACHINE ALARM screen takes over, names the fault, and gives a recovery hint.
Understand why the alarm happened before clearing it. Clearing it does not fix the cause — a hard limit means an axis reached its physical end; jog it back first, then UNLOCK.
UNLOCK = $X (clear alarm). RESET = a soft-reset of the controller. After clearing a limit or homing alarm you usually re-Home (§04).
Running & recovering — the essentials
Colour tells the state
Green = running, yellow = held, red = alarm. The bottom buttons change with it — Hold becomes Resume once paused.
Trim speed on the fly
Tap the override read-out and turn the wheel to nudge feed / speed 10–200% mid-job — no need to stop. Rst Ovr snaps it back to 100%.
Clear alarms in order
Fix the cause first (e.g. jog off a tripped limit), then UNLOCK. Use RESET only if UNLOCK won't clear it — then re-Home (§04).
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§03 Status · 06
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
04 · Homing
Homing the machine & measuring the bed
Homing tells the machine where it is — always do it after power-on. The Measure tool captures each axis's travel.
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1Axis letter — turns green once that axis is homed
2Position — live machine position of the axis
3LS — limit-switch indicator — lights green while the switch is pressed
4HomeX / Y / Z — home just this axis ($HX …)
5Home All — home every axis — sends $H
6Measure — open the bed-size wizard (below)
Figure 04.1 — Home view (idle): one row per axis with a live LS pill and a per-axis home button.
Homing — find the reference
Homing drives each axis to its limit switch so the machine knows exactly where it is. Do this after every power-on. Open it from the Home tile, then tap Home All (or home one axis with its own button).
Press a limit switch by hand and watch its LS pill turn green — the quickest way to confirm the switches work. While homing is running, an E-Stop button appears to halt motion.
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1Guide line — the steps: home, jog to the far end, capture the ends
2meas — the travel the pendant has measured for this axis
3cfg — the value currently configured, for comparison
4− jog / jog + — nudge the axis (or use the wheel)
5step — tap to change the jog step (0.1 / 1 / 10 / 100 mm)
6Home — capture the home / limit end
7Set Lo — record the low end of travel
8Set Hi — record the high end — travel is |Hi − Lo|
Figure 04.2 — Measure (Auto Bed-Size); bottom bar: E-Stop · Clear · Done. This is how the station's bed size was set at the factory.
Measure — capture the bed size
The Measure button opens a guided wizard that records each axis's real travel:
Tap Home to capture the home / limit end.
Jog to each end (wheel, or − jog / jog +) and tap Set Lo / Set Hi.
Travel = |Set Hi − Set Lo|, shown as meas against the configured cfg.
Clear starts over; Done finishes.
Homing — the habits that keep you safe
Home after every power-on
Until the machine has homed, its positions aren't referenced. Make Home All the first thing you do — before jogging to a part or running a job.
One axis, or all
HomeX / HomeY / HomeZ home a single axis (handy after clearing a limit); Home All sends $H and homes every axis in sequence.
Measure is a factory step
Your station's bed size was captured with Measure at build time. You normally never need it — it's here so a switch or belt change can be re-measured.
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Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
05 · Jogging
Moving the machine & setting work zero
Jogging is how you drive the machine by hand — with the wheel, the on-screen pad, or the Z buttons — and set the origin for a job.
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1DRO row — tap a row to select that axis (green frame), then jog it
2Φx / Φy / Φz — zero that axis at the current spot — takes effect immediately
3Φ ALL — zero every axis at once
48-way pad — tap an arrow for one step; hold to keep moving
5Z+ / Z− — jog the Z axis up / down
6step row — how far each step / wheel-click moves: 0.01 · 0.1 · 1 · 10 mm
Figure 05.1 — The Jog screen. Match it to the real photo on the right.
Figure 05.2 — The real Jog screen and handwheel.
Jog — move the machine by hand
Open Jog to position the machine. Pick an axis by tapping its DRO row, then move it three ways:
Move with
How
The jog wheel
Turn it — the selected axis follows
The pad
Tap an arrow for one step; hold to keep moving
Z+ / Z−
The two green buttons jog Z up / down
The green step (0.01 / 0.1 / 1 / 10 mm) is how far one tap — or one wheel click — moves the selected axis.
Set work zero (the Φ buttons)
Each DRO row has a Φx / Φy / Φz button that zeroes that axis at the current position; Φ ALL zeroes everything. Work zero is the origin your job is measured from.
Zeroing takes effect immediately — there is no confirmation prompt, so be sure the axis is where you want the origin. And it sets the work origin, not machine home: Home first (§04), then jog to your part and zero.
Jogging in practice
Select, then turn
The wheel only moves the axis whose DRO row is selected (green frame). Tap a row first — turning the wheel does nothing until an axis is picked.
Tap steps, hold glides
One tap on a pad arrow moves exactly one step; press and hold to keep travelling. Drop to 0.01 mm for fine approach, 10 mm to cross the table.
Work zero ≠ machine home
Home (§04) references the machine to its limit switches; the Φ buttons set the job origin. Always home once after power-on, then set work zero per job.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§05 Jogging · 08
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
06 · Files & previews
Running files & previewing them
The Files browser opens G-code from the controller's SD card; Preview shows the code and a live 3D simulation before you run.
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1Path — the folder you're in on the controller's SD card
2n / N — position in the list
3File / folder — folders show “dir”; files show their size — tap to select, double-tap to open
4Load / Open — preview a file · enter a folder
5Up.. / Refresh — go up a folder · re-read the card
6Del — delete — asks to confirm first
Figure 06.1 — The SD-card Files browser.
Files — the SD-card browser
Browse G-code to open, preview, run or delete it. Drag to scroll; tap a row to select, double-tap to open.
The SD card is in the machine's controller, not the pendant. If the controller reports no card, Load / Save are disabled.
Del permanently removes the file (or a whole folder). It always asks Cancel / Delete first.
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1Line range — which lines of the file are shown
2G-code — the raw code — drag or turn the wheel to scroll
3Run — start the file (jumps to Status)
43D View — open the 3D simulation
Figure 06.2 — Preview: the raw G-code, to sanity-check a file before running.
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1Toolpath — a wireframe of the path — rapids vs cutting/soldering moves
2Gnomon — the X / Y / Z axis marker
3+ / Fit / − — zoom in · auto-fit · zoom out (drag to orbit; tap to flip top-down)
Figure 06.3 — 3D View: a real preview of the whole path before you run it.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§06 Files · 09
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
07 · Soldering — teach
Teaching & recording solder points
The heart of the station starts here: teach the pendant where every joint is. The next page (§08) turns those points into a job you can run.
4DRO — live position; tap a row to pick the axis, then jog
5Φ ALL — zero all axes (Φx/Φy/Φz per row also)
6Step — jog step: 0.01 · 0.1 · 1 · 10 mm
7Points list — every taught point — # then X Y Z; tap ✕ to delete one
8+Point — record the current X, Y as a new point
9Z = ‹value› — captures the live Z as the shared solder height
10Clear (trash) — clear all points
Figure 07.1 — Solder ▸ Teach. Jog to each joint and tap +Point; set the touch height once with Z =.
Figure 07.2 — The real Teach screen.
The soldering station
The Solder tile opens the soldering app — three tabs across the top (Teach, Prog, Sim) plus a full-screen Run. The foot pedal can start/pause a cycle from anywhere.
Teach action
How
Jog to a joint
Tap a DRO row, turn the wheel (step .01–10 mm)
Add a point
Tap +Point — records X, Y
Set touch height
Tap Z = — one shared Z for all points
Go to / delete
Double-tap a point to travel there; ✕ deletes
Teaching good points
Jog precisely over each joint and tap +Point — it records the current X, Y. Tap Z = once to capture the shared touch height used for every point. A stray point? Tap its ✕; Clr clears them all.
Do this
Why it helps
Teach in order
The job solders points 1→N in sequence — record them along a sensible path
One touch height
Z = sets a single Z for all joints; tune its depth later on the Sim tab (§09)
Double-tap to check
Double-tap a point to travel there and confirm the position before you build the job
Points, the shared Z and all parameters auto-save on the pendant — your work survives a power-off. When the points are in, open the Prog tab (§08) to frame, save and run the job.
The Prog tab collects your taught points into a job — check it with Frame, then solder every joint in order with Run.
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1Prog tab — build & run the program (you are here)
2Program — the loaded .nc name & point count — blank until you Teach or Load
3Point list — every point in run order (# · X · Y · Z, mm); tap a row to select it (blue ring), tap ✕ to delete one
4Goto — travel to the selected point at safe height — no solder (a dry-run of that joint)
5Solder — solder just the selected point
6Frame — trace the XY outline of all points at clearance — check reach before running
7Run — solder every point in order, full-screen (Hold or the foot pedal pause it)
8Clear — remove every point from the program
9Load — open a saved .nc program from the SD card
10Save — store the program as a .nc file (greys out with no card)
Figure 08.1 — Solder ▸ Prog: the taught points become a job. Frame to check reach, then Run.
Prog — build the program
The Prog tab turns your taught points into a runnable job. The list shows every point in run order; tap a row to select it, or its ✕ to delete it.
Action
What it does
Goto
Travel to the selected point at safe height — no solder; a dry-run of that joint
Solder
Solder just the selected point (one joint)
Frame
Trace the XY outline of all points at clearance — check reach & board position
Clear
Remove every point from the program
Run it — and keep it
Run solders every point in order on a full-screen page. Pause / resume with Hold or the foot pedal; Stop ends the cycle. Tune the depth & timing on the Sim tab first (§09).
Button
On the SD card
Load
Open a saved .nc program from the controller's card
Save
Store the current program as a .nc file (needs a card)
Frame before you run. Tracing the outline at clearance height is the cheapest way to catch a reach or origin mistake before the iron ever touches the board.
From points to a finished board
1 · Teach the points
Jog to each joint and tap +Point (§07); set the shared touch height once with Z =.
2 · Frame & dry-run
On Prog, tap Frame to trace the covered area and Goto to rehearse a joint — no solder, no risk.
3 · Run the job
Tap Run to solder every point in order. Pause with the pedal; fine-tune depth & dwell on Sim (§09).
The list is the program
Points solder in the order shown (1→N). To reorder, delete a point with its ✕ and teach it again; Clear wipes the whole list. A long list scrolls — drag it or turn the wheel.
Kept on the pendant & the card
Your points and parameters auto-save on the pendant and survive a power-off. Save also writes a portable .nc you can archive or reload later with Load (the SD card lives in the controller).
Before your first Run:Frame the job and Goto a point or two to confirm reach and height, and preview the timing on Sim (§09). During the run keep a hand near the foot pedal or Stop — the head moves and the iron is hot.
The Sim tab plays the whole job back in 3D while you tune the soldering parameters — then you run it from Prog.
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1Sim tab — the live 3D playback (you are here)
23D view — tool cone moving through travel → plunge → dwell → retract; drag to orbit
3Live head — if connected, an orange marker shows the real machine head
4Scrub bar — drag to seek anywhere in the job
5Play — play / pause / replay the simulation
6Speed — x1 · x2 · x4 · x16 playback speed
7Parameter list — scroll (drag/wheel), tap a row to select it
8− / + — change the selected parameter (hold to repeat); Defaults resets all
Figure 09.1 — Solder ▸ Sim: play the whole job back in 3D while you tune every parameter.
Sim — see it before you run it
The Sim tab plays your program back in 3D — a cyan tool cone moves through each point with elapsed / total time and a scrub bar. If the machine is connected, an orange marker shows the real head alongside the simulation.
Every parameter change updates the simulation immediately — tune the timing and heights here until they look right, then switch to Prog ▸ Run (§08).
During a Run, Pause / Resume hold and continue the cycle and Stop soft-resets; the foot pedal also toggles pause.
Soldering parameters — the full list
These control exactly how each joint is soldered. Sensible defaults are pre-set for your station; adjust only what you need. All values are on the Sim tab.
Parameter
Default
Range
Step
What it does
Free-Z mm
5.0
0 – 30
0.5
Safe travel height between points
Touch-Z mm
-1.0
-10 – 10
0.1
Height at the joint (the solder depth)
Feed s
0.5
0 – 5
0.1
Dwell while feeding solder
Preheat s
0
0 – 5
0.1
Pause on the joint before feeding
Anti-ooze mm
0
0 – 5
0.1
Retract wire after feeding
Feed type
TouchDown
—
cycle
Pre-solder vs touch-down feed order
Approach
plunge
—
cycle
plunge, or 45° from front / right / left / back
Safe-Z mm
5.0
0 – 50
0.5
Clearance height for framing / travel
Feeder S
1000
0 – 2000
100
Wire-feeder speed (spindle S)
Plunge mm/m
1000
0 – 10000
10
Down-feed rate to the joint
Settle s
0
0 – 5
0.1
Dwell after retract
Prime s
0
0 – 10
0.5
Pre-feed a little wire before starting
AntiOoze f mm/m
0
0 – 2000
50
Anti-ooze retract speed
Decimals
3
0 – 4
1
Decimal places in the saved G-code
Touch-Z is the height the iron reaches at each joint — set it carefully and test on a scrap board first.
Simulate first, then run for real
A software-only preview
The Sim tab plays your job in 3D with no machine motion. Scrub, replay and speed up (x1–x16) to inspect every travel, plunge and retract before committing.
Live parameter tuning
Change any value and the preview updates instantly. Dial in Touch-Z, dwell and feed until the motion looks right — the defaults suit your station, so adjust only what you need.
Then run it for real
Switch to Prog ▸ Run (§08) to solder the actual board. Hold or the foot pedal pause it; Stop soft-resets. Framing first (§08) confirms the area is clear.
Three quick job tools: change the tool, touch-probe a surface, and run saved macros.
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1Current Tool — the tool the controller currently has
2New Tool — the number you're selecting
3− — lower it
4+ — raise it
5T<n> — select that tool number
6M6 — execute the tool change
7M61Q<n> — just tell the controller the current tool
Figure 10.1 — Tools: pick a tool number and change it.
Tool change · Probing · Macros
Three quick tools reached from Home:
Screen
What it does
Tools
Select a tool and run an M6 tool change
Probe
A single-axis touch probe (below)
Macros
Run stored routines set up on the controller
Macros (park head, change wire, …) are configured on the controller — ask hjLabs to add routines for your workflow.
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1Parameters — tap a row to select: Offset, Max Travel, Feed Rate, Retract, Axis
2− / + — adjust the selected value (or turn the wheel)
3Retract — back the probe off
4Probe — start probing — G38.2 on the chosen axis
Figure 10.2 — Probe. Defaults: Offset 0, Max Travel −20, Feed 80, Retract 20, Axis Z.
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1n / N — which macro is selected
2Macro list — tap a row to select it
3Up / Down — scroll the list (or turn the wheel)
4Run — run the selected macro
5Preview — see the commands it will send
6Refresh — re-read macros from the controller
Figure 10.3 — Macros: one-tap routines stored on the controller.
Using these tools safely
M6 moves · M61 doesn't
M6 runs the physical tool-change routine; M61 Q<n> only tells the controller which tool is already loaded — no motion. Use M61 after changing the tip by hand.
Probe deliberately
Probe drives the chosen axis toward the surface at the set Feed until contact (G38.2), then backs off by Retract. Attach the probe clip and sanity-check Max Travel before you start.
Preview before Run
Macros run controller-side routines (park head, change wire …). Tap Preview to read the exact commands first; Refresh re-reads the list. Ask hjLabs to add routines for your workflow.
Two machine-setup screens: confirm each axis moves the right way, and verify the controller's wiring.
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1Axis picker — choose which axis to test (X / Y / Z …)
2Live position — the axis position as you jog
3Direction — current setting: normal or INVERTED
4Jog −5 — jog 5 mm one way to see which way it moves
5Jog +5 — jog 5 mm the other way
6Flip + Reboot — reverse this axis and restart the controller
Figure 11.1 — Axis Direction: confirm each axis moves the right way; flip it if reversed.
Axis Direction
In Settings ▸ Axis Direction, pick an axis, tap Jog −5 / +5 and watch the machine. If it moves the wrong way, tap Flip This Axis + Reboot — the pendant safely rewrites the controller's config and restarts it.
Flipping an axis reboots the controller; you'll need to re-home. Only change this if an axis genuinely jogs the wrong way.
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1Pin rows — each controller pin and its assignment (gpio.N / NO_PIN)
2Live dot — lights green when that switch is pressed — tap a row to edit the pin
3Reset Defaults — restore the factory pin map
4Apply + Reboot — save edits and restart the controller
Figure 11.2 — Pin Config: verify wiring (press a switch, watch the dot) or edit a pin.
Pin Configuration
Lists every controller I/O pin (limits, probe, control signals). Press a switch by hand and its green dot lights — the quickest wiring check. Tap a row to edit (number, active LOW/HIGH, pull-up), then Apply + Reboot.
Advanced screen. The row names are read live from the machine's config file, so on the real screen they read as the raw config keys (e.g. “axes X limit_all”, “control feed_hold”). Your station is pre-wired and configured — use Pin Config mainly to verify a switch, not to change pins, unless hjLabs guides you.
Two machine-setup screens — when to touch them
Direction is a one-time check
Once every axis jogs the correct way, you never open Axis Direction again — it only flips a single config flag and reboots. It won't move your work zero.
Green dot = wired right
In Pin Config, pressing a limit or probe switch lights its dot. No dot means a wiring, pin-number or polarity issue — the fastest field diagnostic before a job.
Leave the pins alone
Pin numbers, active LOW/HIGH and pull-ups are set at the factory for your machine. Change them only with hjLabs guidance — a wrong pin can silently disable a limit switch.
Comfort settings: how bright and which way up the screen is, and setting up the hands-free foot pedal.
1234
1Level — the current brightness percentage
2Bar — a visual level
3Presets — 25 / 50 / 75 / 100%
4± 5% / Back — fine adjust · return to Settings
Figure 12.1 — Brightness: presets, ± 5%, or turn the wheel.
Brightness & Display
Settings ▸ Brightness offers 3–100%; Settings ▸ Orientation rotates the screen (0/90/180/270°) and moves the button bar to suit how the pendant is mounted.
On this station's wiring the screen runs at full brightness (the backlight line is used for the debug link), so the brightness slider may not visibly dim the display. Orientation does take effect and is remembered.
1234
1Enable — toggle the pedal on / off (Start/Pause)
2Signal list — which controller input the pedal watches
3Live dot — press the pedal — the dot confirms the wiring
4Set Defaults — reset to the A-limit input
Figure 12.2 — Foot Pedal: enable it and pick its input; the dot shows the live state.
Foot Pedal
The pedal lets you start and pause a solder cycle hands-free. In Settings ▸ Foot Pedal, toggle it on and pick which controller input it listens to (default A-limit, gpio.32). Press the pedal and watch the row's green dot to confirm wiring.
Once enabled, the pedal pauses / resumes a running solder cycle from any screen. From a different screen, the first press opens the Solder page and the next starts the cycle — ideal when both hands are holding a board.
Comfort & mounting
Mount it any way
Orientation (0 / 90 / 180 / 270°) rotates the whole UI and moves the RED / GREEN button bar, so the pendant reads correctly however you hang or rest it.
Hands-free soldering
With the pedal on, both hands hold the board: tap once to start the cycle, again to pause. Watch the row's green dot to confirm the input before you rely on it.
Brightness is fixed here
On this station's wiring the backlight line drives the debug link, so the display stays full-on. The slider is saved but may not visibly dim — that's expected, not a fault.
How the pendant talks to the machine — and how to update the pendant itself over the air.
The pendant reaches the controller two ways. Your station ships Wired; change it only if you're moving to WiFi.
Wired
A serial cable — the default, and the most reliable. Nothing to configure.
WiFi
Over your network (TCP). Set the machine's WiFi from Settings ▸ WiFi & Network.
OTA update
Update the pendant's own firmware over WiFi from a browser — with a file from hjLabs.
12345
1Connection type — how the pendant links to the controller
2Wired — serial cable — the shipped default (green dot = active)
3WiFi — switch to a network link
4Close — cancel without changing
5Apply & Restart — commit — the pendant reboots if you changed it
Figure 13.1 — Transport: Wired or WiFi. (WiFi setup, scanning and joining a network are done from Settings ▸ WiFi & Network.)
12345
1State — Ready / Uploading / Complete
21. Join WiFi — connect your phone/PC to the open network hjLabs.in_Pendant
32. Open — browse to http://192.168.4.1 and upload the file
4Progress — upload percentage; it reboots itself when done
5Cancel — stop and restart
Figure 13.2 — OTA Update: update the pendant's firmware over its own WiFi hotspot.
To put the controller on WiFi, open Settings ▸ WiFi & Network — it scans networks and lets you type a password on an on-screen keyboard, then pushes the credentials to the machine.
Only run OTA with a firmware file supplied by hjLabs, and don't power off while it's uploading — it reboots itself when finished.
hjLabs.in · Touch Pendant Operator's Manual§13 Connectivity · 16
Touch Pendant · User Guide · v1.0
14 · System & support
Settings, About, licence & getting help
The Settings hub reaches everything; About tells you your version; and here's how the pendant is licensed and supported.
6About — firmware version, controller link speed & network diagnostics
Figure 14.1 — Settings: a grouped list. Tap a row to open it.
Settings & About
The Settings tile opens a grouped list (Connection · Machine · Display · System). About shows the firmware version, controller link speed and network details — handy when hjLabs support asks “what version are you on?”. (To reboot the pendant, use Settings ▸ System ▸ Restart.)
Group
Rows
Connection
WiFi & Network
Machine
Foot Pedal · Pin Configuration · Axis Direction
Display
Brightness · Orientation
System
Firmware Update · About · Restart
1234
1LOCKED — shown if the pendant isn't unlocked for this machine
2Password — masked entry
3Keyboard — type the password
4OK — validate — unlocks and continues to Home
Figure 14.2 — The LOCKED keypad. The pendant is licensed to your machine's hardware.
Lock, licensing & open source
Your station is licensed to its hardware. If the pendant is locked it boots to a LOCKED keypad and won't run until the correct password is entered. If you ever see this unexpectedly, contact hjLabs.in — it's tied to your machine.
