A new method for controlling movement of a digging
dipper includes providing an earthmoving
machine with two drive systems for moving the
dipper along two respective paths. Also provided is a control apparatus having a reference axis and a knob mounted for movement between a first, repose position and a maximum position spaced from the repose position by a
maximum displacement dimension. The knob is displaced along a control axis to a second position which is spaced from the repose position by an actual displacement dimension less than the
maximum displacement dimension. The drive systems are energized and the
dipper is powered along a digging axis generally parallel to the control axis. A new apparatus for controlling movement of the dipper has a single control knob having a repose position and also has first and second motion transducers mechanically coupled to the knob. In a Cartesian coordinate
system, the repose position is at the origin, the first
transducer provides a first output
signal when the knob is displaced along the "X" axis and the second
transducer provides a second output
signal when the knob is deflected from the repose position along the "Z" axis.