7i80 and 7i77

Many thanks, I do it...

I have an additional question. Is it possible to connect a differential encoder to the single ended inputs of the 7i76/77 card. Or otherwise to connect the A.B_ and A_.B together on the A and B inputs of the card?

andypugh wrote:

andypugh wrote:

I have a 7i80, Let me see if I can make it work. This may take some time.

I have it working behind me.

Do you still have it working, or did you already put the 7i80 back in the closet because it was buggy?
For my new mill I need more I/O, faster step generation and faster encoder counting than the humble parallel port on an Intel D525MW can provide. I also had a D525MW board break and they are becoming hard to get. New, locally sourced hardware is much worse in the latency department than the D525MW.
So I am really considering one of the Mesa cards. If only they were not so close to impossible to obtain I would already have gotten one

I would like to avoid the PCI bus if possible. The PCIe solutions are quite expensive. That leaves the 7i43 and 7i80. The 7i80 had more I/O and I really like the Ethernet connection.

I am not afraid of performing the install RT-preempt kernel / compile LinuxCNC / etc. steps mentioned, but will this result in a system that just works when I need to make a part? I do like to tinker, but I also use a mill to, uhm, do some milling from time to time.
Also, I am not really in a hurry. Building a CNC mill from scratch takes a couple of months anyway before the axes move under computer control.

Hmm, I was not aware of the 6i25. Price of that board is quite OK. But of course nobody in Europe stocks it. But I might be able to order directly from Mesa. I don't care much about the standard breakout boards; I do have my own with all the extra functions I want and it is rock solid.

But even then I still like the Ethernet link. Single, small cable from (panel-)PC to control cabinet, galvanically isolated communication. One might have to add a supported Ethernet card, but Intel Pro/1000 cards are affordable and good.
I also cannot imagine much variable latency in a point-to-point 100Mbit full duplex link where only UDP packets are exchanged, but that is only from a hardware point of view. There is a lot of software in between.

Even then it is approximately the same price. 7i80 for example:

duzi.cz: EUR 165.45 plus EUR 23,05 shipping with Czech mail = EUR 188,50.
mesanet webshop: USD 149.00 plus USD 43.75 shipping = USD 192,75 = ~EUR 145. But customs might catch the package and add VAT, import duty, etc., And then total price goes up towards the duzi.cz price.

Cannot compare the 6i25 since duzi.cz does not stock it and the other European distributor's website is offline.
But since duzi.cz is not a serious distributor in my opinion (most cards are 'sold out' for months already) the choice is not that difficult.

Can one use multiple 6i25's in one system if it turns out that i need 8 encoders and 5 step drivers?