[{INI{INI}}] The ini file overrides defaults that are compiled into
the EMC code. It also provides sections that are read directly by
the Hardware Abstraction Layer.

[{HAL{HAL}}] The HAL files start up process modules and provide
linkages between EMC signals and specific hardware pins.

[{VAR{VAR}}] The var file is a way for the interpreter to save some
values from one run to the next. These values are saved from one
run to another but not always saved immediately. See the Parameters
section of the G Code Manual for information on what each parameter
is.

[{TBL{TBL}}] The tbl file saves tool information. See the User
Manual Tool File section for more info.

[{NML{NML}}] The nml file configures the communication channels
used by the EMC. It is normally setup to run all of the
communication within a single computer but can be modified to
communicate between several computers.

[{.emcrc{.emcrc}}] This file saves user specific information and is
created to save the name of the directory when the user first
selects an EMC configuration.

    footnote:[Usually this file is in the users home directory (e.g.
              /home/user/ )
]

; This is my little mill configuration file.

; I set it up on January 12, 2006

DISPLAY = axis

# DISPLAY = touchy

INCORRECT = value     # and a comment

# Correct Comment

CORRECT = value

[{Machine Unit}] The unit of measurement for an axis is determined
by the settings in the {[}TRAJ{]} section. A machine unit is equal
to one unit as specified by
{black}{LINEAR\\\_UNITS or ANGULAR\\\_UNITS. }

    [{{black}{VERSION~=~\\$Revision:~1.3~\\$}}]
    {black}{The
version number for the INI file. The value shown here looks odd because
it is automatically updated when using the Revision Control System.
It's a good idea to change this number each time you revise your file.
If you want to edit this manually just change the number and leave
the other tags alone. }

    [{{black}{MACHINE~=~My~Controller}}]
    {black}{This
is the name of the controller, which is printed out at the top of
most graphical interfaces. You can put whatever you want here as long
as you make it a single line long.}

[{DEBUG = 0}] Debug level 0 means no messages will be printed when
EMC is run from a terminal. Debug flags are usually only useful to
developers. See src/emc/nml\_int/emcglb.h for other settings.

[{DEFAULT\_LINEAR\_VELOCITY = .25}] The default velocity for linear
jogs, in machine units per second.

[{MIN\_VELOCITY = .01}] The approximate lowest value the jog
slider.

[{MAX\_LINEAR\_VELOCITY = 1.0}] The maximum velocity for linear
jogs, in machine units per second.

[{MIN\_LINEAR\_VELOCITY = .01}] The approximate lowest value the
jog slider.

[{DEFAULT\_ANGULAR\_VELOCITY = .25}] The default velocity for
angular jogs, in machine units per second.

[{MIN\_ANGULAR\_VELOCITY = .01}] The approximate lowest value the
jog slider.

[{MAX\_ANGULAR\_VELOCITY = 1.0}] The maximum velocity for angular
jogs, in machine units per second.

[{INCREMENTS = 1 mm, .5 in, ...}] Defines the increments available
for incremental jogs. The INCREMENTS can be used to override the
default. The values can be decimal numbers (e.g., 0.1000) or
fractional numbers (e.g., 1/16), optionally followed by a unit (cm,
mm, um, inch, in or mil). If a unit is not specified the machine
unit is assumed. Metric and imperial distances may be mixed:
INCREMENTS = 1 inch, 1 mil, 1 cm, 1 mm, 1 um is a valid entry.

[{OPEN\_FILE = /full/path/to/file.ngc}] The file to show in the
preview plot when AXIS starts. Use a blank string and no file
will be loaded at start up.

[{EDITOR = gedit}] The editor to use when selecting File > Edit or
File Edit Tool Table from the AXIS menu. This must be configured
for these menu items to work. Another valid entry is gnome-terminal
-e vim.

[{PYVCP = /filename.xml}] The pyVCP panel description file. See the
pyVCP section for more information.

[{LATHE = 1}] This displays in lathe mode with a top view and with
Radius and Diameter on the DRO.

[{GEOMETRY = XYZABCUVW}] Controls the preview and backplot of
rotary motion. This item consists of a sequence of axis letters,
optionally preceded by a -sign. Only axes defined in
{{[}TRAJ{]}AXES}should be used. This sequence specifies the order
in which the effect of each axis is applied, with a -inverting
the sense of the rotation.
The proper GEOMETRY string depends on the machine configuration and
the kinematics used to control it. The example string
GEOMETRY=XYZBCUVW is for a 5-axis machine where kinematics causes
UVW to move in the coordinate system of the tool and XYZ to move in
the coordinate system of the material. The order of the letters is
important, because it expresses the order in which the different
transformations are applied. For example rotating around C then B
is different than rotating around B then C. Geometry has no effect
without a rotary axis.

[{ARCDIVISION = 64}] Set the quality of preview of arcs. Arcs are
previewed by dividing them into a number of straight lines; a
semicircle is divided into **ARCDIVISION** parts. Larger values
give a more accurate preview, but take longer to load and result in
a more sluggish display. Smaller values give a less accurate
preview, but take less time to load and may result in a faster
display. The default value of 64 means a circle of up to 3 inches
will be displayed to within 1 mil (.03%).

    footnote:[In emc2.4 and earlier, the default value was 128.
]

[{MDI\_HISTORY\_FILE =}] The name of a local MDI history file. If
this is not specified Axis will save the MDI history in
/home//.axis\_mdi\_history in the home directory. This is useful
if you have multiple configurations on one computer.

[{HELP\_FILE = tkemc.txt}] Path to help file (not used in AXIS).

[{PROGRAM\_EXTENSION = .extension Description}] 

PROGRAM\_EXTENSION = .NGC XYZ Post Processor

PROGRAM\_EXTENSION = .png,.gif Greyscale Depth Image 
png = image-to-gcode 
gif = image-to-gcode

PROGRAM\_EXTENSION = .py Python Script 
py = python

FILTER\_PROGRESS=%d

[{PARAMETER\_FILE{PARAMETER FILE}}] The file located in the same
directory as the ini file which contains the parameters used by the
interpreter (saved between runs).

PARAMETER\_FILE = myfile.var

    [{{black}{RS274NGC\\\_STARTUP\\\_CODE\\index{RS274NGC STARTUP CODE}}}]
    {black}{A
string of NC codes that the interpreter is initialized with. This
is not a substitute for specifying modal g-codes at the top of each
ngc file, because the modal codes of machines differ, and may be changed
by g-code interpreted earlier in the session.}

{black}{RS274NGC\\\_STARTUP\\\_CODE~=~G20~G90}

[{SUBROUTINE\_PATH{SUBROUTINE PATH}}] Specifies a colon (:)
separated list of up to 10 directories to be searched when
single-file subroutines are specified in gcode. These directories
are searched after searching {[}DISPLAY{]}PROGRAM\_PREFIX (if it is
specified) and before searching {[}WIZARD{]}WIZARD\_ROOT (if
specified). The first matching subroutine file found in the search
is used. Directories are specified relative to the current
directory for the inifile or as absolute paths. The list must
contain no intervening whitespace.

SUBROUTINE\_PATH = ncsubroutines:/tmp/testsubs:lathesubs:millsubs

[{USER\_M\_PATH{USER M PATH}}] specifies a list of colon (:)
separated directories (no intervening whitespace) for user defined
functions. The maximum number of directories is defined at compile
time by: USER\_DEFINED\_FUNCTION\_MAX\_DIRS=5. Directories are
specified relative to the current directory for the inifile or as
absolute paths. The list must contain no intervening whitespace.

USER\_M\_PATH = myfuncs:/tmp/mcodes:experimentalmcodes

[{BASE\_PERIOD{BASE PERIOD} = 50000}] **{(hal)}** Basetask
period, in nanoseconds - this is the fastest thread in the machine.
On servo-based systems, there is generally no reason for
**BASE\_PERIOD** to be smaller than **SERVO\_PERIOD**.
On machines with software step generation, the **BASE\_PERIOD**
determines the maximum number of steps per second. In the absence
of long step length and step space requirements, the absolute
maximum step rate is one step per **BASE\_PERIOD**. Thus, the
**BASE\_PERIOD** shown above gives an absolute maximum step rate of
20000 steps per second. 50000ns is a fairly conservative value. The
smallest usable value is related to the Latency Test result, the
necessary step length, and the processor speed.
Choosing a BASE\_PERIOD that is too low can lead to the
Unexpected real time delaymessage, lockups, or spontaneous
reboots.

[{SERVO\_PERIOD{SERVO PERIOD} = 1000000}] **{(hal)}** Servotask
period is also in nanoseconds. This value will be rounded to an
integer multiple of **BASE\_PERIOD**. This value is used even on
systems based on stepper motors.
This is the rate at which new motor positions are computed,
following error is checked, PID output values are updated, and so
on.
Most systems will not need to change this value. It is the update
rate of the low level motion planner.

[{TRAJ\_PERIOD{TRAJ PERIOD} = 1000000}] **{(hal)}** Trajectory
Planner task period in nanoseconds This value will be rounded to an
integer multiple of **SERVO\_PERIOD**.
Except for machines with unusual kinematics (e.g., hexapods) there
is no reason to make this value larger than **SERVO\_PERIOD**.

[{TASK = milltask}] Specifies the name of the taskexecutable.
taskdoes various things, such as communicate with the UIs over
NML, communicate with the realtime motion planner over non-HAL
shared memory, and interpret gcode. Currently there is only one
task executable that makes sense for 99.9% of users, milltask In
the dim mists of time (before HAL), it was frequently the case that
an integrator would have to build a modified version of things like
task, io, and motion for a specific machine.

[{CYCLE\_TIME = 0.001}] The period, in seconds, at which EMCTASK
will run. This parameter affects the polling interval when waiting
for motion to complete, when executing a pause instruction, and
when accepting a command from a user interface. There is usually no
need to change this number.

[{HALFILE = example.hal}] Execute the file 'example.hal' at start
up. If **HALFILE** is specified multiple times, the files are
executed in the order they appear in the ini file. Almost all
configurations will have at least one **HALFILE**, and stepper
systems typically have two such files, one which specifies the
generic stepper configuration ({core\\\_stepper.hal}) and one which
specifies the machine pin out ({xxx\\\_pinout.hal})

[{HALCMD = command}] Execute 'command' as a single hal command. If
**HALCMD** is specified multiple times, the commands are executed
in the order they appear in the ini file. **HALCMD** lines are
executed after all **HALFILE** lines.

[{SHUTDOWN = shutdown.hal}] Execute the file 'shutdown.hal' when
EMC is exiting. Depending on the hardware drivers used, this may
make it possible to set outputs to defined values when EMC is
exited normally. However, because there is no guarantee this file
will be executed (for instance, in the case of a computer crash) it
is not a replacement for a proper physical e-stop chain or other
protections against software failure.

[{POSTGUI\_HALFILE = example2.hal}] *(Only with the AXIS GUI)*
Execute 'example2.hal' after the GUI has created its HAL pins. See
section <<sec:pyvcp-with-axis>> for more information.

    [{{black}{COORDINATES~=~X~Y~Z}}]
    {black}{The
names of the axes being controlled. X, Y, Z, A, B, C, U, V, and W
are all valid. Only axis named in}**{black}{COORDINATES}**
    {black}{are accepted in g-code. This has no effect on the
mapping from G-code axis names (X- Y- Z-) to joint numbers--for \\textquotedbltrivial
kinematics\\textquotedbl, X is always joint 0, A is always joint
4, and U is always joint 7, and so on. It is permitted to write an
axis name twice (e.g., X Y Y Z for a gantry machine) but this has
no effect.}

    [{{black}{\\noun{AXES~=~3}}}]
    {black}{One more
than the number of the highest joint number in the system. For an
XYZ machine, the joints are numbered 0, 1 and 2; in this case AXES
should be 3. For an XYUV machine using \\textquotedbltrivial kinematics\\textquotedbl,
the V joint is numbered 7 and therefore AXES should be 8. For a machine
with nontrivial kinematics (e.g., scarakins) this will generally be
the number of controlled joints.}

    [{{black}{HOME~=~0~0~0}}]
    {black}{Coordinates
of the homed position of each axis. Again for a fourth axis you will
need 0 0 0 0. This value is only used for machines with nontrivial
kinematics. On machines with trivial kinematics this value is ignored.}

    [{{black}{LINEAR\\\_UNITS~=~<units>}}]
    {black}{\\index{LINEAR UNITS}}{black}{Specifies the machine units for linear axes. Possible
choices are (in, inch, imperial, metric, mm). }
    {black}{This does not affect the linear units in NC code
(the G20 and G21 words do this). }

    [{{black}{ANGULAR\\\_UNITS~=~<units>}}]
    {black}{\\index{ANGULAR UNITS}
Specifies the machine units for rotational axes. Possible choices
are 'deg', 'degree' (360 per circle), 'rad', 'radian' (2pi per circle),
'grad', or 'gon' (400 per circle).}
    {black}{This does not affect the angular units of NC
code. In RS274NGC, A-, B- and C- words are always expressed in degrees.}

    [{{black}{DEFAULT\\\_VELOCITY~=~0.0167}}]
    {black}{The
initial rate for jogs of linear axes, in machine units per second.
The value shown equals one unit per minute.}

    [{{black}{DEFAULT\\\_ACCELERATION~=~2.0}}]
    {black}{In
machines with nontrivial kinematics, the acceleration used for \\textquotedblteleop\\textquotedbl
(Cartesian space) jogs, in machine units per second per second. }

    [{{black}{MAX\\\_VELOCITY~=~5.0}}]
    {black}{\\index{MAX VELOCITY}}{black}{The maximum velocity for any axis or coordinated
move, in machine units per second. The value shown equals 300 units
per minute.}

    [{{black}{MAX\\\_ACCELERATION~=~20.0}}]
    {black}{\\index{MAX ACCELERATION}}{black}{The maximum acceleration for any axis or coordinated
axis move, in machine units per second per second.}

[{POSITION\_FILE = position.txt}] If set to a non-empty value, the
joint positions are stored between runs in this file. This allows
the machine to start with the same coordinates it had on shutdown.
This assumes there was no movement of the machine while powered
off. If unset, joint positions are not stored and will begin at 0
each time EMC is started. This can help on smaller machines without
home switches.

[{NO\_FORCE\_HOMING = 1}] The default behavior is for EMC to force
the user to home the machine before any MDI command or a program is
run. Normally jogging only is allowed before homing. Setting
NO\_FORCE\_HOMING = 1 allows the user to make MDI moves and run
programs without homing the machine first. Interfaces without
homing ability will need to have this option set to 1. ****
**Warning**: Using this will allow the machine to run past soft
limits while in operation and is not generally desirable to allow
this.

[{HOME = 0.0}] The position that the joint will go to upon
completion of the homing sequence.

[{HOME\_OFFSET = 0.0}] The axis position of the home switch or
index pulse, in machine units.

[{HOME\_SEARCH\_VEL{HOME SEARCH VEL} = 0.0}] Initial homing
velocity in machine units per second. Sign denotes direction of
travel. A value of zero means assume that the current location is
the home position for the machine. If your machine has no home
switches you will want to leave this value alone.

[{HOME\_LATCH\_VEL = 0.0}] Homing velocity in machine units per
second to the home switch latch position. Sign denotes direction of
travel.

[{HOME\_FINAL\_VEL = 0.0}] Velocity in machine units per second
from home latch position to home position. If left at 0 or not
included in the axis rapid velocity is used. Must be a positive
number.

[{HOME\_USE\_INDEX = NO}] If the encoder used for this axis has an
index pulse, and the motion card has provision for this signal you
may set it to yes. When it is yes, it will affect the kind of home
pattern used. Currently, you can't home to index with steppers
unless your using stepgen in velocity mode and pid.

[{HOME\_IGNORE\_LIMITS = NO}] Some machines use a single switch as
a home switch and limit switch. This variable should be set to yes
if the machine configured this way.

[{HOME\_IS\_SHARED = <n>}] If the home input is shared by more than
one axis set <n> to 1 to prevent homing from starting if the one of
the shared switches is already closed. Set <n> to 0 to permit
homing if a switch is closed.

[{HOME\_SEQUENCE = <n>}] Used to define the Home Allsequence.
<n> starts at 0 and no numbers may be skipped. If left out or set
to -1 the joint will not be homed by the Home Allfunction. More
than one axis can be homed at the same time.

[{VOLATILE\_HOME = 0}] When enabled (set to 1) this joint will be
unhomed if the Machine Power is off or if E-Stop is on. This is
useful if your machine has home switches and does not have position
feedback such as a step and direction driven machine.

[{DEADBAND = 0.000015}] **(HAL)** How close is close enough the
consider the motor in position.

[{BIAS = 0.000}] **(HAL)** This is used by hm2-servo and some
others. Bias is a constant amount that is added to the output. In
most cases it should be left at zero. However, it can sometimes be
useful to compensate for offsets in servo amplifiers, or to balance
the weight of an object that moves vertically. bias is turned off
when the PID loop is disabled, just like all other components of
the output.

    [{{black}{P~=~50}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
proportional gain for the axis servo. This value multiplies the error
between commanded and actual position in machine units, resulting
in a contribution to the computed voltage for the motor amplifier.
The units on the P gain are volts per machine unit, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu}$. }

    [{{black}{I~=~0}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
integral gain for the axis servo. The value multiplies the cumulative
error between commanded and actual position in machine units, resulting
in a contribution to the computed voltage for the motor amplifier.
The units on the I gain are volts per machine unit second, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu\\, s}$.}

    [{{black}{D~=~0}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
derivative gain for the axis servo. The value multiplies the difference
between the current and previous errors, resulting in a contribution
to the computed voltage for the motor amplifier. The units on the
D gain are volts per machine unit per second, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu/s}$.}

    [{{black}{FF0~=~0}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
0th order feed forward gain. This number is multiplied by the commanded
position, resulting in a contribution to the computed voltage for
the motor amplifier. The units on the FF0 gain are volts per machine
unit, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu}$.}

    [{{black}{FF1~=~0}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
1st order feed forward gain. This number is multiplied by the change
in commanded position per second, resulting in a contribution to the
computed voltage for the motor amplifier. The units on the FF1 gain
are volts per machine unit per second, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu\\, s}$.}

    [{{black}{FF2~=~0}}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{The
2nd order feed forward gain. This number is multiplied by the change
in commanded position per second per second, resulting in a contribution
to the computed voltage for the motor amplifier. The units on the
FF2 gain are volts per machine unit per second per second, e.g., $\\frac{volt}{mu\\, s^{2}}$.}

[{OUTPUT\_SCALE = 1.000}] 

    [{OUTPUT\_OFFSET = 0.000}] **{(hal)}**
    {black}{These
two values are the scale and offset factors for the axis output to
the motor amplifiers. The second value (offset) is subtracted from
the computed output (in volts), and divided by the first value (scale
factor), before being written to the D/A converters. The units on
the scale value are in true volts per DAC output volts. The units
on the offset value are in volts. These can be used to linearize a
DAC. }
    {black}{Specifically, when writing outputs, the EMC first
converts the desired output in quasi-SI units to raw actuator values,
e.g., volts for an amplifier DAC. This scaling looks like: \\[
raw=\\frac{{output-offset}}{scale}\\]
 The value for scale can be obtained analytically by doing a unit
analysis, i.e., units are {[}output SI units{]}/{[}actuator units{]}.
For example, on a machine with a velocity mode amplifier such that
1 volt results in 250 mm/sec velocity, \\[
amplifier[volts]=(output[\\frac{mm}{sec}]-offset[\\frac{mm}{sec}])/250\\frac{mm}{sec\\, volt}\\]
 Note that the units of the offset are in machine units, e.g., mm/sec,
and they are pre-subtracted from the sensor readings. The value for
this offset is obtained by finding the value of your output which
yields 0.0 for the actuator output. If the DAC is linearized, this
offset is normally 0.0. }
    {black}{The scale and offset can be used to linearize
the DAC as well, resulting in values that reflect the combined effects
of amplifier gain, DAC non-linearity, DAC units, etc. To do this,
follow this procedure: }

    [{{black}{SCALE\\index{INPUT SCALE}~=~4000}}] **{(hal)}** Specifies
    the number of pulses that corresponds to a move of one machine unit
    as set in the {[}TRAJ{]} section. For stepper systems, this is the
    number of step pulses issued per machine unit. For a linear axis
    one machine unit will be equal to the setting of LINEAR\_UNITS. For
    an angular axis one unit is equal to the setting in ANGULAR\_UNITS.
    For servo systems, this is the number of feedback pulses per
    machine unit. A second number, if specified, is ignored.{black}
    {black}{For example, on a 1.8 degree stepper motor with
half-stepping, and 10 revs/inch gearing, and desired machine units
of inch, we have\\begin{eqnarray\*}
input\\\_scale & = & \\frac{{2\\, steps}}{1.8\\, degree}\*360\\frac{{degree}}{rev}\*10\\frac{rev}{inch}\\\\
 & = & 4000\\frac{steps}{inch}\\end{eqnarray\*}
Older stepper configuration .ini and .hal used INPUT\\\_SCALE for this
value.}

[{STEPGEN\_MAXACCEL = 21.0}] **{(hal)}** Acceleration limit for the
step generator. This should be 1% to 10% larger than the axis
MAX\_ACCELERATION. This value improves the tuning of stepgen's
position loop. If you have added backlash compensation to an
axis then this should be 1.5 to 2 times greater than
MAX\_ACCELERATION.

[{STEPGEN\_MAXVEL = 1.4}] **{(hal)}** Older configuration files
have a velocity limit for the step generator as well. If specified,
it should also be 1% to 10% larger than the axis MAX\_VELOCITY.
Subsequent testing has shown that use of STEPGEN\_MAXVEL does not
improve the tuning of stepgen's position loop.

[{CYCLE\_TIME = 0.100}] The period, in seconds, at which EMCIO will
run. Making it 0.0 or a negative number will tell EMCIO not to
sleep at all. There is usually no need to change this number.

[{TOOL\_TABLE = tool.tbl}] The file which contains tool
information, described in the User Manual.

[{TOOL\_CHANGE\_POSITION = 0 0 2}] Specifies the X Y Z location to
move to when performing a tool change if three digits are used.
Specifies the X Y Z A B C location when 6 digits are used.
Specifies the X Y Z A B C U V W location when 9 digits are used.
Tool Changes can be combined. For example if you combine the quill
up with change position you can move the Z first then the X and Y.

[{TOOL\_CHANGE\_WITH\_SPINDLE\_ON = 1}] The spindle will be left on
during the tool change when the value is 1. Useful for lathes or
machines where the material is in the spindle not the tool.

[{TOOL\_CHANGE\_QUILL\_UP = 1}] The Z axis will be moved to machine
zero prior to the tool change when the value is 1. This is the same
as issuing a G0 G53 Z0.

[{TOOL\_CHANGE\_AT\_G30 = 1}] The machine is moved to reference
point defined by parameters 5181-5186 for G30 if the value is 1.
For more information on G30 and Parameters see the G Code Manual.

[{RANDOM\_TOOLCHANGER = 1}] This is for machines that cannot place
the tool back into the pocket it came from. For example, machines
that exchange the tool in the active pocket with the tool in the
spindle.