Mesa 5i25 with plain G540, no 7i77

Hi,

Ok, here is the LinuxCNC error I got.

I'm pretty sure I have this all hosed up.

****************************


Debug file information:
Can not find -sec MOT -var MOT -num 1
Can not find -sec IO -var IO -num 1
Can not find -sec LINUXCNC -var NML_FILE -num 1
Can not find -sec EMC -var NML_FILE -num 1
hm2-g540-stepper.hal:35: Ini variable '[EMCMOT]BASE_PERIOD' not found.
4964
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components



Any ideas? You will have to spell things out for me.

Thanks,

Matt

refetch freeby.mesanet.com/g540.zip

The HAL file got some crap introduced at the beginning somehow

BTW the only interesting/useful line in the errors is this:

hm2-g540-stepper.hal:35: Ini variable '[EMCMOT]BASE_PERIOD' not found.
4964

Thanks!

I'll have another go at it.

I also found a post by you a couple days ago on the mailing list.

The info there was to modify the file produced by Stepconf to the correct parameters for the 5i25 since it is so close to a parallel port pin wise.

I have that info ready to go look at tonight as well.

Thank you for the help.

By the way, when we get this working I'm hoping it will help some other beginner.

I will be happy to share whatever files finally end up being the answer if that will help.

Regards,

Matt

Peter,

I thought the following comment was interesting in the .ini file.

#
# Step timing is 4 us steplen + 4 us stepspace
# That gives 8 us step period = 125 KHz max step freq
#
# Bah, even software stepping can handle that, hm2 doesnt buy you much with
# such slow steppers.

In the past I have tried some Windows software that was used to drive steppers from the parallel port. By the way, I am not talking about Mach 3, not my intention to bad mouth software I have no experience with.

So, my point is that the difference in smoothness with LinuxCNC versus the other software is absolutely astounding. I didn't realize that stepper motors could jerk around like that trying to follow the software interupts on the Windows computer.

I have also used KCam in the past with the MaxStepper hardware interface running on the serial bus. That was very good. That software will eventually be used for a PCB mill that I will build.

So, I like the smoothness offered by the hardware controllers. When I change the PC to something a little more modern someday I'm hoping the 5i25 will help maintain the smoothness I am used to running LinuxCNC.

You are correct that for most of my uses, the hardware stepgen is probably not needed. The machine runs fine on the parallel port to the G540.

Thanks for the help, I will have another go at this tonight, I need to get the axis limits and scaling into the ini file.

Not using PnCConf for editing this configuration makes a lot more sense to me now. PnCConf is really over kill for the simple changes that need to be made in the .ini file.

I'm am trying to learn this and appreciate the help.

Regards,

Matt

Its been found that 1 usec is marginal on the G540s
(not surprising as its the specified minimum width)

I think the latest pncconf uses 2 usec steplen 2 usec stepspace, 700 ns dir setup and 700 ns dir hold
for G540s . This gets you to the G540s specified maximum 250 KHz step rate but with
at least 500 nsec timing margins everywhere.

125 KHz is still 3750 RPM with a Gecko so probably plenty of margin for practical systems

Hi guys,

I have not had any luck configuring without the use of pncconf. I think I'm still in over my head going that route.

I did try some commands I found by running hal from the command line.

I was able to list all of the components and parameters. Intersting to try, I think that means hal can see the hardware.

I went back and ran pncconf again.

After I chose the 5i25 in the Basic Machine Configuration and then hit the Forward button I got the following erros.

*************************************************************

PNCconf encountered an error. The following information may be useful in troubleshooting:

Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/pncconf", line 4421, in on_basicinfo_next
self.mesa_firmware_search(i)
File "/usr/bin/pncconf", line 4491, in mesa_firmware_search
root = xml.etree.ElementTree.parse(os.path.join(firmdir,boardtitle,currentfirm+".xml"))
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/xml/etree/ElementTree.py", line 862, in parse
tree.parse(source, parser)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/xml/etree/ElementTree.py", line 586, in parse
parser.feed(data)
File "/usr/lib/python2.6/xml/etree/ElementTree.py", line 1245, in feed
self._parser.Parse(data, 0)
ExpatError: XML or text declaration not at start of entity: line 2, column 0

Does this give you any idea where I should go next?

Thanks for your time, I appreciate the help.

Regards,

Matt

what problems do you have with the current 5i25-g540.ini/hm2-g540-stepper.hal file set?

Hi,

These are therrors I get when I start LinuxCNC

***************************

Print file information:
RUN_IN_PLACE=no
LINUXCNC_DIR=
LINUXCNC_BIN_DIR=/usr/bin
LINUXCNC_TCL_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc
LINUXCNC_SCRIPT_DIR=
LINUXCNC_RTLIB_DIR=/usr/realtime-2.6.32-122-rtai/modules/linuxcnc
LINUXCNC_CONFIG_DIR=
LINUXCNC_LANG_DIR=/usr/share/linuxcnc/tcl/msgs
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd
LINUXCNC_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.5
LINUXCNC - 2.5.1
Machine configuration directory is '/home/blacksmith99/linuxcnc/configs/SX3'
Machine configuration file is '5i25-g540.ini'
INIFILE=/home/blacksmith99/linuxcnc/configs/SX3/5i25-g540.ini
PARAMETER_FILE=hm2-stepper.var
TASK=milltask
HALUI=
DISPLAY=axis
Starting LinuxCNC...
Starting LinuxCNC server program: linuxcncsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting LinuxCNC IO program: io
Shutting down and cleaning up LinuxCNC...
Killing task linuxcncsvr, PID=2029
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segments
Cleanup done

Debug file information:
Can not find -sec MOT -var MOT -num 1
Can not find -sec IO -var IO -num 1
Can not find -sec LINUXCNC -var NML_FILE -num 1
Can not find -sec EMC -var NML_FILE -num 1
insmod: error inserting '/usr/realtime-2.6.32-122-rtai/modules/linuxcnc/hm2_pci.ko': -1 Invalid parameters
hm2-g540-stepper.hal:38: exit value: 1
hm2-g540-stepper.hal:38: insmod failed, returned -1
See the output of 'dmesg' for more information.
2029
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components

Thanks!

Matt

Here is a portion of the output from dmesg

938.188714] RTAI[sched]: timer setup = 999 ns, resched latency = 2943 ns.
[ 938.188834] RTAI[usi]: enabled.
[ 938.279086] RTAI[math]: loaded.
[ 938.358573] hm2: loading Mesa HostMot2 driver version 0.15
[ 938.363174] hm2_pci: loading Mesa AnyIO HostMot2 driver version 0.7
[ 938.363225] hm2_pci 0000:01:07.0: PCI INT A -> Link[APC4] -> GSI 19 (level, high) -> IRQ 19
[ 938.363230] hm2_pci: discovered 5i25 at 0000:01:07.0
[ 938.363336] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: invalid token in config string: "numpwmgens=1"
[ 938.363342] hm2_5i25.0: board fails HM2 registration
[ 938.363351] hm2_pci 0000:01:07.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 938.363360] hm2_pci: probe of 0000:01:07.0 failed with error -22
[ 938.672854] hm2: unloading
[ 938.725322] RTAI[math]: unloaded.
[ 938.786964] SCHED releases registered named ALIEN RTGLBH
[ 938.800962] RTAI[malloc]: unloaded.
[ 938.900011] RTAI[sched]: unloaded (forced hard/soft/hard transitions: traps 0, syscalls 0).
[ 938.903949] I-pipe: Domain RTAI unregistered.
[ 938.903960] RTAI[hal]: unmounted.
blacksmith99@LinuxCNC:~$ dmesg
blacksmith99@LinuxCNC:~$ dmesg
[ 1230.503854] I-pipe: Domain RTAI registered.
[ 1230.503866] RTAI[hal]: <3.8.1> mounted over IPIPE-NOTHREADS 2.6-03.
[ 1230.503869] RTAI[hal]: compiled with gcc version 4.4.3 (Ubuntu 4.4.3-4ubuntu5) .
[ 1230.503876] RTAI[hal]: mounted (IPIPE-NOTHREADS, IMMEDIATE (INTERNAL IRQs DISPATCHED), ISOL_CPUS_MASK: 0).
[ 1230.503878] PIPELINE layers:
[ 1230.503882] fb6f4e20 9ac15d93 RTAI 200
[ 1230.503884] c085cb20 0 Linux 100
[ 1230.529206] RTAI[malloc]: global heap size = 2097152 bytes, <BSD>.
[ 1230.529383] RTAI[sched]: IMMEDIATE, MP, USER/KERNEL SPACE: <with RTAI OWN KTASKs>, kstacks pool size = 524288 bytes.
[ 1230.529389] RTAI[sched]: hard timer type/freq = APIC/20880584(Hz); default timing: periodic; linear timed lists.
[ 1230.529393] RTAI[sched]: Linux timer freq = 250 (Hz), TimeBase freq = 2088356000 hz.
[ 1230.529396] RTAI[sched]: timer setup = 999 ns, resched latency = 2943 ns.
[ 1230.529519] RTAI[usi]: enabled.
[ 1230.620304] RTAI[math]: loaded.
[ 1230.700447] hm2: loading Mesa HostMot2 driver version 0.15
[ 1230.705223] hm2_pci: loading Mesa AnyIO HostMot2 driver version 0.7
[ 1230.705274] hm2_pci 0000:01:07.0: PCI INT A -> Link[APC4] -> GSI 19 (level, high) -> IRQ 19
[ 1230.705280] hm2_pci: discovered 5i25 at 0000:01:07.0
[ 1230.705445] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: invalid token in config string: "numpwmgens=1"
[ 1230.705451] hm2_5i25.0: board fails HM2 registration
[ 1230.705460] hm2_pci 0000:01:07.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 1230.705469] hm2_pci: probe of 0000:01:07.0 failed with error -22
[ 1231.022771] hm2: unloading
[ 1231.077770] RTAI[math]: unloaded.
[ 1231.136078] SCHED releases registered named ALIEN RTGLBH
[ 1231.152734] RTAI[malloc]: unloaded.
[ 1231.252016] RTAI[sched]: unloaded (forced hard/soft/hard transitions: traps 0, syscalls 0).
[ 1231.255982] I-pipe: Domain RTAI unregistered.
[ 1231.255992] RTAI[hal]: unmounted.


Thanks!

Matt