[ozzie34231]

Hi All,
I've been a user of Mach since its very early days, about 2002, I think.
The recent developments IE, endless time for Mach 4, the move of Tormach to Linux, lead me to think I should look at linux cnc again. So I just went to the .org site and started to look at the getting started guide. If that gets anyone started, I'm amazed.
In the hardware needed part they spend endless words telling about the computer; that's easy!
What I presently run is a system of 5 servos, with encoders, a ESS, ( Ethernet Smoothstepper), 5 Geckos. I use a Pokeys board to send certain input to the system, mostly emulations of screen buttons. I use the same system for both Milling machine and Lathe by changing Mach profiles and switching leads. I use custom screens that I've created using Visual Basic, but my programming knowledge ends there.
So, I guess I need a "switching from Mach 3 to LinuxCNC for dummies" manual.
The very first question is what hardware do I really need and what does it cost, although I suppose I can lookup the second part.
I'm especially fascinated by the electronic gearing of a spindle and axis which I understand is something LinuxCNC can do. This would enable true hobbing of gears, generation of worm gears as well as very accurate threading.
I realize it is entirely probable that all this has been covered but the zone's search facility being what it is, I'm asking the questions again. If the answers are already somewhere, please point me.
Thanks in advance,
Jerry "Ozzie" Pryor

[samco]

Hello! you might get more hits posting this question to the linuxcnc forums..

LinuxCNC :: Category Index

I can give you a 101 though as far as hardware. ESS is out for linuxcnc as it is a buffered controller. Linuxcnc needs a realtime connection with its interface device. Pokeys I don't know about. I vaguely remember someone using pokeys as a usb hud device to use for buttons..

How are your devices hooked to the ESS? Mesa makes a PCI 5i25 which 'acts' like 2 printer ports by itself. (high speed though) So if you are using normal bobs you could plug them right in. Otherwise you can get daughter boards for the 5i25 that are like bobs on steroids. (ie.. 7i76 5 axis stepper, 48 i/o, analog out, diff/ttl encoder counter)
7I76 STEP/IO Step&dir plus I/O daughtercard

and yes there are a few people now doing gear hobbing by gearing axis to spindle.. pretty cool.

(one of the first)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhICrb0Tbn4

mesa does make a few ethernet solution too - you would have to run a newer version of linuxcnc for it to work. (2.7) current stable is 2.6.

sam

[bodini]

I sent you a PM.

[ozzie34231]

Thanks Sam,
Okay, so I need a pci 5i25 and maybe a daughter board. The daughter board will have terminals that will feed step/dir signals to my Gecko drivers which run my servos. Is that right so far?
I have ttl encoders, not Differential. Is that okay?
If I put a similar encoder on a spindle, is that all the hardware I need to electronically gear the spindle and an axis?
Thanks again for your help. I'll find the Linux forum.
Cheers,
Jerry

[JAKEFREESE]

Subscribed...

I am attempting to learn about it also, especially since I think I am going to pickup a Hurco that will need a retrofit. Andy over at .org has helped me quite a bit but I still have a broken understanding of what to do with the hardware and what can do what. I need a LinuxCNC for dummies! along with a Linux for dummies.....

It appears the 7i77 with the 5i25 plug in go should work for my setup, I will probably need the isolation card with the plasma and tig machine running in the shop.

The 7i77 is good to go with servos and ttl encoders from what I have read.

The 7i77 can handle 6 inputs so having 4 axis and the spindle should be good to go. (I am planning getting 3 axis, plus the knee, spindle and a 4th axis) So I will fill up all six

But I am going to attempt to use the current servo amps so I thought the encoders go to the amps so I am still in a state of confusion.....I know where your coming from!

[svenakela]

The thing is that there so so much you can do with LinuxCNC that it's sometimes hard to find out how to do it.
Like one of guys at the mailing list recently replied; I usually just assume it can be done with linuxcnc - then you just have to figure out how...

Regarding you custom screens. Have a look at Axis and Python/Glade panels, or GmoccaPy which is a touch screen based industrial GUI.

/S

[svenakela]

Oh, BTW. I prefer the mailing list over the forum, subscribe and you will have heaps of deeply technical discussions to enjoy!

[Delron]

I may be wrong about this, but I get this feeling......

Why is it that the moderators seem shoo everybody asking questions here away to the LinuxCnc sites?

Why shouldn't people be able to ask their questions here? This is a LinuxCnc sub forum is it not?

I like to ask in both forums to get a variety of people engaged. You seem to poo poo that.
Some helpful users may not frequent both forums and someone asking for help may be waiting a long time.

BTW, I would find it hard to believe that ANYONE setting up LinuxCnc on their system could not already know about the LinuxCnc home forums, which BTW, do not have nearly as much traffic as this site. Don't assume they don't know. It's a bit insulting!

Just my two cents.

[svenakela]

I may be wrong about this, but I get this feeling......

Why is it that the moderators seem shoo everybody asking questions here away to the LinuxCnc sites?

Why shouldn't people be able to ask their questions here? This is a LinuxCnc sub forum is it not?

I like to ask in both forums to get a variety of people engaged. You seem to poo poo that.
Some helpful users may not frequent both forums and someone asking for help may be waiting a long time.

BTW, I would find it hard to believe that ANYONE setting up LinuxCnc on their system could not already know about the LinuxCnc home forums, which BTW, do not have nearly as much traffic as this site. Don't assume they don't know. It's a bit insulting!

Just my two cents.

Because this is not the formal/official info channel for LinuxCNC, this forum is even hated by some LCNC users. The LCNC forum over at linuxcnc.org is also "optional". The real communication channel - as per the documentation - IS THE MAILING LIST. I have already given you specifically the same info in another thread. Questions asked here are often unanswered by the very same reason - the people who know the answers are not even looking here!

And yes, people don't even read the documentation before they start installing the software so reminders are needed.

[samco]

I agree with sven.. The linuxcnc.org forum has gotten much better but the experts are on the mailing list and irc..

[bodini]

Mailing lists... why not telegraphs or smoke signals? Better with dialup I suppose. *roll eyes*

Sent from my SGH-T399N using Tapatalk

[Delron]

I understand as anyone would, that this is not the "not the formal/official info channel for LinuxCNC"

Why not close the sub forum then if you don't want it here. Although that probably would alienate a few users.

Have to say, you really don't make me feel very welcome here, being a LinuxCnc user and all....

[wendtmk]

I'm a member here, on the LinuxCNC forum, the mailing list and have been on the IRC chat for a long time. Sven isn't trying to make you feel unwelcome, he's trying to point out that you may or may not get the answers you require from here or the LinuxCNC forum, because the developers and other experienced integrators don't frequent either this forum or the LinuxCNC subforum

If you want to get definitive answers, you need to go to the places where those answers can be gotten. It's not that we in the LinuxCNC world don't want this forum or the one on the LinuxCNC site, it's that the folks who can truly help you don't visit either of these places. This forum was added as a place where folks who use LinuxCNC can talk about it, and "maybe" get answers, but it's not guaranteed. Same for the LinuxCNC forum. You may get answers there, but it's not guaranteed. If you want guaranteed answers, you need to be where the folks who can give them are.

We try our best to help and answer as many questions as we can here, but realize, we're _not_ the experts. We may know quite a bit, but once you get off the beaten track, you may not be able to get the answer you need. LinuxCNC is a very flexible software controller, which due to it's flexibility can, at times, be quite complicated to set up. That's where they guys that actually write the code that makes up the controller, or who implement/integrate this software into the machining world can be your best source of information.

If you don't wish to be able to contact the experts directly, that's entirely up to you. Just don't expect to be able to get the answer you're looking for in places where the experts don't reside.

Not trying to be harsh or rude, just stating the way it is. We do get some guys in here occasionally that do know quite a bit, and those of us that frequent this place try to help out as much as we can, but sometimes, what comes up is beyond our experience.

[wendtmk]

Mailing lists... why not telegraphs or smoke signals? Better with dialup I suppose. *roll eyes*

Sent from my SGH-T399N using Tapatalk

Forums have been around as long as mailing lists. They just used to have a different name - they were called bulletin boards back in the days of dial up.

Just a different kind of smoke signal.

[askjerry]

I haven't been on this forum in awhile... I got started in LinuxCNC awhile back... so I was hitting that forum pretty hard getting up-to-speed. I love Linuxcnc... but getting started is like learning Chinese via a Spanish interpreter when you speak German. You can do quite a bit with the pyVCP creating new panels and controls. Glade is good too... although I've been tinkering for a month with that and have yet to create a panel that actually does anything. But pyVCP... it's not really that bad... just takes some getting used to.

I'm putting what I'm learning on my web page Askjerry... Everyone else does. so at least others can learn from my mistakes, etc.

Getting back to why the moderators here might make a push to look at the LinuxCNC forum... because you are likely to find an answer there first... and if not, at least it doubles your chances. I come here because there are topics about hardware and such that may or may not be used or incorporated (yet) with LinuxCNC... so it broadens my ability to learn new stuff.

I hope you find what you are looking for... I'll follow the thread and if I find anything I'll assist.
Jerry