Making PathPilot work with a Parallel Port, no Mesa card.

I have had some success in following the Part 3 Tutorial and have (I think) configured Path Pilot to operate via the Parallel Port and not via a Mesa card.

The main screen now displays a large flatbed engraver, which I think is from Blacksheep. It was from the downloaded mill_pp. ini and hal

I can also open and move g-code files onto the main screen

Unfortunately, when I try to JOG any axis I get error message "Command cannot be executed unless machine is powered on and the control software is out of the RESET condition.

Also the RESET button flashes, like normal, when it is pressed I get " Failed to bring machine out of E-STOP. Check machine power or DB-25 cable.

So some more investigation is required.

Which, if any, of the DB-25 input pins are configured for E-STOP when using Path pilot on PP. How do I assign or change the pin allocation?
I am assuming all I need to do is to apply a 'pull down' to 0 volts to the assigned E-STOP pin before I can proceed further.

Thanks for any help and advice.

Mike T

OK, I found the information I was looking for.

In the mill_pp.hal file provided by cncbasher as part of the part 3 Tutorial, I found the parallel port pin assignments.
E-STOP is assigned to pin 10 of the parallel port. I connected my switch between pin 10 and ground (pin25). It workes.

I can now use the reset button. It works, and I can now JOG and REF and ZERO all the axis.

The Main display and the WORK DROs follow, but appear hesitant and jumpy. They appear to lag behind the JOG commands.

I can now load a G-code test program and run it. Again the Main display and the WORK DROs move in a hesitant and jumpy manor. The WORK DROs don't update to follow the tool movement of the Main display but the DTG DROs are changing.

I have not yet connected up to my mill so I do not know what the steppers are doing. So I don't know if they are moving in a smooth and continuous manner.

The same G-code test program works smoothly in the Mill Sim on this machine but is hesitant and jumpy not that I have completed the part 3 Tutorial conversion to parallel port.

Has anyone else completed the part 3 Tutorial conversion to parallel port? Did it work? What success did you have. What issues did you discover?

Please let me and the other forum members know.

Thanks

Mike