Mesa 5i25 with plain G540, no 7i77

Well I fixed the Peter's experimental XML for PNcconf,
( Peter, there were a couple things just plain wrong eg secondaryfunction was showing primary functions and there are a lot of little spelling difference)
I just can't upload it right now for some reason-so someone can test.

One would still need to add some commands in a custom HAL file to set up the charge pump.
As that requires some changes in PNCconf to do automatically - and that has it's own problems....
I'll start a thread on that.

Chris M

Chris,

I'll give a try once you get it uploaded.

Pncconf looks like a good tool. It would certainly help to make sense of things.

The fact that the Mesa 5i25 can have a lot of it's pins as either inputs or outputs make it difficult from a beginners stand point.

The Mesa seems less noisy driving the steppers. I saw speeds past 125 ipm which is fast for me right now. Kinda made me jump until I slowed things down a bit.

I'm still a little nervous and driving slow.

Thanks!

Matt

Hello!

I realize this thread is over a year old, but it has been a tremendous help to me getting acclimated with using a Mesa 6i25/G540 combination in LinuxCNC - and I am new to it ALL!

I originally started to put this project together with an old PC with a Parallel port and using just what was available (stepconf), I was able to get all 4 steppers moving - then assembled the steppers/ballscrews on to a Large table for my Grizz X2 and things work GREAT. The PC was TOO old, though - gigantic jitter for one thing - so I decided to build a new system with modern components! That done, with the 6i25 and LinuxCNC installed, I embarked on creating the INI and HAL files using my old system ones as examples and the ones in THIS thread as "building blocks".

I suspect there is more information somewhere that I haven't found that will help me over the issues I am having constructing these files.

The main question I have at this point regards the PIN definitions. In my original HAL file, I have the following:

net estop-out => parport.0.pin-01-out
net xstep => parport.0.pin-02-out
setp parport.0.pin-02-out-reset 1
setp parport.0.pin-03-out-invert 1
net xdir => parport.0.pin-03-out
net ystep => parport.0.pin-04-out
setp parport.0.pin-04-out-reset 1
net ydir => parport.0.pin-05-out
net zstep => parport.0.pin-06-out
setp parport.0.pin-06-out-reset 1
net zdir => parport.0.pin-07-out
net astep => parport.0.pin-08-out
setp parport.0.pin-08-out-reset 1
net adir => parport.0.pin-09-out
net spindle-cw => parport.0.pin-14-out
net spindle-pwm => parport.0.pin-16-out
net xenable => parport.0.pin-17-out

net both-home-x <= parport.0.pin-10-in
net both-home-y <= parport.0.pin-11-in
net both-home-z <= parport.0.pin-12-in
net both-home-a <= parport.0.pin-13-in
net probe-in <= parport.0.pin-15-in

Yet in the HAL file that is supplied in this thread, there is NO such PIN definition section. Do you NOT need to define these PINs with the 6i25/G540 combination?

Perhaps someone could point me to some documentation that will clear this fog for me and I can be on my way!

Thanks for your time!

Paul

Hi Andy,

Thanks for the response!

Can you tell me where I can find material that references all that?

I have the feeling that I also need to load a driver or something before this will all work with the LinuxCNC Distro. Anything that gives good simple preliminary setup guidance around? I have the ones from here, but everything I have seen talks around what my config needs!

Appreciate the help.

Paul

Some I/O pins will still need to be connect ed in HAL for the limit switches and probe input for example:

Are all GPIO

I see. That's great info! Is it documented in detail anywhere?

Thanks,
Paul

Sure, the g540x2.pin file (or the dmesg log from linuxCNC)
and the Gecko G540 manual

I finally found an answer to my first issue:

Replace: net estop-out => hm2_[HOSTMOT2](BOARD).0.pin-001

With: net estop-out => hm2_[HOSTMOT2](BOARD).0.gpio.001.out

seems to get me beyond that point.

Now I have one I cannot seem to understand!

grizz-6i25.hal:109: Pin 'hm2_5i25.0.stepgen.00.enable' does not exist

What have I blindly missed now?

Startup is rough!!!

Thanks,
Paul

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 - 2.5.2
Machine configuration directory is '/home/pws/linuxcnc/configs/grizz-mill'
Machine configuration file is 'grizz-6i25.ini'
INIFILE=/home/pws/linuxcnc/configs/grizz-mill/grizz-6i25.ini
PARAMETER_FILE=linuxcnc.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=2592
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
grizz-6i25.hal:109: Pin 'hm2_5i25.0.stepgen.00.enable' does not exist
2592
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components

Kernel message information:
[ 5824.344580] I-pipe: Domain RTAI registered.
[ 5824.344584] RTAI[hal]: <3.8.1> mounted over IPIPE-NOTHREADS 2.6-03.
[ 5824.344586] RTAI[hal]: compiled with gcc version 4.4.3 (Ubuntu 4.4.3-4ubuntu5) .
[ 5824.344722] RTAI[hal]: mounted (IPIPE-NOTHREADS, IMMEDIATE (INTERNAL IRQs DISPATCHED), ISOL_CPUS_MASK: 0).
[ 5824.344723] PIPELINE layers:
[ 5824.344725] fac15e20 9ac15d93 RTAI 200
[ 5824.344727] c085cb20 0 Linux 100
[ 5824.354698] RTAI[malloc]: global heap size = 2097152 bytes, <BSD>.
[ 5824.355057] RTAI[sched]: IMMEDIATE, MP, USER/KERNEL SPACE: <with RTAI OWN KTASKs>, kstacks pool size = 524288 bytes.
[ 5824.355060] RTAI[sched]: hard timer type/freq = APIC/6250559(Hz); default timing: periodic; linear timed lists.
[ 5824.355062] RTAI[sched]: Linux timer freq = 250 (Hz), TimeBase freq = 3800394000 hz.
[ 5824.355063] RTAI[sched]: timer setup = 999 ns, resched latency = 2943 ns.
[ 5824.355110] RTAI[usi]: enabled.
[ 5824.372127] RTAI[math]: loaded.
[ 5824.413871] hm2: loading Mesa HostMot2 driver version 0.15
[ 5824.415496] hm2_pci: loading Mesa AnyIO HostMot2 driver version 0.7
[ 5824.415526] hm2_pci 0000:02:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 18 (level, low) -> IRQ 18
[ 5824.415529] hm2_pci: discovered 5i25 at 0000:02:00.0
[ 5824.416043] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: Smart Serial Firmware Version 38
[ 5824.471625] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: 34 I/O Pins used:
[ 5824.471627] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 000 (P3-01): IOPort
[ 5824.471629] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 001 (P3-14): IOPort
[ 5824.471630] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 002 (P3-02): IOPort
[ 5824.471632] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 003 (P3-15): IOPort
[ 5824.471633] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 004 (P3-03): IOPort
[ 5824.471635] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 005 (P3-16): IOPort
[ 5824.471636] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 006 (P3-04): IOPort
[ 5824.471638] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 007 (P3-17): IOPort
[ 5824.471639] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 008 (P3-05): IOPort
[ 5824.471641] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 009 (P3-06): IOPort
[ 5824.471642] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 010 (P3-07): IOPort
[ 5824.471645] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 011 (P3-08): IOPort
[ 5824.471646] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 012 (P3-09): IOPort
[ 5824.471648] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 013 (P3-10): IOPort
[ 5824.471649] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 014 (P3-11): IOPort
[ 5824.471651] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 015 (P3-12): IOPort
[ 5824.471653] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 016 (P3-13): IOPort
[ 5824.471655] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 017 (P2-01): IOPort
[ 5824.471657] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 018 (P2-14): IOPort
[ 5824.471658] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 019 (P2-02): IOPort
[ 5824.471660] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 020 (P2-15): IOPort
[ 5824.471661] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 021 (P2-03): IOPort
[ 5824.471663] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 022 (P2-16): IOPort
[ 5824.471664] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 023 (P2-04): IOPort
[ 5824.471665] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 024 (P2-17): IOPort
[ 5824.471667] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 025 (P2-05): IOPort
[ 5824.471668] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 026 (P2-06): IOPort
[ 5824.471670] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 027 (P2-07): IOPort
[ 5824.471671] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 028 (P2-08): IOPort
[ 5824.471672] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 029 (P2-09): IOPort
[ 5824.471674] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 030 (P2-10): IOPort
[ 5824.471675] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 031 (P2-11): IOPort
[ 5824.471676] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 032 (P2-12): IOPort
[ 5824.471678] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: IO Pin 033 (P2-13): IOPort
[ 5824.471705] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: registered
[ 5824.471707] hm2_5i25.0: initialized AnyIO board at 0000:02:00.0
[ 5824.649712] hm2_5i25.0: dropping AnyIO board at 0000:02:00.0
[ 5824.649716] hm2/hm2_5i25.0: unregistered
[ 5824.649738] hm2_pci 0000:02:00.0: PCI INT A disabled
[ 5824.649759] hm2_pci: driver unloaded
[ 5824.651181] hm2: unloading
[ 5824.673993] RTAI[math]: unloaded.
[ 5824.684552] SCHED releases registered named ALIEN RTGLBH
[ 5824.748328] RTAI[malloc]: unloaded.
[ 5824.848198] RTAI[sched]: unloaded (forced hard/soft/hard transitions: traps 0, syscalls 0).
[ 5824.850277] I-pipe: Domain RTAI unregistered.
[ 5824.850444] RTAI[hal]: unmounted.