BDI EMC software

I tink best first step is to burn a iso with parallel port capable iso rtai 2.7 from the download section. And look what latency values bring in life startup (no installation)
And come back so we can help you decide if further usage of that pc makes sence.
Sometimes it is not so difficult to use an other a bit older used pc...
Here a lot of people have expirience..

And NO, me personally I would never go back to BDI.
Mike

I have installed linuxcnc-stretch-uspace-amd64 with updates and upgrades. The latency jitter is 28158 and the servo is 28682. The only thing I am lacking right now is EMC code, unless you think this is not sufficient.

I am well aware of that. That is why searching for linux EMC software has been so difficult. My EMC machine is going to be strictly an EMC.
I have CAD/CAM software on my Windows machine But I write my G code manually most of the time. I do not really care what the EMC software is but I do need a large, or full screen display.

For legal reasons the EMC2 project was renamed Linuxcnc back in 2012. But the content of Linuxcnc is still very much the same as the old EMC2. But time has marched on and there have been numerous improvements to the software in the years since the name was changed. So it isn't quite the same, its better!
There is an old archive of ISOs that can be used to install older versions of the program including ones from before the name re-branding. Here is where they can be downloaded.
linuxcnc.org/iso/

I started using Linuxcnc (EMC2) back in 2011 or so using v2.4. I have no experience with previous versions.

So made already the biggest step.
Have you already identified the directory with the "controlling program".
In that you should have an file with .ini and at least one with .hal.(If I remember rightl

This is the base for you new version. I doubt that a simple transfer to the new machine will be enough. I propose that you try it anyhow. And post a zip copy of that directory here.

Yes I have the.hal configuration files. I am abandoning additional software idea for now and trying to get CNC working. The problem now is that the stepconf works and increments the servo motors on all four axises, but when completed, the CNC using that configuration does not operate motors.

Any ideas how to fix this?

I am also getting an error too often but not all the time, "Unexpected realtime delay on task 0".

The error points to to much latency.
And stepconf seems to make some "unhappy" setting for step-time/length.
I'd do some hand editing of the hal and stop using stepconf.
Set both step timings for a try to at least 5000 and both step directions to 20000.
Anyhow, here are much more experienced parport guys than me who might step in. Mike

I set the base period to 100K in the ini file and that may have fixed the latency issue. I do not find step timing in either of the config files but in stepconf both step timings are already set to 22000ns.

CNC still does not run the motors while stepconf does, so at least I know the controller and parallel port are working.