not understanding where to attach physical wires

I would almost guarantee it is a torque problem if you dont get consistent rotor homing in Q mode

Did you try setting bldc.initvalue to 1?

this may also be a symptom of losing power during init
(and setting the init current to 1 in this case may not help)

You should be able to check whether the init cycle is working
by putting a mark on the shaft. This mark should always point to one of 4
90 degree positions on the motor case after BLDC init is run
(you may have to disable the PID component so the init position is not disturbed)

I don't think that it is doing an initiation sequence.

I set the bldc.initvalue to 1and have the belt off.

When it works, it is great, and has plenty of torque and stops at one of four shaft positions.

When it does not work, it has weak torque and stops at different shaft positions.

Or else it runs away at a speed and direction that appears to be random.

I have the machine set to NO FORCE HOME.

Are you sure you are not losing power when the init sequence is run?

Something is causing it to fail

An init value of 1 should be 7.5 A which should be plenty to reliably pull the
rotor into position (and you should always see the init motion at startup)

Andy, thanks , great instructions!

The motor kicks and the hal meters read exactly as they should.
the 8i20 voltage drops a couple of volts on the hal meter. (my analogue voltmeter does not quiver.)

It will not jog after that sequence. I can only get it to jog if I enable the 8i20 after turning the machine on.

I guess I will look into orienting the encoder next.

What is your power supply voltage?
even a momentary drop below ~40V will cause problems
(a 8I20 LV fault which will disable PWM until the voltage returns to an acceptable level)

If you disable PID (so the shaft position after orient is not lost),
you should be able to reliably orient the rotor to the 4 'zero' positions
regardless of original shaft location.

If this does not happen, the cause needs to be determined

Andy- I am sorry that I am sounding like a dunce. I am pretty sure that control adjusts the encoder angle electronically to suit the motor.

I really appreciate the generous gift of your time and help.

I only know what I have read in books. I don't have any first hand experience in this area.

PCW- I am running about 57v which drops to 54v at start and increases to 60v upon deceleration. The blue high volt ready light stays on.