ncSender
Run your CNC from one clean screen.
ncSender is a cross-platform controller for grblHAL machines — a 3D visualizer, jogging, probing, tool management and plugins in one app, on the desktop or a touchscreen at the machine.
See it. Zero it. Run it.
A job is three steps that keep repeating. ncSender puts each one a tap away, and never makes you leave the screen to do the next.
Know what the machine is about to do before it does it.
The 3D visualizer renders the whole toolpath with the toolhead following along live. Top, side, 3D and split views, workspace markers, a tool legend per bit, and out-of-bounds detection that flags a job that won't fit before you press Cycle.
Zero the work with the probe you actually own.
Pick the probe, pick the corner on the picture, start. Every routine drives the probe to the reference and sets the workspace offsets for you — with a connection test first, so a mis-wired probe is caught before anything moves.
Run it, and keep your hands on the overrides.
Feed, rapid and spindle overrides live on the main screen. The DRO shows work and machine position side by side, with press-and-hold to zero an axis. Program events let a macro fire on start, pause, stop or tool change, and the G-code preview highlights the line being cut.
Pick up where it left off.
Start From Line resumes a job from any line: after a broken bit, a power blip, or to skip a section you have already cut. ncSender reads the program up to that point and shows the machine state it expects there, then sends a resume sequence that restores the tool, spindle speed, feed rate, units and coolant before the first move. Double-click a line in the G-code preview to start from it.
Hardware that shows up in the app, not in a driver menu.
Each accessory pairs to a single Wireless USB dongle, reports its own status, and updates its firmware from inside ncSender — over the cable when one is plugged in, over the air when it isn't.
Wireless USB
The gateway. One dongle on the host talks to every other accessory over ESP-NOW — no Wi-Fi setup, no router in the loop.
Pendant
A handheld with a screen and an encoder wheel. Jog, zero, probe, home and swap workspaces without walking back to the computer.
xProbe
A wireless touch probe and tool setter on one battery. Sleeps on its own, wakes when it touches something, tells the app its charge.
AutoDustBoot
A dust boot that lifts itself out of the way for probing and tool changes, then drops back down to cut.
Smart RGB LED
A light strip that follows the machine state — and tracks the spindle along X so you can see where it is from across the shop.
Get the hardware
Every accessory is built and sold by Francis Creation.
It speaks grblHAL, not standard Grbl.
ncSender uses grblHAL's extended protocol directly. On connect it asks the board what it is and what it can do, then builds the settings, alarms and controls around the answer instead of a one-size-fits-all table.
USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi
Serial over USB, or TCP and WebSocket for networked boards. Auto-connect finds the controller on its own and ignores Bluetooth and debug ports.
A settings editor that comes from the board
Groups, names, descriptions, units and valid ranges are read from the controller itself, so the editor always matches the firmware build and plugins you actually have.
Firmware info and flashing
Reads the build, board and enabled plugins from the controller. Flash a new firmware from inside the app, over DFU on STM32 boards or serial on others.
Alarms and errors, explained
Alarm and error descriptions are fetched from the controller, so a bare code shows up with the meaning your board assigns it and an Unlock button right beside it.
Realtime control
Feed hold, cycle start, jog cancel, overrides and coolant toggles are sent as grblHAL realtime bytes that skip the planner queue. Stop means now.
Live status, ten times a second
Position, state, feed and spindle, overrides, work offsets and the probe, limit and door pins come straight from grblHAL's status report, so the screen shows what the board sees.
Add what your machine needs. Skip what it doesn't.
Plugins install from inside the app and add their own screens, macros and G-code. Everything in the plugin registry today:
Rapid Change ATC
Automatic tool changes with a Rapid Change rack
Pneumatic ATC BETA
Single-output clamp and unclamp, TLS after home
Manual Tool Changer
Guided manual changes with tool length setting
Dynamic Tool Slot Mapper
Unlimited tool library on a limited magazine
QuickCut
Rectangles, circles, planer and jointer cuts without CAM
BoxJoints
Generate finger joints for woodworking
Replicator
Repeat a loaded job across a grid
3DMesh
Probe a surface and compensate Z to its shape
Edge Align
Probe an edge and rotate the G-code to match
Fusion 360 Tool Import
Bring in Fusion 360 tool libraries
G-code & grblHAL Reference
Look up commands and settings from the console
AutoDustboot
Retract the dust boot around tool changes
Dust Docker Dust Boot
Dock and retrieve a mechanical dust boot on M6
Pendant
Activate and update the wireless pendant
RGB LED BETA
Status lighting that mirrors the machine state
Free to run your machine. Pro when you run a shop.
Community
Open source. Everything you need to visualize, jog, probe and run a job.
Pro
Everything in Community, plus the features a production machine leans on.
Compare editions
Community runs your machine. Pro adds what a production shop leans on.
| Feature | Community | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Run your machine | ||
| 3D visualizer and G-code preview | ✓ | ✓ |
| Jog, DRO, macros and console | ✓ | ✓ |
| Probing — 3D probe, block, AutoZero, TLS | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tool library and program events | ✓ | ✓ |
| All accessories and plugins, including the tool changers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pendant support, wired and wireless | ✓ | ✓ |
| Updates | ||
| Update alerts and release notes | ✓ | ✓ |
| One-click install on Linux (Debian) | ✓ | ✓ |
| One-click install on Windows | Download yourself | ✓ |
| One-click install on macOS | Download yourself | ✓ |
| Pro features | ||
| 4th axis, laser mode, multi-workspace | — | ✓ |
| Safety Door Intelligence and Trace | — | ✓ |
| Keepout zones | — | ✓ |
| Vectric tool library import | — | ✓ |
| ncSenderOS — Raspberry Pi 5 kiosk image | — | ✓ |
| Virtual keyboard for touchscreens | — | ✓ |
| Deutsch, Français, Español, Русский, Italiano, Polski | — | ✓ |
| Licence | ||
| Source code | Open source | Commercial |
| Price | Free | $79.00 |
Both editions check for updates and show the release notes. On Windows and macOS, Community tells you a new version is out and you download and install it yourself; Pro installs it for you in one click and restarts. On Debian-based Linux, both install in-app.
Download it, plug in the controller, and jog.
Builds for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel) and Linux (x64 and ARM64), and a ready-to-boot Raspberry Pi 5 image for Pro.
ncSenderA CNC controller for grblHAL.
© 2026 Francis Creation. Community edition is open source under a dual licence; Pro is a commercial edition.