Poblems configuring Parallel Port Pin 1,14,16 and

Hello,

I'm new to linuxcnc and have a general question on how to set up the parallel port correctly.
What I did so far is to configure linuxcnc with stepconf. So I tested all axis and found out that the x-axis (connected tp port 1 and 14) has no signal.
As next step I ran a CNC program on another computer using windows and it turned out, that the TB6560-3A controller using the parapallport is running fine.
I then stepped back to my linux computer with linuxcnc installed and used ptest to see if the parallel port works as expected.

According to /var/adm/messages, the parallel port (a startech 1 Port ExpressCard IEEE 1284, EC1PECPS) looks like this:
So I changed the configuration in ptest.hal accordingly:
I then ran
As a result, the GUI Window opened and I could measure the output voltage on Ports 2 to 9 according to the buttons I pressed. E.g. pressing in the GUI on Pin 02 I could measure 3.3V at pin 2.
If did that for all pins, but for the pins 1, 14, 16 and 17, I measured only 0.04V.
I hope someone can help me what the expected output signals on those pins should look like.

best regards

gadget

What mode do you have your parallel port set to?
Are you taking the voltage readings with the break out board connected or disconnected?

Will the TB6560-3a function with a 3.3 volt signal instead of a 5 volt signal?

Rick G

Rick, thanks for your quick reply.
To be honest I don't know what mode the parallel port is set to. How can I figure it out? What should it be set to?
I take the voltage readings without the board connected.
I'm not quite sure if the TB6560-3a will work with 3.3V, but as the Y and Z axis work fine, I assume it should work.
As I could get a pinout voltage on pin 2 to pin 9 of 3.3V, I was wondering why it doesn't work for pins 1, 14, 16 and 17.
Do those 4 pins have to behave differently?
According to this guide: linuxcnc.org/docs/2.4/html/hal_parallel_port.html the only difference is that pins 2 to 9 can be switched between input and output whereas pins 1,14,16, and 17 are always set to output ports.
So I should be able to turn them on using halrun, right?

gadget

I have exactly the same problem. Using a Vantech 2-port PCIe parallel port card.

"BIOS" does not configure PCIe cards so there is no way to set input/output/EPP/ECP/SPP modes in BIOS settings as somebody suggested. (This would only be the case on obsolete motherboards with built-in parallel ports. PCI and PCIe are not configured through the BIOS menus.)

Only Pins 2-9 work as output on one of my cards as well. The bidirection pins and the strobe are not working as outputs by default. Identical behavior to what you describe.

What I discovered with a different card is that this is most likely caused by a card that linux only supports in ECP mode. type 'dmesg| grep parport' to see what your card reports as. My vantech appears as PCSPP,TRI-STATE,ECP and doesn't work with pins 1,14, 165 or 17 as outputs. My cheap WCH based card (which works if you desolder a single resistor to change the PCIe ID it reports as) reports as PCSPP,TRI-STATE,EPP and works perfectly.