Need help choosing a controller/breakout board

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22 Feb 2021 19:58 #199758 by Vladcronos
Hello everyone,

I have been fighting with this for about two weeks now. Documentation on a use of LinuxCNC is almost non existent for home setups. All recommended boards on official page make no sense for home setup due to their cost. I have probably watched everything on youtube and all I could find was not very useful to learn how to install the system.

So my last resort is this forum. I have a $2000 benchtop manual mill which I plan to cnc convert using raspberry Pi 4, close loop steppers, stepper drivers and a 48V 800W PSU. I used to have a MACH4 license and really dont want to go that route now. Based on what I heard I feel that LinuxCNC is a superior software. I have researched Masso, but $650+ doesnt make sense for my machine either. I have researched MESA website and their gazillion boards and got lost over there, they have no feature list, no comparisons, no nothing. :huh: I have also heard I could just use the parallel port on RPI directly, but again, I wont be able to do that with no documentation available. I have also researched GRBL optiob, and that seems like too amateurish and would have a very low performance (USB based). Also considered using DUET2 board for this purpose, but that would limit me too. Also checked "blackbox" offer, but its $200 for a GRBL controller basically. TBH Masso board looks like the best option imo, but I dont want to use it on this first machine, but rather buy it when I go for my second build with more experience behind my back.

And please correct me if I am wrong, if you guys think a simple breakout PCB should cost $200. Maybe I dont understand something, after all I am new to LinuxCNC infrastructure. I did use POKEYS57CNC board which I bought for $130 and it was an actual motion board with a lot of features. Duet2 is another good example - $60 for a complete very feature rich controller with 32bit processor and included stepper drivers. And please dont get me wrong, it is not about spending certain money for me, it's more about buying a $10 product for $200.

So yeah, if you guys could at least point me into right direction, I would really appreciate. Totally stuck at this step now, everything else is already on hand.

My electronics so far:

1) 27x7 mill
2) Raspberry Pi 4 + 13in touchscreen with arm.
3) 48V PSU www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BBVSK81/
4) Close Loop Stepper Setup: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZLQL83N/

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22 Feb 2021 21:01 - 22 Feb 2021 21:49 #199766 by chris@cnc
First hit on Google
Linuxcnc hardware

wiki.linuxcnc.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?LinuxCNC_Supported_Hardware

My opinion
There are many artists on YouTube who build a machine with a $ 10 bob and a couple of steppers. I have no time for this.
I don't know if it works with a raspberry. but the 7i76e is mesa's board. the configuration is fully supported by linuxcnc and saves a lot of time on setting up later. and if the raspberry does not have enough latency power, you can replace it without any problems. There are enough IO ports for handwheel home switches ... is also expandable if it is not enough. I can recommend it
Last edit: 22 Feb 2021 21:49 by chris@cnc.

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22 Feb 2021 21:10 #199767 by Vladcronos
Yeah, I am leaning towards that board mainly because it seems the most popular choice, despite it is being so overpriced. As you said, time is also important. I am at the point of just getting that. And yeah, I actually mentioned in my message that I first went through that page and it doesnt list any hardware for home use, if you read that page you will see what I mean, most of stuff is $600+ on that list. I still dont understand why a simple breakout sells for so much money, I will call mesa and probably ask them about this. called them today and they said their technical support guy only comes to work at 2PM PST, which is 5PM EST, pretty ridiculous if you ask me, especially considering that they are working with 1500% profit margins. Wanted to avoid them as much as I can, but oh well...

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22 Feb 2021 21:30 #199770 by Vladcronos
Super weird, but that's not exactly the page I have seen, this one seem to have more detail on boards specifically. Thanks for sharing anyways, I'll look there too!

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22 Feb 2021 21:56 - 22 Feb 2021 22:00 #199774 by chris@cnc
The choice of hardware depends on what I want to work on later. My experience, better hardware => more fun to work with it. The Ideas come on work and if you spend the whole day to keep the machine running its no time to play or you end in world of pain if nothing works.
That was my mind behind choice of hardware. And the 7i76e is very flexible. Maybe you pay today for future options you still not know.
Last edit: 22 Feb 2021 22:00 by chris@cnc.

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22 Feb 2021 22:16 - 22 Feb 2021 22:16 #199776 by Vladcronos
I am in production and I design and make products, I am familiar with most of costs, which is why it hurts me to pay that much for something so basic and not high performance or anything in any way. Otherwise I would have gone with 7i76e already probably. You are right that it is probably the easiest solution, but in this case might as well go with MASSO card + software bundle. What do you think of that one? Yeah, $600 range, but I still believe that offers more value there.
Last edit: 22 Feb 2021 22:16 by Vladcronos.

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22 Feb 2021 22:45 #199778 by Vladcronos
So just for the record, I just called mesa and the guy explained all the options to me and I decided to go with 7i96 board. A big difference in price if you ask me and it only has less I/O, which I dont need anyways for this first build, as I am probably gonna mess things up. So this will go for sale after I convert it and I will buy another one and a better one for myself and then maybe get 7i76e or MASSO board for that one. Thanks again Chris for your input. The rep also told me that there shouldn't be any latency issues with Rpi4 which gives me hope too :)

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22 Feb 2021 23:10 #199782 by tommylight

Yeah, I am leaning towards that board mainly because it seems the most popular choice, despite it is being so overpriced.

I would disagree, but since i have bought over 50 of Mesa boards i might be biased! :)
They work, perfectly, never failed anything for over 6 years of industrial use, and the best support on planet earth!
Mach3 and a simple BOB will get to that price point and be utterly unusable.
I do agree that it might be overpriced for your budget/allocation for the machine, but in general they are very cheap for what they are capable of and how versatile they are and the piece of mind in having PCW (the owner and a valued member of this forum) here to help always.
7i96 is very nice, that reminds me i have to order some......
Thank you.

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22 Feb 2021 23:32 #199785 by Vladcronos
Thats basically what led me to LinuxCNC this time, I have had both MACH3 and MACH4; and while MACH4 was leaps and bounds better than mach3, it was still horrible and very unstable. I couldnt even see my toolpath on that app on a highres display. So, I got rid of that license and cant be happier. As far as mesa board goes, support was indeed great and since I was suggested a more cost efficient option, I am excited to get the board and to get my Frankenstein machine from ebay running with computer control, hopefully will get to Florida by Saturday :)

I wanted to actually get Precision Matthews mill model for $2800, but they are literally out of stock on most of their mills and until May, so I decided to get that ebay one as a temporary thing and convert it and learn the process on a way until PM has some stock. The backlash on my current mill is pretty dramatic though, gotta have to figure smth out about it, without going for ballscrews, probably will add second nut. Thank you guys again!

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23 Feb 2021 00:28 #199788 by Michael
To speak from experience, you get what you pay for. My first build was a G0704. The only part of the machine I have not had to take apart and massage into working correctly after very limited hours of run time has been the computer I built for Linux and the mesa cards/hardware.

Yes you can find things cheaper but if you value time and money don't go the $60 route and try and make it as cheap as possible. You will spend more time trouble shooting and fixing then making parts. Yes the cheap benchtop mills are a great entry point and perfect to learn on but they are not accurate, not square, usually break, not rigid etc.

That being said my G0704 has made me enough to buy a used VMC and retrofit it. I used almost identical mesa hardware and can run servos, tool changers, coolant, mist and air blast, custom probing routines and the list goes on. Considering I spent about $400 building the computer and 4 mesa cards, its a steal. And I know it will last.

Start reading this....all of it....its a deep rabit hole but you will see what you are getting with Linux.

linuxcnc.org/docs/2.8/html/

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