Greenie problems configuring 6i25 with 7i77, using Granite Devices VSD-E drives

My impression of LinuxCNC and Mesa is that the both are really really cool and very flexible. So, I'm especially hopeful that this project turns out well.

Regarding not using the other modes. That is interesting as it seems to imply that most people are not using an MPG then? I'd have guessed that an MPG would be one of the most popular things out there and I think the default configuration for the 7i77 doesn't support the MPG (manual is not in front of me now). Is it that everyone is using a pendant based MPG (i.e. one that is coming in through the USB...)?

Alan

Homing (including homing to index) is built into LinuxCNC:

linuxcnc.org/docs/html/config/ini-homing.html

How the homing state machine works is determined by the (static) ini file homing parameters
( the ini file consists mainly of LinuxCNC setup parameters/constants )

Most of LinuxCNC motion control pins and parameters are in the motion module

man motion

Much of the hal file "bolierplate" consists of connecting physical I/O pins to LinuxCNC modules module pins
Physical I/O pin names depend on the actual connected hardware

For first time hal/ini file creation its usually best to use an example file or create a working file set with stepconf/pncconf
( That is unless you want to learn all about the hal and ini file setup at the beginning )

I imagine that the majority of people using MPGs with 7i77 cards just use the ordinary encoder inputs for the MPG inputs. (I could easily be wrong I have no way of knowing.)

Yeah, that is pretty much where I'm coming from. I started with pncconf's generated HAL file. However, that does not bind the physical pin with the net for things like homing, etc. (interestingly, a lot of the fields in pncconf were grey'd out too, so I couldn't enter things I wanted to). My next step was to take the boss control sample because it is one of the few that seems to use analog and index pulses for homing. I'm not sure this was the right decision because it looks like the Boss control has a fair amount of PLC stuff too (loads something called 'boss_plc' which, unfortunately, I didn't see in my quick check of files. . That is where I am now. I didn't do the a 'man motion'. That is a good idea.

I did read the homing ini documentation that you referenced. It does a good job of introducing the capabilities. Where it fell apart for me, however, was in the actual implementation. Everything described is for the INI file but one still needs to somehow bind a physical pin so that the boiler plate can work. Or maybe I'm over complicating all of this.

Pncconf allows you to setup 7I77 inputs for homing and limits (or combined homing and limits)
and also allows setting up homing using the encoder index, so should make the proper net statements
in hal to connect motions pins to the 7I77s hal pins.

Are you saying you selected these options and pncconf did not make the correct connections in the hal file?

Yes, I am saying that I didn't really have much success there. However, I'm at work right now and I can't take any screenshots of what I was experiencing. I'm happy to do that if it will help. It is also entirely possible (in fact, I'd say it is probably likely) that this was the result of user error.