# Controlling output 38 **URL:** \ **Category:** General Chat\ **Created:** [August 2, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403 "2026-08-02T21:25:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PaulC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@PaulC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/PaulC)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2026, 9:25pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/1 "2026-08-02T21:25:01Z")
I have an avid ex servo machine to which I added an ether1616 board to get a few more outputs. I figure there would be some way to go from gcode to relay but I can’t figure out how to do it. I have output 38 set up to control my dust collector. The cnc12 documentation says that m94/38 should do the trick but it also says that m94/3 should control output 3 (relay 1) but m94/63 is what avid uses to control output 3 so I am guessing that avid has co-opted the m94/m95 commands. I have tried m94/98. Does anybody know how to do this? Thanks Paul ---
**Author:** ![MichaelR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@MichaelR](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/MichaelR)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/2 "2026-08-03T03:03:55Z")
If you’re not using flood coolant you can go into the Acorn wizard and assign “router dust collection” to the Ether1616 output for your dust collection. You can then start / stop dust collection with M8 / M9. If for some reason you are using M8 for flood you can map a generic Output1-8 to that output and call on/off using M61-M68 / M81-M88. ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/eric/32/3220_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 1:56pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/3 "2026-08-03T13:56:38Z")
This is a great solution, there are also dedicated Dust Collector outputs you can assign as well, I don’t know off the top of my head if there’s an M Code associated with them (I believe there is) Barring that Michael’s suggestion is excellent. ---
**Author:** ![PaulC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@PaulC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/PaulC)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/4 "2026-08-03T15:20:18Z")
Thanks. What are the rules/suggestions/best practice on mapping the generic outputs. I see most of them are already assigned, and that you can only use “OUTPUT8” for certain output relays. Assigning it to anything other than then the 8th output of a given device (acorn,ether16) results in an error. If I start reassigning the outputs do things stop working? ---
**Author:** ![Eric](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/eric/32/3220_2.png) [@Eric](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/Eric)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/5 "2026-08-03T15:30:37Z")
You can go into the list of “custom” outputs and assign them to ether1616 outputs. Those are M94xxx/M95xxx Those you would call directly by an M command like this: M94/111 would turn “111” on, m95/111 would turn it off. These are “dumb” outputs, they only do what they’re told with those M commands (you can test M commands in the MDI window in CNC12) If you use any “descriptive” outputs like “dust collector” “laser align” etc those have additional logic/smarts attached to them. In the CNC12 Operators manual (from Centroid) near the end you can see a description of how all of these work. You can decide if the additional logic for one of these is something you want to use. ---
**Author:** ![PaulC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@PaulC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/PaulC)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/6 "2026-08-03T17:03:30Z")
I found all that stuff and tried it, only to find that it didn’t work. After you reaffirmed that it should have worked I went back and found that the default setting of the ether1616 outputs is FORCED off. Setting them to normal fixed everything. Thanks Paul ---
**Author:** ![jjneeb](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/jjneeb/32/244_2.png) [@jjneeb](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/jjneeb)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 1:51am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/7 "2026-08-31T01:51:50Z")
> [@PaulC](#): > > I went back and found that the default setting of the ether1616 outputs is FORCED off. Setting them to normal fixed everything. Hi Paul, I’m having the same issue. Can you elaborate on how/where you changed the settings from OFF to normal? ---
**Author:** ![jjneeb](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/jjneeb/32/244_2.png) [@jjneeb](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/jjneeb)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 2:00am UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/8 "2026-08-31T02:00:36Z")
> [@jjneeb](#): > > Hi Paul, > > I’m having the same issue. Can you elaborate on how/where you changed the settings from OFF to normal? Never mind, I had a user/syntax error. ---
**Author:** ![PaulC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9a140/32.png) [@PaulC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/PaulC)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/9 "2026-08-31T14:52:06Z")
For anybody that needs to know To see the settings use the plc diagnostic ALT SHIFT I The instructions are here > **[cnc12\_PLC\_diagnostic\_screen.pdf](https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy/downloads/acorn_documentation/cnc12_PLC_diagnostic_screen.pdf)** ---
**Author:** ![jjneeb](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.avidcnc.com/jjneeb/32/244_2.png) [@jjneeb](https://forum.avidcnc.com/u/jjneeb)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.avidcnc.com/t/controlling-output-38/6403/10 "2026-08-31T15:29:36Z")
> [@PaulC](#): > > For anybody that needs to know Ya, I was using that tool so I knew that everything was wired up right. I just couldn’t get the m94/m95 to turn them on and off. I had to do a deep dive into Centroid output definitions and the syntax to control them. You gotta be a little careful with this tool, it basically overrides everything else that controls outputs. I found this document that really helped: [https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid\_diy/downloads/centroid\_wizard\_input\_output\_canned\_PLC\_functions.pdf](https://www.centroidcnc.com/centroid_diy/downloads/centroid_wizard_input_output_canned_PLC_functions.pdf)