A dpCREATOR CNC setup has three parts: the controller board, the SmartTabUI pendant and the firmware on both. This page shows how they connect and where to read next.

SmartTabUI pendant on a workbench during a job
The SmartTabUI pendant during a job: machine position, the FEED, RAPID and SPND overrides, and Hold and Abort.

The parts

PartWhat it doesConnects to
dpCREATOR R2/R3 controllerRuns FluidNC 4.1.1 on an ESP32-S3 (16 MB flash, 8 MB PSRAM). Drives up to 4 axes (X, Y, Z, A) with step/dir outputs, reads limit switches and probe, controls the spindle.PC over Ethernet (W5500), Wi-Fi or USB · pendant over UART1 · VFD over RS485
SmartTabUI pendantTouchscreen with handwheel (MPG) and E-stop at the machine: jog, zero, run jobs, recover interrupted jobs, adjust Z while cutting.Controller UART1, wired, 1 Mbaud
dpCREATOR WebUIRuns on the board, installed from the Flash Firmware page (included with the R3): 3D toolpath view, DRO, jog, files, macros, job history, console, Centre Finder, Record & Retrace and Offcuts → DXF. The free firmware also has the stock FluidNC page.Any browser on your network: http://fluidnc.local or the board's IP
SmartTabUI pendant running a jobdpCREATOR WebUI running the same job
The SmartTabUI pendant and the dpCREATOR WebUI show the same job: what you start on one appears on the other.

How a job flows

  1. Copy G-code to the board's SD card (WebUI upload or the SD card network drive).
  2. The board builds a .viz toolpath preview for the pendant automatically.
  3. Prepare the file in the WebUI or on the pendant — both show the same part.
  4. Run from either one. Hold, live Z adjust, rewind and Stop work from both.
  5. If the job is interrupted (E-stop, alarm, power loss), the board offers to restart it from a safe line.

Read next