7i80 and 7i77

so. since I already have the 7i80-7i77 boards working ok I wonder (#1) how i can make it work just in the same arrangement but with the dual firmware (2 7i76 - 2 7i77), nevertheless only with the 7i77 breakout attached
(Assuming that's the way i can configure the 7i80 to load the stepgen component)

then I hope i can configure the signaling to link the stepgen outputs to the 7i77 io pins...
I should be able to do that right ?

if this is possible, can you help me with this (#1)
tnks !

You cannot make the 7I77 field outputs toggle fast enough for a reasonable step/dir system,
they simply are not designed for this.

If you want step/dir outputs you need a 7I76,7I78,7I85S, or even a standard parallel port breakout board
connected to one of the other 7I80DB connectors

Peter,

Could one of the regular smart serial ports (such as the one on his 7i77) be re-purposed as a step/dir output? I get the impression he only needs to control one stepper on his servo system to control his tool changer.

Other wise I to would suggest just adding an ordinary parallel port breakout board to one of the other db25 ports and configured for something like the Probotix, Gecko or other parallel port breakout firmware (like you said).

Peter,

Could one of the regular smart serial ports (such as the one on his 7i77) be re-purposed as a step/dir output? I get the impression he only needs to control one stepper on his servo system to control his tool changer.

Yes, but that's only one (differential) output and 2 are needed

Oh yeah, duh, I was thinking there were 2 pair, but one is input and one is out only, right.

But could it work to use that for the stepping and a slow gpio pin for the dir. Since it is only for a tool changer, there shouldn't be any fast or time critical direction changes?

Many thanks to all.
I'm learning by testing and doing my first steps.
This sw stepgen signal generation exersises using 7i77 IOs allowed me to test/learn enough for sw stepping for now.

Regtarding the devices I'm testing with
Todd got very very near !
I was tempted to place here the story of this device but would be too long and kinda out of topic, so I let the text in a draft , to publish someday somewhere..
but here's the pic of the "don't-know-yet-how-to-call-stone-age-rotary-thing"




I will test - just because I have the stuff around - the geckos g320 with this same swstepgen...
but inmediately go back to the trail where I left, around proper/wide config of 7i80DB

To continue I have so many questions i don't know where to start. But I'll try to summarize..

1) will order a 7i78 (cause 7i76 seem out of stock) to get the "real" stepgens
2) and a 7i87 to get some analog inputs (i guess i will need o to handle the heigth control of a hyperterm powermax 45)

so the question is, if this boards can be presently be handled toghether by my 7i80db (also if I might need any additional cable, etc) - (it's not very simple nor fast process order from here - errors/omissions are expensive )

so thanks in advance for your comments on the topic

by the way, I designed this device while learning my first steps into Autodesk Inventor.
And the parts (aluminum 1/2 in) were machined with a 3 axis servo, linuxcnc 6i25-7i77 based table.
The device is intended to allow to mount different angle grinders (maybe other similar devices) so you can use it to cut, grind, polish, rectify, level, profile, whatever ...
As many of the tools you can mount on angle grinders need to operate aligned to the path... that's why I asked for ideas on how to synchronize the rotary movement to the tangent of the path (ie X Y axis)
And for the kind of "tool" (if this one, someday qualifies as such ), speed is not a relevant issue as for example is the holding torque, etc.

The idea of this device was based on a video I saw, where there was this device I later foun out that were called aggregate heads
Of course I also dreamed of a worm based slewing drive, but -same as aggregate heads - what i saw
so this is how things are for now

I'm also looking for rotary tables and this could be a first approach too

I have also purchased this combo and is currently trying to make it work
I have installed the LinuxCNC 2.6 debian wheesy and updated it to 2.7
Also flashed the 7i80 with 7i80db_16_7i77x4.bit with mesaflash and verified it.
Can ping the card.
I have used an ini and hal file for 5i25/7i77 and minimised it so that I´l get linucnc started before I run into more problems

So that is what I have done and now I get the message that the module hm2_eth in /usr/realtime-3.4.9-rtai-686-pae/modules/linuxcnc when linuxcnc is started.

I have read most of this thread and I have a hard time figuring out what is needed and not needed at the present time, read a comment that it will be alot easier after 2.7 is released.
I looked here wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?Uspace and figured that I must do this:

---

Getting the code

The code is on git.linuxcnc.org in the master branch.
Configuring and building

./configure --with-realtime=uspace
make
sudo make setuid

---

But as it seem like I cant wrap my brain around how installing and getting files in linux works without a step by step instruction (i hope that will change soon) I get stuck on "how do I get the files" and if I try to write ./config in terminal I only get "the file or folder does not exist".

So if anyone can please help a linux wannabe it would be much appreciated.

Hi jeeybee..
I started as Andy suggested.

I'm preety sure i keep somewhere a kind of log of the process i followed, (probably messy but more than nothing )
so if you get into hard trouble
let me know and i look for it and send it to you.