Re: parallel port not working with emc?

--- In CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com, "pearcedang"
<pearcedang@y...> wrote:

>
> I have installed the Feb 2005 version of EMC and everything seems

fine

> except that the motors do not spin. My controller worked with an
> older version of emc but I have moved and had to start over.
>
> I can run a gcode file such as the sample file "cds.ngc" and view

the

> (hypothetical) output on tkemc's (view > backplot ).

The "backplot"

> shows the moves and "io_show" shows the parallel port pins, in

charge

> of direction, toggling. EMC will run all the way through to the end
> of the sample file. So I think the install is ok.
>
> I have a dual boot set up so I was able to test the exact same
> hardware via a windows program that came with the stepper driver (a
> stepperworld FET-3 driver and the program vbstepdirxp). The windows
> program will spin the motors so I know that (at least in windows

using

> vbstepdirxp) the hardware path all the way to the motors is ok.
>
> I suffered for a time over the IO port designation within EMC. In
> windows the correct port name is 378h but looking under the system

in

> tkemc I find two "parport0" addresses 0378-037a and 0778-077a so I'm
> using the designation 0x378.
>
> I tried to test the output voltage at the end of the parallel cable
> with a hand held voltmeter but the results are confusing at best.
>
> So I am wondering what I am doing wrong. Any help would be

appreciated.

>

Hi,

I think the problem may be that EMC doesn't use any pins for enable,
and the FET-3 needs pins 14, 16, and 17 set high (or maybe low) to
enable the steppers.

I am running an older version of EMC, so I don't know if the pin
assignments are changed from it to the version of EMC you are using.
If the pin assignments are the same as my version, and from what I
can find about the Stepperworld FET-3 driver, here are the pin
assignments ("step" is the same as "clock"):
EMC FET-3
pin 2 X direction X direction
pin 3 X step X step
pin 4 Y direction Y direction
pin 5 Y step Y step
pin 6 Z direction Z direction
pin 7 Z step Z step
pin 10 spare Z home switch
pin 12 X/Y/Z home Y home switch
pin 13 X/Y/Z -limit X home switch
pin 14 B step X enable
pin 16 C direction Y enable
pin 17 C step Z enable

If this is the problem, you need a way to set pins 14, 16, and 17
high (or low, if that's what's required) all the time. There are a
lot of ways to accomplish this, but without knowing exactly what you
have, I can't offer anything specific. The first thing that comes to
mind would be an interface cable that has pins 14, 16, and 17 wires
to something that is at +5 volts all the time. If that doesn't work,
try connecting them to ground.

Hope this helps.
Irby