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With a PC keyboard placed on one side of the mill, fine manual control of the machine can require some awkward reaching and stretching.

                              

Numeric keypads are available which can be used along with or in place of the standard PC keyboard, for example, the 4700 numeric keypad made by Cherry (RS Components stock number 341-1239). It has a long lead and can be hand-held when making manual machine movements. It has the same keys as the standard keyboard numeric keypad plus four additional keys.

The essential feature of this keypad is that, as well as being a normal numeric keypad, all the keys are programmable. All the keys must be programmed before this keypad is used with WELmill. Instructions are provided with the keypad on how to enter mode 4 and program it.

The number keys marked 0 to 9 must be programmed to give 0 to 9. The key marked Esc must be programmed to give Esc. It is suggested that the keys marked + and Enter are programmed to give Page Up (+Z) and Page Down (-Z) respectively. Four other keys must be programmed to give the four cursor key functions which control the X and Y axes. If the keypad is also used with WELturn, either do not put lettering on the arrow keys as shown above, or, have a dual lettering system.

Please note that this keypad does not support the rapid traverse three key safety combination of 0(Ins) plus .(Del) plus a movement key. It can only support 0(Ins) plus a movement key. You need to go to the Options menu, select Settings - Keyboard and there change the key combination. Please read the item in this file called PC Keyboards: Possible Problem.

Keyboard Protection
PC Keyboards: Possible Problem
Rapid Traverse Speed