HAL Component List

1. Components

Most of the commands in the following list have their own dedicated man pages. Some will have expanded descriptions, some will have limited descriptions. From this list you know what components exist, and you can use man name on your UNIX command line to get additional information. To view the information in the man page, in a terminal window type:

man axis

The one or other setup of a UNIX system may require to explicitly specify the section of the man page. If you do not find the man page or the name of the man page is already taken by another UNIX tool with the LinuxCNC man page residing in another section, then try to explicitly specify the section, as in man _sectionno_ axis, with sectionno = 1 for non-realtime and 9 for realtime components.

Note	See also the Man Pages section of the docs main page or the directory listing. To search in the man pages, use the UNIX tool `apropos`.

1.1. User Interfaces (non-realtime)

1.1.1. Machine Control

axis	AXIS LinuxCNC (The Enhanced Machine Controller) GUI
axis-remote	AXIS Remote Interface
gmoccapy	Touchy LinuxCNC Graphical User Interface
gscreen	Touchy LinuxCNC Graphical User Interface
halui	Observe HAL pins and command LinuxCNC through NML
mdro	manual only Digital Read Out (DRO)
ngcgui	Framework for conversational G-code generation on the controller
panelui	Short description
pyngcgui	Python implementation of NGCGUI
touchy	AXIS - TOUCHY LinuxCNC Graphical User Interface

1.1.2. Virtual Control Panels (VCP)

gladevcp	Virtual Control Panel for LinuxCNC based on Glade, Gtk and HAL widgets
gladevcp_demo	GladeVCP - used by sample configs to deonstrate Glade Virtual_demo
gremlin_view	G-code graphical preview
moveoff_gui	GUI for the moveoff component
pyui	Utility for panelui
pyvcp	Virtual Control Panel for LinuxCNC
pyvcp_demo	Python Virtual Control Panel demonstration component
qtvcp	Qt based virtual control panel

1.1.3. Vismach Virtual Machines

5axisgui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
hbmgui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
hexagui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
lineardelta	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
maho600gui	hexagui - Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
max5gui	hexagui - Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
puma560gui	puma560agui - Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
pumagui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
rotarydelta	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
scaragui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
xyzac-trt-gui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI
xyzbc-trt-gui	Vismach Virtual Machine GUI

1.2. Motion (non-realtime)

io	iocontrol - interacts with HAL or G-code in non-realtime
iocontrol	Interacts with HAL or G-code in non-realtime
iov2	Interacts with HAL or G-code in non-realtime
mdi	Send G-code commands from the terminal to the running LinuxCNC instance
milltask	Non-realtime task controller for LinuxCNC

1.3. Hardware Drivers

1.3.1. VFD & Communication Interfaces (non-realtime)

elbpcom	Communicate with Mesa ethernet cards
gs2_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Automation Direct GS2 VFDs
hy_gt_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Huanyang GT-series VFDs
hy_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Huanyang VFDs
mb2hal	MB2HAL is a generic non-realtime HAL component to communicate with one or more Modbus devices. Modbus RTU and Modbus TCP are supported.
mitsub_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Mitsubishi A500 F500 E500 A500 D700 E700 F700-series VFDs (others may work)
monitor-xhc-hb04	Monitors the XHC-HB04 pendant and warns of disconnection
pi500_vfd	Powtran PI500 modbus driver
pmx485	Modbus communications with a Powermax Plasma Cutter
pmx485-test	Modbus communications testing with a Powermax Plasma Cutter
shuttle	control HAL pins with the ShuttleXpress, ShuttlePRO, and ShuttlePRO2 device made by Contour Design
svd-ps_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for SVD-P(S) VFDs
vfdb_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Delta VFD-B Variable Frequency Drives
vfs11_vfd	HAL non-realtime component for Toshiba-Schneider VF-S11 Variable Frequency Drives
wj200_vfd	Hitachi wj200 modbus driver
xhc-hb04	Non-realtime HAL component for the xhc-hb04 pendant
xhc-hb04-accels	Obsolete script for jogging wheel
xhc-whb04b-6	Non-realtime jog dial HAL component for the wireless XHC WHB04B-6 USB device

1.4. Mesa and other I/O Cards (Realtime)

hal_ppmc	Pico Systems driver for analog servo, PWM and Stepper controller
hal_bb_gpio	Driver for beaglebone GPIO pins
hal_parport	Realtime HAL component to communicate with one or more PC parallel ports
hm2_7i43	Mesa Electronics driver for the 7I43 EPP Anything IO board with HostMot2. (See the man page for more information)
hm2_7i90	LinuxCNC HAL driver for the Mesa Electronics 7I90 EPP Anything IO board with HostMot2 firmware
hm2_eth	LinuxCNC HAL driver for the Mesa Electronics Ethernet Anything IO boards, with HostMot2 firmware
hm2_pci	Mesa Electronics driver for the 5I20, 5I22, 5I23, 4I65, and 4I68 Anything I/O boards, with HostMot2 firmware. (See the man page for more information)
hm2_rpspi	LinuxCNC HAL driver for the Mesa Electronics SPI Anything IO boards, with HostMot2 firmware
hm2_spi	LinuxCNC HAL driver for the Mesa Electronics SPI Anything IO boards, with HostMot2 firmware
hostmot2	Mesa Electronics driver for the HostMot2 firmware.
max31855	Support for the MAX31855 Thermocouple-to-Digital converter using bitbanged SPI
mesa_7i65	Mesa Electronics driver for the 7I65 eight-axis servo card. (See the man page for more information)
mesa_pktgyro_test	PktUART simple test with Microstrain 3DM-GX3-15 gyro
opto_ac5	Realtime driver for opto22 PCI-AC5 cards
pluto_servo	Pluto-P driver and firmware for the parallel port FPGA, for servos
pluto_step	Pluto-P driver for the parallel port FPGA, for steppers
serport	Hardware driver for the digital I/O bits of the 8250 and 16550 serial port
sserial	hostmot2 - Smart Serial LinuxCNC HAL driver for the Mesa Electronics HostMot2 Smart-Serial remote cards
thc	Torch Height Control using a Mesa THC card or any analog to velocity input

1.5. Utilities (non-realtime)

hal-histogram	Plots the value of a HAL pin as a histogram
halcompile	Build, compile and install LinuxCNC HAL components
halmeter	Observe HAL pins, signals, and parameters
halcmd	Manipulate the LinuxCNC HAL from the command line
halcmd_twopass	Short description
halreport	Creates a report on the status of the HAL
halrmt	Short description
halrun	Manipulate the LinuxCNC HAL from the command line
halsampler	Sample data from HAL in realtime
halscope	Software oscilloscope for viewing real time waveforms of HAL pins and signals
halshow	Show HAL parameters, pins and signals
halstreamer	Stream file data into HAL in real time
haltcl	Manipulates the LinuxCNC HAL from the command line using Tcl
image-to-gcode	Converts bitmap images to G-code
latency-histogram	Plots histogram of machine latency
latency-plot	Another way to view latency numbers
latency-test	Tests the realtime system latency
pncconf	Configuration wizard for Mesa cards
setsserial	Utility for setting Smart Serial NVRAM parameters. NOTE: This rather clunky utility is no longer needed except for flashing new smart-serial remote firmware. Smart-serial remote parameters can now be set in the HAL file in the normal way.
sim_pin	GUI for displaying and setting one or more HAL inputs
stepconf	Configuration wizard for parallel-port based machines

1.6. Signal processing (Realtime)

1.6.1. Logic and Bitwise

and2	Two-input AND gate. For out to be true both inputs must be true. (and2)
bitwise	Computes various bitwise operations on the two input values
dbounce	Filter noisy digital inputs Details
debounce	Filter noisy digital inputs Details Description
demux	Select one of several output pins by integer and/or or individual bits
edge	Edge detector
estop_latch	E-stop latch
flipflop	D-type flip-flop
logic	General logic function component
lut5	5-input logic function based on a look-up table Description
match8	8-bit binary match detector
multiclick	Single-, double-, triple-, and quadruple-click detector
multiswitch	Toggles between a specified number of output bits
not	Inverter
oneshot	One-shot pulse generator
or2	Two-input OR gate
select8	8-bit binary match detector.
tof	IEC TOF timer - delay falling edge on a signal
toggle	Push-on, push-off from momentary pushbuttons
toggle2nist	Toggle button to nist logic
ton	IEC TON timer - delay rising edge on a signal
timedelay	Equivalent of a time-delay relay.
tp	IEC TP timer - generate a high pulse of defined duration on rising edge
tristate_bit	Places signal on an I/O pin only when enabled, similar to a tristate buffer in electronics
tristate_float	Places signal on an I/O pin only when enabled, similar to a tristate buffer in electronics
xor2	Two-input XOR (exclusive OR) gate

1.6.2. Arithmetic and float

abs_s32	Computes the absolute value and sign of the input signal
abs	Computes the absolute value and sign of the input signal
biquad	Biquad IIR filter
blend	Perform linear interpolation between two values
comp	Two input comparator with hysteresis
constant	Uses parameter to set the value of a pin
counter	Counts input pulses (deprecated). Use the encoder component.
ddt	Computes the derivative of the input function.
deadzone	Returns the center if within the threshold.
div2	Quotient of two floating point inputs.
hypot	Three-input hypotenuse (Euclidean distance) calculator.
ilowpass	Low-pass filter with integer inputs and outputs
integ	Integrator
invert	Computes the inverse of the input signal.
filter_kalman	Unidimensional Kalman filter, also known as linear quadratic estimation (LQE)
knob2float	Converts counts (probably from an encoder) to a float value.
lowpass	Low-pass filter
limit1	Limits the output signal to fall between min and max. [When the input is a position, this means that the position is limited.]
limit2	Limits the output signal to fall between min and max. Limit its slew rate to less than maxv per second. [When the input is a position, this means that position and velocity are limited.]
limit3	Limit the output signal to fall between min and max. Limit its slew rate to less than maxv per second. Limit its second derivative to less than MaxA per second squared [When the input is a position, this means that the position, velocity, and acceleration are limited.] .
lincurve	One-dimensional lookup table
maj3	Compute the majority of 3 inputs
minmax	Tracks the minimum and maximum values of the input to the outputs.
mult2	Product of two inputs.
mux16	Select from one of 16 input values (multiplexer).
mux2	Select from one of two input values (multiplexer).
mux4	Select from one of four input values (multiplexer).
mux8	Select from one of eight input values (multiplexer).
mux_generic	Select one from several input values (multiplexer).
near	Determine whether two values are roughly equal.
offset	Adds an offset to an input, and subtracts it from the feedback value.
sample_hold	Sample and Hold.
scale	Applies a scale and offset to its input.
sum2	Sum of two inputs (each with a gain) and an offset.
timedelta	Component that measures thread scheduling timing behavior.
updown	Counts up or down, with optional limits and wraparound behavior.
wcomp	Window comparator.
weighted_sum	Convert a group of bits to an integer.
xhc_hb04_util	xhc-hb04 convenience utility

1.6.3. Type conversion

bin2gray	Converts a number to the gray-code representation
bitslice	Converts an unsigned-32 input into individual bits
conv_bit_float	Converts from bit to float
conv_bit_s32	Converts from bit to s32
conv_bit_u32	Converts from bit to u32
conv_float_s32	Converts from float to s32
conv_float_u32	Converts from float to u32
conv_s32_bit	Converts from s32 to bit
conv_s32_float	Converts from s32 to float
conv_s32_u32	Converts from s32 to u32
conv_u32_bit	Converts from u32 to bit
conv_u32_float	Converts from u32 to float
conv_u32_s32	Converts from u32 to s32
gray2bin	Converts gray-code input to binary

1.7. Kinematics (Realtime)

corexy_by_hal	CoreXY kinematics
differential	Kinematics for a differential transmission
gantry	LinuxCNC HAL component for driving multiple joints from a single axis
gantrykins	Kinematics module that maps one axis to multiple joints.
genhexkins	Gives six degrees of freedom in position and orientation (XYZABC). The location of the motors is defined at compile time.
genserkins	Kinematics that can model a general serial-link manipulator with up to 6 angular joints.
gentrivkins	See trivkins
kins	Kinematics definitions for LinuxCNC.
lineardeltakins	Kinematics for a linear delta robot
maxkins	Kinematics for a tabletop 5 axis mill named max with tilting head (B axis) and horizontal rotary mounted to the table (C axis). Provides UVW motion in the rotated coordinate system. The source file, maxkins.c, may be a useful starting point for other 5-axis systems.
millturn	Switchable kinematics for a mill-turn machine
pentakins
pumakins	Kinematics for PUMA-style robots.
rosekins	Kinematics for a rose engine
rotatekins	The X and Y axes are rotated 45 degrees compared to the joints 0 and 1.
scarakins	Kinematics for SCARA-type robots.
tripodkins	The joints represent the distance of the controlled point from three predefined locations (the motors), giving three degrees of freedom in position (XYZ).
trivkins	1:1 correspondence between joints and axes. Most standard milling machines and lathes use the trivial kinematics module.
userkins	Template for user-built kinematics

1.8. Motion control (Realtime)

motion

Accepts NML motion commands, interacts with HAL in realtime

1.9. Motor control (Realtime)

at_pid	Proportional/integral/derivative controller with auto tuning.
bldc	BLDC and AC-servo control component
clarke2	Two input version of Clarke transform
clarke3	Clarke (3 phase to cartesian) transform
clarkeinv	Inverse Clarke transform
encoder	Software counting of quadrature encoder signals, see Description.
pid	Proportional/integral/derivative controller, Description.
pwmgen	Software PWM/PDM generation, see Description.
stepgen	Software step pulse generation, see Description.

1.10. Other (Realtime)

comp	Build, compile and install LinuxCNC HAL components.
classicladder	Realtime software PLC based on ladder logic. See ClassicLadder chapter for more information.
threads	Creates hard realtime HAL threads.
charge_pump	Creates a square-wave for the charge pump input of some controller boards. The Charge Pump should be added to the base thread function. When enabled, the output is on for one period and off for one period. To calculate the frequency [Hz] of the output: 1/(period time in seconds x 2). For example, if you have a base period of 100,000 ns that is 0.0001 seconds and the formula would be 1/(0.0001 x 2) = 5,000 Hz or 5 kHz.
encoder_ratio	Electronic gear to synchronize two axes.
feedcomp	Multiply the input by the ratio of current velocity to the feed rate.
gladevcp (Realtime)	displays Virtual control Panels built with GTK / GLADE
gearchange	Select from one of two speed ranges.
joyhandle	Sets nonlinear joypad movements, deadbands and scales.
sampler	Sample data from HAL in real time.
siggen	Signal generator, see Description.
sim_encoder	Simulated quadrature encoder, see Description.
sphereprobe	Probe a pretend hemisphere.
steptest	Used by StepConf to allow testing of acceleration and velocity values for an axis.
streamer	Stream file data into HAL in real time.
supply	Set output pins with values from parameters (deprecated).
threadtest	Component for testing thread behavior.
time	Accumulated run-time timer counts HH:MM:SS of active input.
watchdog	Monitor one to thirty-two inputs for a heartbeat.

1.11. Not categorized (auto generated from man pages)

abs_s64	Compute the absolute value and sign of the input signal
anglejog	Jog two axes (or joints) at an angle
axis
axistest	Used to allow testing of an axis. Used IN PnCconf.
carousel	Orient a toolchanger carousel using various encoding schemes
conv_bit_s64	Convert a value from bit to s64
conv_bit_u64	Convert a value from bit to u64
conv_float_s64	Convert a value from float to s64
conv_float_u64	Convert a value from float to u64
conv_s32_s64	Convert a value from s32 to s64
conv_s32_u64	Convert a value from s32 to u64
conv_s64_bit	Convert a value from s64 to bit
conv_s64_float	Convert a value from s64 to float
conv_s64_s32	Convert a value from s64 to s32
conv_s64_u32	Convert a value from s64 to u32
conv_s64_u64	Convert a value from s64 to u64
conv_u32_s64	Convert a value from u32 to s64
conv_u32_u64	Convert a value from u32 to u64
conv_u64_bit	Convert a value from u64 to bit
conv_u64_float	Convert a value from u64 to float
conv_u64_s32	Convert a value from u64 to s32
conv_u64_s64	Convert a value from u64 to s64
conv_u64_u32	Convert a value from u64 to u32
debuglevel	sets the debug level for the non-realtime part of LinuxCNC
emccalib	Adjust ini tuning variables on the fly with save option
enum	enumerate integer values into bits
eoffset_per_angle	Compute External Offset Per Angle
hal_input	control HAL pins with any Linux input device, including USB HID devices
hal_manualtoolchange	HAL non-realtime component to enable manual tool changes.
histobins	histogram bins utility for scripts/hal-histogram
homecomp	homing module template
inivar	Query an INI file
laserpower	Scales laser power output based upon velocity input power and distance to go
latencybins	comp utility for scripts/latency-histogram
lcd	Stream HAL data to an LCD screen
led_dim	HAL component for dimming LEDs
limit_axis	Dynamic range based axis limits
linuxcnc	LinuxCNC (The Enhanced Machine Controller)
linuxcnc_info	collects information about the LinuxCNC version and the host
linuxcnc_module_helper	controls root access for system hardware
linuxcnc_var	retrieves LinuxCNC variables
linuxcnclcd	LinuxCNC Graphical User Interface for LCD character display
linuxcncmkdesktop	create a desktop icon for LinuxCNC
linuxcncrsh	text-mode interface for commanding LinuxCNC over the network
linuxcncsvr	Allows network access to LinuxCNC internals via NML
linuxcnctop	live LinuxCNC status description
matrix_kb	Convert integers to HAL pins. Optionally scan a matrix of IO ports to create those integers.
matrixkins	Calibrated kinematics for 3-axis machines
mesa_uart	An example component demonstrating how to access the Hostmot2 UART
message	Display a message
motion-logger	log motion commands sent from LinuxCNC’s Task module
moveoff	Component for HAL-only offsets
mqtt-publisher	send HAL pin data to MQTT broker periodically
ohmic	LinuxCNC HAL component that uses a Mesa THCAD for ohmic sensing
orient	Provide a PID command input for orientation mode based on current spindle position, target angle and orient mode
plasmac	A plasma cutter controller
qtplasmac-cfg2prefs	Convert plasma parameters.
qtplasmac-materials	Create a plasma materials file.
qtplasmac-plasmac2qt	Migrate a PlasmaC configuration.
qtplasmac-setup	Switch a QtPlasmaC installation type.
raster	Outputs laser power based upon pre programmed rastering data
reset	Resets an IO signal
rs274	standalone G-code interpreter
rtapi_app	creates a simulated real time environment
safety_latch	latch for error signals
scaled_s32_sums	Sum of four inputs (each with a scale)
schedrmt	telnet based scheduler for LinuxCNC
scorbot-er-3	to link the Intellitek Scorbot educational robot to LinuxCNC
sendkeys	send input events based on pins or scancodes from HAL
sim-torch	A simulated plasma torch
sim_axis_hardware	A component to simulate home and limit switches
sim_home_switch	Home switch simulator
sim_matrix_kb	convert HAL pin inputs to keycodes
sim_parport	A component to simulate the pins of the hal_parport component
sim_spindle	Simulated spindle with index pulse
simple_tp	This component is a single axis simple trajectory planner, same as used for jogging in LinuxCNC.
simulate_probe	simulate a probe input
spindle	Control a spindle with different acceleration and deceleration and optional gear change scaling
spindle_monitor	spindle at-speed and underspeed detection
teach-in	jog the machine to a position, and record the state
thcud	Torch Height Control Up/Down Input
thermistor	compute temperature indicated by a thermistor
tooledit	tool table editor
tpcomp	Trajectory Planning (tp) module skeleton
update_ini	converts 2.7 format INI files to 2.8 format
xyzab_tdr_kins	Switchable kinematics for 5 axis machine with rotary table A and B

1.12. Without man page or broken link (auto generated from component list)

hal_ppmc
pluto_servo
pluto_step

2. HAL API calls

hal_add_funct_to_thread.3hal
hal_bit_t.3hal
hal_create_thread.3hal
hal_del_funct_from_thread.3hal
hal_exit.3hal
hal_export_funct.3hal
hal_export_functf.3hal
hal_float_t.3hal
hal_get_lock.3hal
hal_init.3hal
hal_link.3hal
hal_malloc.3hal
hal_param_bit_new.3hal
hal_param_bit_newf.3hal
hal_param_float_new.3hal
hal_param_float_newf.3hal
hal_param_new.3hal
hal_param_s32_new.3hal
hal_param_s32_newf.3hal
hal_param_u32_new.3hal
hal_param_u32_newf.3hal
hal_parport.3hal
hal_pin_bit_new.3hal
hal_pin_bit_newf.3hal
hal_pin_float_new.3hal
hal_pin_float_newf.3hal
hal_pin_new.3hal
hal_pin_s32_new.3hal
hal_pin_s32_newf.3hal
hal_pin_u32_new.3hal
hal_pin_u32_newf.3hal
hal_ready.3hal
hal_s32_t.3hal
hal_set_constructor.3hal
hal_set_lock.3hal
hal_signal_delete.3hal
hal_signal_new.3hal
hal_start_threads.3hal
hal_type_t.3hal
hal_u32_t.3hal
hal_unlink.3hal
intro.3hal
undocumented.3hal

3. RTAPI calls

EXPORT_FUNCTION.3rtapi
MODULE_AUTHOR.3rtapi
MODULE_DESCRIPTION.3rtapi
MODULE_LICENSE.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_INT.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_LONG.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_STRING.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_INT.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_LONG.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_STRING.3rtapi
intro.3rtapi
rtapi_app_exit.3rtapi
rtapi_app_main.3rtapi
rtapi_clock_set_period.3rtapi
rtapi_delay.3rtapi
rtapi_delay_max.3rtapi
rtapi_exit.3rtapi
rtapi_get_clocks.3rtapi
rtapi_get_msg_level.3rtapi
rtapi_get_time.3rtapi
rtapi_inb.3rtapi
rtapi_init.3rtapi
rtapi_module_param.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_INT.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_LONG.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_ARRAY_STRING.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_INT.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_LONG.3rtapi
RTAPI_MP_STRING.3rtapi
rtapi_mutex.3rtapi
rtapi_outb.3rtapi
rtapi_print.3rtap
rtapi_prio.3rtapi
rtapi_prio_highest.3rtapi
rtapi_prio_lowest.3rtapi
rtapi_prio_next_higher.3rtapi
rtapi_prio_next_lower.3rtapi
rtapi_region.3rtapi
rtapi_release_region.3rtapi
rtapi_request_region.3rtapi
rtapi_set_msg_level.3rtapi
rtapi_shmem.3rtapi
rtapi_shmem_delete.3rtapi
rtapi_shmem_getptr.3rtapi
rtapi_shmem_new.3rtapi
rtapi_snprintf.3rtapi
rtapi_task_delete.3rtpi
rtapi_task_new.3rtapi
rtapi_task_pause.3rtapi
rtapi_task_resume.3rtapi
rtapi_task_start.3rtapi
rtapi_task_wait.3rtapi