any complete instructions on touch probe setup?

From the wiki, I've set added the following line to my custom.hal:

net probe parport.0.pin-13-in-not => motion.probe-input

But when I issue a G38.2 command with (very slow) feed and short pin 13 on my breakout board to ground, the G38.2 command does not terminate. It apparently does not see the probe input.

I'm wondering what else I must do in order to get this function to work. For all the information in it, the HAL manual is gibberish to me, as I can't find a step-by-step example of what to do anywhere in it.

Can anyone point me to a resource that will help understand all the steps needed to do a complete probe setup?

Joe

John,

I'm not sure which window you're referring to. The (integrator's) manual is immense, not sure where to start. I'm using the AXIS interface, I know that much...

Can you tell me which manual I should be reading, and what section? I'm willing to do the work but just am bewildered by all the information about HAL.

Joe

Machine/Show Hal Configuration is a menu selection in Axis that will allow you to view pin status.

Thanks, I just checked my setup per your instructions and here is what I found:

Again, the following line appears in my custom.hal:

net probe parport.0.pin-13-in-not => motion.probe-input

I then opened the HAL Configuration window and checked the setup for this pin:

Component Pins:
Owner Type Dir Value Name
8 bit OUT TRUE parport.0.pin-13-in
8 bit OUT FALSE parport.0.pin-13-in-not ==> probe

Also, when I run stepconf and set up the pins, I didn't set anything up on the input side, just the typical output pins for XYZ axis step and direction. With this setup, when I run a G38.2 command with very slow feed, and short pin 13 to ground, and click again on the pin-13-not items in the HAL Configuration tree, nothing changes. Same thing if I show the Watch tab for that pin -- shorting to ground causes no change in the visual indicator. Makes sense, since the probe command doesn't terminate.

Can anyone help?

{EDIT}

Exploring stepconf more, I found that there are numerous other inputs besides the few that show onscreen when I click on an input pin! Scrolling way up to the top, I selected "probe input" for pin 13. I then commented out the similar line in custom.hal.

I repeated the test, and the G38.2 command terminated immediately, saying that the pin was already high, or something to that effect. Oops! I didn't invert it. I then re-ran stepconf, and checked the "invert" checkbox next to the "probe input" option on pin 13.

Then my machine.hal file read: net probe-in <= parport.0.pin-13-in-not

I restarted EMC and repeated the test, but got the original result -- the pin does not change state and the G38.2 command does not terninate. In desperation, I measured the voltage from pin 13 to ground, and it's 4.81V, so grounding it should certainly cause a change in state.

I have no idea what else to try -- can anyone advise?

Hello,

Sounds like an electrical problem. Can you see the pin change states in the Machine/Show Hal Configuration window?

Are you absolutely sure you are checking pin 13 on the breakout board? Have you tried testing other input pins? You can select several pins at the same time in the Show Hal Configuration window and see it other pins are working.
What breakout board are you using? Did you check the voltage of the pin when you grounded it? (poor ground?)

In the Hal Show Configuration window the state of the pin is as it was when selected, it will not change until selected again.. I think you mentioned that and reselected it. However the Hal Watch Configuration window will change as the state of the pin changes.

Rick G

Rick,

I'm sure it's pin 13. I'm using the Probotix PBX-RF board ( www.probotix.com/breakout_boards/ ) and the pin terminals are clearly labeled. Quality of the ground? Every input pin has solid 4.80V to 4.88V when open, 0.0V when grounded.

In this next test, I first used stepconf to remove any input pin mappings, then made all changes in custom.hal. First I set up pin 12, and it failed in the same manner as pin 13. Then I set up pin 15, associating it with ESTOP. For pin 15, I connected the other probe lead to the special ground for pin 15.

Setup as ESTOP, it worked just fine. By touching and separating the leads, I could make the AXIS GUI ESTOP button toggle, and in HAL Configuration, on the watch tab, ESTOP also toggled. So far, so good.

So I remapped pin 15 from ESTOP to motion.probe-input and it worked. That is, I could observe the motion.probe-input as well as the pin-15-not values toggle as I touched and separated the leads. I haven't yet actually used this mapping to perform a G38.2 command, but the first experiment this morning was interesting.

This test proved that my syntax for the net probe command was correct, that custom.hal was loading correctly, and that I was using the watch tab in Hal Configuration correctly. The only differences were the pins (and ground terminals in the case of 15) being used. So unless pin 15 is special, I have confidence that I'm configuring it correctly.

Conclusion? The normal input pins on this breakout board don't seem to work, while pin 15 does seem to work. Does everyone agree that I should get a fresh PBX-RF board? Or shall I try something else?

So unless pin 15 is special, I have confidence that I'm configuring it correctly.

It looks like pin 15 is special in that it does not go through an isolator, all the other pins you tried do. I assume both power LED's are lit and you have set JP5.

Rick G