diff --git a/LCL.ui b/LCL.ui
index 2c5e00e7c15378dac810ed3ec7a42f83292da4ec..237a0ca0a9ebdecc1fb5ad634f946005445e65e3 100644
--- a/LCL.ui
+++ b/LCL.ui
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@
    <widget class="QTextEdit" name="comment_box">
     <property name="geometry">
      <rect>
-      <x>160</x>
+      <x>240</x>
       <y>440</y>
       <width>161</width>
       <height>41</height>
@@ -93,10 +93,10 @@
    <widget class="QGroupBox" name="groupBox">
     <property name="geometry">
      <rect>
-      <x>340</x>
+      <x>420</x>
       <y>420</y>
       <width>171</width>
-      <height>101</height>
+      <height>121</height>
      </rect>
     </property>
     <property name="title">
@@ -154,11 +154,37 @@
       <string>Left</string>
      </property>
     </widget>
+    <widget class="QPushButton" name="home_stage_button">
+     <property name="geometry">
+      <rect>
+       <x>7</x>
+       <y>90</y>
+       <width>75</width>
+       <height>23</height>
+      </rect>
+     </property>
+     <property name="text">
+      <string>Home Stage</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+    <widget class="QPushButton" name="get_position_button">
+     <property name="geometry">
+      <rect>
+       <x>87</x>
+       <y>90</y>
+       <width>75</width>
+       <height>23</height>
+      </rect>
+     </property>
+     <property name="text">
+      <string>Get Position</string>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
    </widget>
    <widget class="QLabel" name="comment_box_label">
     <property name="geometry">
      <rect>
-      <x>160</x>
+      <x>240</x>
       <y>420</y>
       <width>71</width>
       <height>16</height>
@@ -171,7 +197,7 @@
    <widget class="QPushButton" name="user_comment_button">
     <property name="geometry">
      <rect>
-      <x>160</x>
+      <x>240</x>
       <y>490</y>
       <width>161</width>
       <height>23</height>
diff --git a/LCL_run.py b/LCL_run.py
index 07fa366bac2f1d5d81e45a4b56c68175a54f4d72..7f03762f04dbad8b47cbff106442a56a2a8c313e 100644
--- a/LCL_run.py
+++ b/LCL_run.py
@@ -10,8 +10,8 @@ from utils import screen_shooter,now,comment
 from stage_controller import stage_controller
 
 class ShowVideo(QtCore.QObject):
-	#initiating the built in camera
 	camera_port = 1 + cv2.CAP_DSHOW
+	# camera_port = 0 + cv2.CAP_DSHOW
 	camera = cv2.VideoCapture(camera_port)
 	VideoSignal = QtCore.pyqtSignal(QtGui.QImage)
 	screenshot_signal = QtCore.pyqtSignal('PyQt_PyObject')
@@ -19,10 +19,15 @@ class ShowVideo(QtCore.QObject):
 	def __init__(self, parent = None):
 		super(ShowVideo, self).__init__(parent)
 		self.run_video = True
-
+		
 	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
 	def startVideo(self):		
-		comment('starting video')
+		comment('video properties:')
+		self.camera.set(12,128) 
+		self.camera.set(17,3000) 
+		for i in range(19):
+			comment('property {}, value: {}'.format(i,
+				self.camera.get(i)))
 		while self.run_video:
 			ret, image = self.camera.read()
 			self.screenshot_signal.emit(image)
@@ -35,6 +40,8 @@ class ShowVideo(QtCore.QObject):
 									QtGui.QImage.Format_RGB888) 
 			self.VideoSignal.emit(qt_image)			
 			QApplication.processEvents()
+		self.camera.release()
+		comment('ending video')
 
 
 class ImageViewer(QtWidgets.QWidget):
@@ -58,6 +65,9 @@ class ImageViewer(QtWidgets.QWidget):
 	def resize_dynamically(self,image):
 		return image.scaled(window.ui.verticalLayoutWidget.size())
 
+	def mousePressEvent(self, QMouseEvent):
+		print(QMouseEvent.pos())
+
 class main_window(QMainWindow):
 	def __init__(self):
 		super(main_window, self).__init__()
@@ -86,6 +96,8 @@ class main_window(QMainWindow):
 		self.ui.right_button.clicked.connect(stage.move_right)
 		self.ui.down_button.clicked.connect(stage.move_down)
 		self.ui.up_button.clicked.connect(stage.move_up)
+		self.ui.get_position_button.clicked.connect(stage.get_position)
+		self.ui.home_stage_button.clicked.connect(stage.home_stage)		
 		self.show()
 		comment('finished init')	
 
@@ -93,6 +105,12 @@ class main_window(QMainWindow):
 		comment('user comment:{}'.format(self.ui.comment_box.toPlainText()))
 		self.ui.comment_box.clear()
 
+	def keyPressEvent(self,event):
+		stage.handle_keypress(event.key())
+
+	def closeEvent(self, event):
+		self.vid.run_video = False
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':	
 	app = QApplication(sys.argv)
 	stage = stage_controller()
diff --git a/LCL_ui.py b/LCL_ui.py
index 7db76e6308d24941cc64f266de698dcbb90ace31..730a3def2600123a9531449fa5fe1737e9835554 100644
--- a/LCL_ui.py
+++ b/LCL_ui.py
@@ -33,10 +33,10 @@ class Ui_MainWindow(object):
         self.misc_screenshot_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(10, 130, 81, 61))
         self.misc_screenshot_button.setObjectName("misc_screenshot_button")
         self.comment_box = QtWidgets.QTextEdit(self.centralwidget)
-        self.comment_box.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(160, 440, 161, 41))
+        self.comment_box.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(240, 440, 161, 41))
         self.comment_box.setObjectName("comment_box")
         self.groupBox = QtWidgets.QGroupBox(self.centralwidget)
-        self.groupBox.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(340, 420, 171, 101))
+        self.groupBox.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(420, 420, 171, 121))
         self.groupBox.setObjectName("groupBox")
         self.down_button = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.groupBox)
         self.down_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(40, 60, 90, 23))
@@ -50,11 +50,17 @@ class Ui_MainWindow(object):
         self.left_button = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.groupBox)
         self.left_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(10, 40, 75, 23))
         self.left_button.setObjectName("left_button")
+        self.home_stage_button = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.groupBox)
+        self.home_stage_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(7, 90, 75, 23))
+        self.home_stage_button.setObjectName("home_stage_button")
+        self.get_position_button = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.groupBox)
+        self.get_position_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(87, 90, 75, 23))
+        self.get_position_button.setObjectName("get_position_button")
         self.comment_box_label = QtWidgets.QLabel(self.centralwidget)
-        self.comment_box_label.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(160, 420, 71, 16))
+        self.comment_box_label.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(240, 420, 71, 16))
         self.comment_box_label.setObjectName("comment_box_label")
         self.user_comment_button = QtWidgets.QPushButton(self.centralwidget)
-        self.user_comment_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(160, 490, 161, 23))
+        self.user_comment_button.setGeometry(QtCore.QRect(240, 490, 161, 23))
         self.user_comment_button.setObjectName("user_comment_button")
         MainWindow.setCentralWidget(self.centralwidget)
 
@@ -76,6 +82,8 @@ class Ui_MainWindow(object):
         self.right_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Right"))
         self.up_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Up"))
         self.left_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Left"))
+        self.home_stage_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Home Stage"))
+        self.get_position_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Get Position"))
         self.comment_box_label.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Comment box"))
         self.user_comment_button.setText(_translate("MainWindow", "Add comment to log"))
 
diff --git a/__pycache__/LCL_ui.cpython-36.pyc b/__pycache__/LCL_ui.cpython-36.pyc
index f8a7b39f36fedace669b43df8a8a75454cef830b..2cdc259be8d052be6527a6b2ed4eb5ff15fcfc46 100644
Binary files a/__pycache__/LCL_ui.cpython-36.pyc and b/__pycache__/LCL_ui.cpython-36.pyc differ
diff --git a/__pycache__/stage_controller.cpython-36.pyc b/__pycache__/stage_controller.cpython-36.pyc
index deacebf5a855bbf74ed7019538217dd5c4e242e0..18988ab420abb45ad640cc046bdb3e6f40c5398a 100644
Binary files a/__pycache__/stage_controller.cpython-36.pyc and b/__pycache__/stage_controller.cpython-36.pyc differ
diff --git a/stage_controller.py b/stage_controller.py
index d1b9bf92a5a9b6eb75cbf575ec52d578def0ffb7..db024fb9a8697405288f50330e1529df317e8dce 100644
--- a/stage_controller.py
+++ b/stage_controller.py
@@ -10,8 +10,14 @@ class stage_controller():
 		com = 'COM3'
 		baud = 9600
 		parity = serial.PARITY_NONE
-		self.ser = serial.Serial(com, baud, timeout=0,
+		self.ser = serial.Serial(com, baud, timeout=.25,
 			parity=parity)
+		self.standard_move_size = 1000
+		self.key_control_dict = {
+		87:self.move_up,
+		65:self.move_left,
+		83:self.move_down,
+		68:self.move_right}
 
 	def issue_command(self,command):
 		'''
@@ -21,7 +27,7 @@ class stage_controller():
 		comment('sending command to stage:{}'.format(command_string))
 		self.ser.write(command_string.encode('utf-8'))
 
-	def get_response(self):		
+	def get_long_response(self):		
 		response = ''
 		while 'END' not in response:
 			piece = self.ser.read()
@@ -30,27 +36,51 @@ class stage_controller():
 		comment('response received from stage:{}'.format(response))
 		return response
 
-	def get_status(self):
-		self.issue_command('?')
-		return self.get_response()
+	def send_receive(self,command):
+		self.issue_command(command)
+		response = self.ser.readline()
+		comment('response received from stage:{}'.format(response))
+		return response
+
+	def get_status(self):	
+		self.issue_command('?')	
+		return self.get_long_response()
 
 	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
-	def move_left(self):
-		print('test')
+	def home_stage(self):
+		# hits the limit switches and then returns to last known location
+		return self.send_receive('RIS')
 
 	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
-	def move_right(self):
-		pass
+	def get_position(self):
+		return self.send_receive('P')
+
+	def go_to_position(self,x,y):
+		return self.send_receive('G,{},{}'.format(x,y))
+
+	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
+	def move_up(self):
+		return self.send_receive('GR,0,-{}'.format(self.standard_move_size))
 
 	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
 	def move_down(self):
-		pass
+		return self.send_receive('GR,0,{}'.format(self.standard_move_size))
 
 	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
-	def move_up(self):
-		pass
+	def move_right(self):
+		return self.send_receive('GR,{},0'.format(self.standard_move_size))
+
+	@QtCore.pyqtSlot()
+	def move_left(self):
+		return self.send_receive('GR,-{},0'.format(self.standard_move_size))
+
+	def handle_keypress(self,key):
+		if key in self.key_control_dict.keys():
+			self.key_control_dict[key]()
+
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
 	stage = stage_controller()
-	stage_controller.get_status(stage)
+	stage_controller.home_stage(stage)
+