MPG Handwheel - how to use encoder?

I bought one of the MPG handwheels (rather like the ISM8060 at www.machinetoolproducts.com/content/Yumo...s%20Spec%20Sheet.jpg )

I have connected this to a parallel port,  (A,  B and gnd) and power it from   a bench supply at 5V.
Then: Using halmeter I can see that encoder.0.phase-A and encoder.0.phase-B are being detected.

From reading various examples I assumed that encoder.0.counts would change as I operated the wheel, but it doesn't - and no other encoder pin does. I then

setp encoder.0.counter-mode TRUE

and still get no changes on any pins.

As the inputs change and are detected (at least at the hal pin level), and I get no output even in counter-mode, I assume I am doing something wrong.

There are two encoder functions that must be added for the
encoder to operate:

addf encoder.capture-position servo-thread
addf encoder.update-counters base-thread

No joy:

halcmd: addf encoder.capture-position servo-thread
HAL: ERROR: thread 'servo-thread' not found
<stdin>:5: addf failed
halcmd: addf encoder.update-counters base-thread
HAL: ERROR: thread 'base-thread' not found
<stdin>:6: addf failed

If you have other names for your fast (base) and slow (servo)
threads, you must use those

Do threads exist by defaul,t or must they be created? If the latter how is that done?

They need to be created, If you have a parallel port step/dir hardware,
you should use stepconf to create a hal/ini configuration file set
that takes care of these details

I was hoping to shortcut that process and just use halrun. I managed to (I think) work out some things:

loadrt hal_parport cfg="0x3030 out"
loadrt encoder num_chan=1
net mpg-a encoder.0.phase-A <= parport.0.pin-10-in
net mpg-b encoder.0.phase-B <= parport.0.pin-11-in
loadrt threads name1=base-thread period1=50000 name2=servo-thread period2=1000000
addf encoder.update-counters base-thread
addf encoder.capture-position servo-thread
loadusr halmeter

But encoder.0.counts refuses to budge when I rotate the wheel.

I think you need to start the threads
(I don't recall exactly how, it may be as simple as typing "start")

I got it working with this:

$ halrun -I -f ptest.hal
loadrt encoder num_chan=1
net pin10 encoder.0.phase-A
net pin11 encoder.0.phase-B
loadusr halmeter
# Add encoder routines to the porttest thread from ptest.hal
addf encoder.update-counters porttest
addf encoder.capture-position porttest

I tend to just "loadrt threads" which gives you one thread (called "thread1") but all that was missing from your code above was "start" to start the threads.