Setting up limit switches and a bunch of other things

bevins wrote:

WTF? What is wrong with the code and spoiler tags. It is hosed.

Please open...
I just wish I could find the preview...

BOOTSTRAPPYWORKSHOP wrote:

Those files are auto-generated. How are there sections that just missing?

The files are designed to be hand edited. Stepconf and PNCCONF make a valiant effort to generate something but its just a start.
You will save a lot of time and effort if you learn how to edit hal and ini files in a text editor...
 

I'll power through with some help, but I'm this close to my RHCSA. I'm trying to make the case on my channel to normies that Linux in general and LinuxCNC + Inkscape + FreeCAD would be a good fit for cottage industry. This is not helping my case. Don't get me wrong, I very much appreciate any help, but it's already clear that I am going to have to spec out one very specific configuration and make it bulletproof for others to copy&paste off of. That in and of itself is good to know.

Dumping that section straight into the hal file gives me a brand new error and HAL refuses to even start.

Is this line correct for a machine running a serial port instead of a MESA card?
"net remote-estop estop-latch.0.fault-in <= hm2_7i92.0.7i76.0.0.input-00-not"

EDIT:

Okay, starting from the known bad hal+ini files where it at least starts -

One wire is Pin 10.  The other wire is going to 5v, just like it says with the documentation. In stepconf I only have the option of ESTOP In on Pin 10. So far so good.  From that point on when I start up hal, the ESTOP is either always engaged or always disengaged, depending on whether or not I check the invert box. Nothing changes in "Watch".  There are either little red dots or ONE little yellow dot depending on invert, and they stay that color whether the switch is pressed in or rotated out.

So do you have any suggestions on wiring? Because software obviously is not helping..... hold on, I just had a thought be right back.

EDIT:

Progress.  I had the switch physically wired incorrectly.  When I originally setup according to "Hardware ESTOP" in PDF 39 I ran a jumper wire from the 5v terminal on the board to EN next to the power input, and naturally it did not work.  Have  I mentioned that I am not a hardware guy? I think I've mentioned it.  Anyway, I just ran out to the shop and ran a third wire from the physical switch to EN on the board and I can now physically kill power to the board by pressing the ESTOP in.  No activity in HAL, but I can turn the green light on the board on or off at will.  It's still either always on or always off in the Watch tab depending on whether or not I invert it. But I didn't try to run the machine with it always off to see what that would do...... be right back.

Okay, this situation is as follows :
 
I have the physical switch wired as a "Hardware Disable" in this diagram: www.cnc4pc.com/pub/media/productattachments/files/WS_239.pdf

There are three wires plugged into the physical switch.  One goes to pin 10.  One goes to 5v.  The OTHER wire plugged into 5v on the switch itself goes to EN on the board.  There are two leds on the board, a red light and green light.  The red light is always on and indicates that the board is powered.  The green light comes on when EN is wired correctly.  When EN has the correct signal, the board works. 

HAL doesn't care what the configuration of the ESTOP is.  If I enable it at all HAL decides that it is either always on or always off, depending on whether or not I invert it in stepconf.  When I invert it it is always off, meaning the LinuxCNC gives me green lights and everything works.  When I physically kill the power with the physical switch, the board stops working so everything loses power and the green LED goes off, but LinuxCNC does not notice at all. I still have green lights on the computer monitor which I cannot turn red no matter how many times I click it.

If I do not invert ESTOP In in stepconf, no matter what I do I have a green LED on teh board but LinuxCNC does not see it and it will not let me do anything.  There is no activity of any kind in the Watch tab.  

These are my current hal + ini files.

I currently can run either the software ESTOP via F1, or the hardware ESTOP via the physical switch, but there is no way to run them both, and the physical switch will not stop GCODE from running while the software[F1] will. In other words, this is why I disconnected the switch and flipped pin10 to "unused" in the first place. Right back where I started.

LinuxCNC doesn't care how I wire the switch in, it just doesn't see it as even being there.

K dumping that into the hal file. Will be back in a minute.EDIT: RESULTSame error I was getting with the other way.  Also, was I supposed to modify the ini file?  This is me only modifying the hal.

Okay will not let me attach the .report file, so here's the text:

Error report created by /usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc/show_errors.tcl:

Print file information:
RUN_IN_PLACE=no
LINUXCNC_DIR=
LINUXCNC_BIN_DIR=/usr/bin
LINUXCNC_TCL_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc
LINUXCNC_SCRIPT_DIR=
LINUXCNC_RTLIB_DIR=/usr/lib/linuxcnc/modules
LINUXCNC_CONFIG_DIR=
LINUXCNC_LANG_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc/msgs
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd
LINUXCNC_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.6
LINUXCNC - 2.8.0
Machine configuration directory is '/home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router'
Machine configuration file is 'lowells_first_router.ini'
INIFILE=/home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router/lowells_first_router.ini
VERSION=1.1
PARAMETER_FILE=linuxcnc.var
TASK=milltask
HALUI=halui
DISPLAY=axis
COORDINATES=X Y Z
KINEMATICS=trivkins coordinates=XYZ
Starting LinuxCNC...
Starting LinuxCNC server program: linuxcncsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting LinuxCNC IO program: io
Starting HAL User Interface program: halui
Found file(REL): ./lowells_first_router.hal
Shutting down and cleaning up LinuxCNC...
config string '0 out'
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segments

Debug file information:
Note: Using POSIX realtime
./lowells_first_router.hal:92: Pin 'parport.0.pin-in10-not' does not exist
981
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components
Note: Using POSIX realtime

---

Info report created by linuxcnc_info:
The file:    /tmp/linuxcnc_info.txt
can be posted to a forum or a web site like:
     pastebin.com
in order to provide information about the linuxcnc
system and configuration.

                Date: Mon 05 Jul 2021 02:37:23 PM PDT
            UTC Date: Mon 05 Jul 2021 09:37:23 PM UTC
        this program: /usr/bin/linuxcnc_info
              uptime: 14:37:23 up 2 min, 1 user, load average: 0.75, 0.53, 0.21
     lsb_release -sa: Debian Debian GNU/Linux 10 (buster) 10 buster
      which linuxcnc: /usr/bin/linuxcnc
                 pwd: /home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router
                USER: lowell
             LOGNAME: lowell
                HOME: /home/lowell
              EDITOR: 
              VISUAL: 
            LANGUAGE: 
                TERM: dumb
           COLORTERM: 
             DISPLAY: :0.0
             DESKTOP: lightdm-xsession
        display size: 1280x1024 pixels (338x270 millimeters)
                PATH: /usr/bin:/home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/local/games:/usr/games

uname items:
         nodename -n: bootstrappycnc
      kernel-name -s: Linux
      kernel-vers -v: #1 SMP PREEMPT RT Debian 4.19.146-1 (2020-09-17)
          machine -m: x86_64
        processor -p: unknown
         platform -i: unknown
      oper system -o: GNU/Linux

/proc items:
             cmdline: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-4.19.0-11-rt-amd64 root=/dev/mapper/bootstrappycnc--vg-root ro initrd=/install/gtk/initrd.gz quiet
          model name: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo CPU E7500 @ 2.93GHz
               cores: 2
             cpu MHz: 2226.305
             parport: 0000-0000 : parport0 0000-0000 : parport0
              serial: 0000-0000 : serial

Versions:
                 gcc: gcc (Debian 8.3.0-6) 8.3.0
              python: Python 2.7.16
                 git: not_in_PATH
          git commit: NA
                 tcl: 8.6
                  tk: 8.6
               glade: not_in_PATH
          glade-gtk2: not_in_PATH

linuxcnc_var all:

     LINUXCNCVERSION: 2.8.0
LINUXCNC_AUX_GLADEVCP: /usr/share/linuxcnc/aux_gladevcp
LINUXCNC_AUX_EXAMPLES: /usr/share/linuxcnc/aux_examples
            REALTIME: /etc/init.d/realtime
                 RTS: uspace
          HALLIB_DIR: /usr/share/linuxcnc/hallib

dpkg -l '*linuxcnc*':
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                Version      Architecture Description
+++-===================-============-============-=====================================================================
un  linuxcnc            <none>       <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-dev        <none>       <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-doc        <none>       <none>       (no description available)
ii  linuxcnc-doc-cn     1:2.8.0      all          motion controller for CNC machines and robots (Chinese
ii  linuxcnc-doc-en     1:2.8.0      all          motion controller for CNC machines and robots (English documentation)
ii  linuxcnc-doc-es     1:2.8.0      all          controlador de movimiento para máquinas CNC y robots (Español).
ii  linuxcnc-doc-fr     1:2.8.0      all          motion controller for CNC machines and robots (French documentation)
un  linuxcnc-sim        <none>       <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-sim-dev    <none>       <none>       (no description available)
ii  linuxcnc-uspace     1:2.8.0      amd64        motion controller for CNC machines and robots
ii  linuxcnc-uspace-dev 1:2.8.0      amd64        PC based motion controller for real-time Linux


DEBUG file:

Note: Using POSIX realtime
./lowells_first_router.hal:92: Pin 'parport.0.pin-in10-not' does not exist
981
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components
Note: Using POSIX realtime


linuxcnc.print.ZOuTyd(whatever the hell that means)

RUN_IN_PLACE=no
LINUXCNC_DIR=
LINUXCNC_BIN_DIR=/usr/bin
LINUXCNC_TCL_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc
LINUXCNC_SCRIPT_DIR=
LINUXCNC_RTLIB_DIR=/usr/lib/linuxcnc/modules
LINUXCNC_CONFIG_DIR=
LINUXCNC_LANG_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc/msgs
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd
LINUXCNC_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.6
LINUXCNC - 2.8.0
Machine configuration directory is '/home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router'
Machine configuration file is 'lowells_first_router.ini'
INIFILE=/home/lowell/linuxcnc/configs/lowells_first_router/lowells_first_router.ini
VERSION=1.1
PARAMETER_FILE=linuxcnc.var
TASK=milltask
HALUI=halui
DISPLAY=axis
COORDINATES=X Y Z
KINEMATICS=trivkins coordinates=XYZ
Starting LinuxCNC...
Starting LinuxCNC server program: linuxcncsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting LinuxCNC IO program: io
Starting HAL User Interface program: halui
Found file(REL): ./lowells_first_router.hal
Shutting down and cleaning up LinuxCNC...
config string '0 out'
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segments

Is there anything here that looks weird?

net xstep => parport.0.pin-02-out
setp parport.0.pin-02-out-reset 1
net xdir => parport.0.pin-03-out
net ystep => parport.0.pin-06-out
setp parport.0.pin-06-out-reset 1
net ydir => parport.0.pin-07-out
net zstep => parport.0.pin-08-out
setp parport.0.pin-08-out-reset 1
net zdir => parport.0.pin-09-out
net spindle-on => parport.0.pin-17-out
net estop-ext <= parport.0.pin-10-in-not
net probe-in <= parport.0.pin-11-in
net min-y <= parport.0.pin-12-in
net min-z <= parport.0.pin-13-in
net max-x <= parport.0.pin-15-in

Why does this "net estop-ext <= parport.0.pin-10-in-not" have a "-not"?

You need to connect it in hal. I don't use Parallel ports only mesa, but you need to change that mesa input to your parallel input. Sorry if I didn't mention it.

Make sure you can see the changes to the input in show hal configuration before doing anything else.