wiring home switch and index to PP

I have both home switches and index switches on the X and Y axes on my mill. How do I connect them to the parallel port. Can it be done through stepconfig?

Thanks for your hep and advice

MikeT

Stepconfig will allow me to allocate ONE home switch to the X and Y axes. I wish to allocate a home switch PLUS a index switch to the each of the X and Y axes. I am looking for help and advise on how to do this.

Thanks

MikeT

Thanks for getting back.

I have been told?? that a home switch plus an index switch will give higher homing precision than a home switch alone. Any switch timing/position  error would be significantly smaller on the faster index disc movement, than on the slower carriage movement.

My machine is a modified EMCO VMC, now running on LinuxCNC. It uses steppers, not servos and has both magnetic home switches and magnetic index switches installed. They must have done that for a good reason

Thanks again for you help

MikeT

Thank you tommylight for showing an interest.

The 'home' switch is tripped by the table as it approaches end of travel. The 'index' switch is tripped, once per revolution, by the pulley on the leadscrew; that's every 4. 0 mm of travel.
I assume that homing is done at rapid speed until the 'home' switch is tripped (course homing) and then at slower speed until the next 'index' switch is tripped for fine homing.
I know nothing about the accuracy and repeatability of the magnetic switches, so can only assume they were adequate; neither good or bad.
It's definitely two switch homing

Miket

The homing section in the docs talks only about index use and the ini settings.
I am still trying to find a way to connect the switches to the parport.
It looks like I will need to change the hal as well.
It's getting to be a bit beyond my pay scale. Think I'm gonna need some help on this one

MikeT

mikeT wrote:

The homing section in the docs talks only about index use and the ini settings.
I am still trying to find a way to connect the switches to the parport.
It looks like I will need to change the hal as well.
It's getting to be a bit beyond my pay scale. Think I'm gonna need some help on this one

MikeT

I think its time to post your hal and ini files and the version of Linuxcnc that you are using

Hello Clive,

Thanks for taking an interest.

My ini and hal files are as delivered on the 2.7.0 distro.
I have made no changes and have not yet connected any limits and index switches. Not until I know what to do.

MikeT