[SOLVED] I would need a hint to solve a parallel port issue

Hello

Given that this is my first post: Hello, my name is Adrian, from Switzerland. Since about 1 year, I am getting slowly into CNC metal milling as a hobby. I recently got one of those 3020 1.5Kw Chinese routers, so here I am, trying to make it to work. Happy to meet you all!

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Up to now, I manage successfully to:

• Install on my Debian jessie the real-time kernel
• Install LinuxCNC
• Install a parallel port PCI card

To test the Parallel card, I did a simple software which send some signals through the parallel port, running it as root it works perfectly, while with normal user it does not. (Note, I used a oscilloscope/logic-analyzer to check the port output)
When I run LinuxCNC stepconf software (normal user) it does not seem to send any signal through the port, and obviously, I cannot test the different axis of the machine.

I tried to run stepconf with root privileges, but it does not like it!!! It shows many line of errors and no user interface appear.

So here I am, trying to get some hints, because I guess most of you already went through that long ago.

• Do I need to push into running LinuxCNC under root privileges? or try to get the parallel port working for plain user?
• Any hint, reference page or guide of how to do that?

I do appreciate your time in reading and maybe answering this question, thanks in advance to all of you.

Adrian M.

I have not been using a parallel port but it look to me like it will be a permissions issue. Try googling "linux parport permissions". I think the solution is to add your default user to the lp group. I think the syntax is so try

If you had the same issues as I did, you may need to add sudo first.
addusur yourname sudo

For the other issue it sounds like your parport is not configured.
I have a guide for the 3020 here www.palleteer.uk/projects/cnc-setup

Hope it helps

That is fantastic!! A full day trying it and you guys just provided the solution.

sudo adduser user-name lp

That solved the issue with the parallel port.

I have a guide for the 3020 here

That guide helps me a lot, I have the CNC working a mostly configured (still tuning limits and microstepping).