Setting up Mesa 7i96

I am trying to setup a Mesa 7i96 board.  The step and dir pins have both "+" and "-" connections.  Which should i use?

How do I set up a probe?  Run "+" 5 volts through the probe to an input pin?

Thanks

Steve

Step drive wiring depends on your drives.

For normal step/dir drives with Step+,Step-,Dir+,Dir- inputs
I would use the 7I96's +5 to drives Step+ and Dir+ and the
7I96's Step- and Dir- to the drives Step- and Dir-.

For high speed servo drives, I would use differential wiring
with the 7I96's Step-, Dir-, Step+, Dir+ going to the drives
Step-, Dir-, Step+, Dir+.

Probe wiring depends on the probe type (tool touch off devices that make
electrical contact to the tool need different wiring than isolated contact probes)

I'Im sorry I don't understand the answer. Right now I'm running a Hobby cnc board through the parallel port.. The new system will have 3 separate drivers. I dont"t know what they are they are not before me. On my present system I simply hooked the parallel port cable to the board there was no concern about poliarity.

The probe I am using is a NO mementary push button switch.

Right, so you would need to look at the drive connection specifications
before any attempt to wire this.

For a probe that's an isolated switch, you would wire one side to +5V (or +24V)
and the other side to a 7I96 isolated input. This assumes the 7I96 input common
(P3 pin 12) is gnd
 

Thanks for the reply

Steve