Remote "Run" Button - Cycle Start

Hi All,

I have a Smithy 1315 Lathe with LinuxCNC running on the Ubuntu computer that came with it. Everything is working fine on it right now. What I would like to do is add a physical "Run" button on the machine so we don't have to use the keyboard on repetitive tasks.

I've read lots of web pages today about HAL and how to set up the software, and I've found some others asking a similar question on how to set up the HAL configuration and such, but I really don't know how to get started. How do I actually wire up the switch? What terminals do I look for?

I'd really appreciate if anyone could point me in the right direction.
Thanks in advance

Thanks for the reply.

If I understand what I'm seeing, I have a board called "Mesa 5i20". Is that what I'm looking for?

(Yes, I'm completely new to this)

along with the 5i20 you have , you perhaps also have an addon card that plugs onto a ribbon cable and then goes to the 5i20 , it would be nice to know if you have , there will also be a number on that ...
as this would be the card you would attach a button to , in the real world ....

if your not sure attach a picture , it always helps ..
you need to attach 2 normaly open buttons one willl act as run / stop the other as pause / resume .

to attach a button to run gcode you need to add a normaly open contact between ground and a pin terminal on the addon card ..
we then need to identify which pin you have connected it to ..

once that is done see the attached file to add to your config .
and edit the 2 button pin numbers and the driver number to match which in your case is 5i20

I do have another board. This is probably what I need. It's labeled "7147 RS-422 INTERFACE".

Pictures are a great idea. I've attached a few to help describe what I'm working with.

We're running some high volume production on the machine right now, so I can't really get in there to try anything just yet. Does anyone have any tips for me on how to use the "7147 RS-422 INTERFACE" board?

Thanks in advance.

The 7I47 is intended as a differential input + differential output interface for encoder inputs and differential PWM or step/dir output type applications. Because of its differential inputs, the 7I47 is awkward to use for single ended signals like those from limit switches etc.

For 5V switches you probably want a 7I42TA daughtercard, for 12 or 24V switches and relay drive, you probably want a 7I37TA.

It is possible to use the differential inputs of the 7I47 as TTL I/O but it requires external resistors, so probably not worth the trouble

Thanks for the clarification, PCW.

(I've spent the last several days working with the machine operators, and trying to get the parts we're doing into spec. We've been having some tolerance problems that were driving me nuts.)

Back to the button topic, though, I've decided to purchase an external keypad to act as a remote jog box for this lathe. Here is a link to the unit I purchased:
www.piengineering.com/xkeys/xk24.php

I think I can simply program the buttons on that unit to send the appropriate keystrokes. I can then mount it in a convenient location for the machine operator, so they don't have to use the keyboard during a high volume parts run. It's looking pretty promising to me. I'll post back again once I receive it, and give it a shot.

Hey everyone!

I received my keypad in the mail yesterday, and after a little work, I have a really nice external "jog box" with a remote start button. I'm attaching a picture.

It was really pretty straightforward. I installed the software that comes with the device, and programmed the buttons using the hotkeys that LinuxCNC normally uses.

Thanks again for the help everyone.