Re: Printing from BDI

[Ray <rehenry-at-up.net>]

Jack (comments mixed in)

On Thu, 06 Sep 2001, Jack wrote:
> I am very sorry.  I had requested info on printing from a BDI install
> and someone posted a very detailed reply and today I was all set to
> install the proper files and find that I don't have that information
> anymore. Don't know why - I thought I had saved it.

www.linuxcnc.org/bdi  There is a question and a download from programs on
printers.
  
> The BDI install was successful, I see there are four EMC icons on the
> desk top - they all come up but I need to figure out which ones do
> what, and then how to use them.

The major differences between them are what I call EMC personality.  This is
set primarily by the ini files that they call.  And these do not exhibit
much difference in personality.

emc_generic runs the generic set of files. -> I don't do this one because
it runs the base set of files from which other sets ought to be copied and
edited.  Uses xemc graphical user interface. (gui/GIU) 

emc_sim runs a nonrealtime simulator using servo motor like software and
simulated I/O in and out.  Not good for a machine but nifty for trying
things out.

emc_mini runs a steppermod minimill with parallel port signals as described
in emc/doc/emcsoft.html under Setting up Stepper Motors. tkemc is the gui. 
This is the basic personality that I run with my Grizzly mill. 

emc_run is much the same as generic except it starts using tkemc, minimill
stuff and steppermod.  It adds some tuning to the motors that I believe is
ignored by steppermod.o but would be in force if you changed to freqmod.o.

>I am a beginning tyro on Linux
> and trying to grasp its directory and file structure and usage.

Most all of us know the feeling.

The key directory on the BDI for EMC stuff is /usr/local/emc.  You can get
there by pressing the home icon.  This launches a window of kfm the file
browser, and press up arrow to get to (/).  Then move to the directory next
on the list. ->usr ->local ->emc.  Once there, you can click (one time) on a
text file to see it's contents.  Clicking on an executable, the little
terminal icon, will attempt an execution of the file.  If nothing happens,
it is probably because there is some kind of error.  I prefer to start
execution by first opening a terminal.  By doing this I can see messages
and problems while starting and running the program.

To start the mini.run version of the EMC, I would find the emc directory
with kfm as described above.  Press <control> t and you will get a terminal
window in that directory.  Enter ./mini.run and <enter> and it should
start.  While starting and running, you will see some messages.  The type
and number of messages returned depends a lot on the setting of DEBUG in
the ini file that you are running.

> The term "mount" seems confusing - do I need to use that command to
> use the printer? 

The BDI uses a supermount procedure that unmounts and remounts a floppy or
a cd every time a call is made to read or write something to it.  Most of
the time, you do not have to concern yourself with whether a medium is
mounted or not.  Once in a great while the version of supermount that
was released with the BDI will get confused and will require some extra
commands.  But a reboot will also cure the problem.

HTH

Ray