Simulating a machine for testing?

Yep, that's what comp does. You type up a simple file and comp creates the component and makes it available for you to use in your program.

Next you need to get the names of the pins that your pluto card makes so you can simulate them.

Run your config (on a machine with a pluto card) from the terminal window. After it starts type:

show pin *pluto*

copy all the pin names to a text file. I assume the pins have pluto or something similar...

Now follow the constant example here www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html/hal_comp.html#r1_14_1 and try and create your pluto comp file. Adding your pluto pins with proper direction and type where you see the pins. I would just add one in and one out pin to start to make sure you have everything else correct and make sure it compiles.

Then compile the .comp file following this:

www.linuxcnc.org/docview/html/hal_comp.h...-realtime-components

So in a nutshell you create a pluto.comp file that makes the proper pluto pins available so your configuration will run without errors and compile it then change a couple of lines in your .hal file so the pluto component loads instead of the pluto card.

See how far you get with this.

John

As an alternative, why not use the actual CNC machine, but with the drives disabled?

You can use VNC or ssh -X to show the garage-machine gui on your indoor machine.

That's why you get paid the big bucks Andy!

Always thinking outside of the box.

John