7i96S card setup issues -- board discovery & red LED

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31 Dec 2022 05:30 #260610 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
SHORT VERSION:
Board Discovery works but when doing so the tab for inputs is badly broken. It's missing almost all the options to properly setup the inputs. When using this approach, I can get LinuxCNC to start, somehow, but the config presumably is flawed because so many input options were not shown in the PNCconf setup process.

By contrast, whenever I avoid Board Discovery and instead manually choose "7i96" I can complete the wizard, and the inputs are shown on the tab and I can set them up, but then LinuxCNC won't start, regardless of whether the "s" was added in the INI file or not. This was with the "board names INI" choice selected during the wizard setup. 

Either way, whether I try to start LinuxCNC, I get a red LED on the MESA board.
MORE DETAILS:

I'm running LinuxCNC based on LinuxMint and my understanding is it's 2.9.

The laptop has WIFi working with home network using the 192.168.x.x address range.

The laptop also has static IP address 10.10.10.11 assigned for an additional network that's between only it and the MESA card. I created a new network on the laptop with manual IP config as shown below: 

        Right clicked on wifi icon in the right corner and choose "Edit connections..."
        Added a new network with the settings below:
  •         Network Name:   Ethernet Plasma Connection
  •         IP address:         10.10.10.11
  •         Netmask:            8
  •         Gateway:            10.10.10.1
        Also clicked "Routes" and selected: "Use this connect only for resources on its network."

I also downloaded the "Support Software" from the MESA store site , and figured out how to use terminal to get the folder contents installed into the folder at "/lib/firmware/hm2"

Note: The downloaded folder was named "hostmot2" instead of "hm2" so I renamed it first, based on a screen note in PNCconf.


Regarding PCW's post here , I think I am good on all the items marked in bold.

You need LinuxCNC 2.9 for full support of the 7I96S.

You do not need mesaflash unless you plan  to use a parallel expansion card which requires specific firmware.

[NOTE: I had already installed mesaflash before seeing the above. I used it to successfully test the connection to the card.]

For configuration utilities you can use pncconf and select 7I96
...and the edit the created ini file to change the card name.
(from 7i96 to 7i96s)
(you need to select the ini card name substitution option).

[NOTE: I can use auto Board Discovery, but when I do, the tab with the inputs is badly broken. When I instead select 7i96, in the dropdown, I get the inputs on the tab, and can finish the setup, but then LinuxCNC won't start. ]

I got real help from this tutorial on LinuxCNC forum:
forum.linuxcnc.org/27-driver-boards/3559...ethernet-mesa-boards

I used the setup steps / info from there.

In particular, quoting from the tutorial:

    ---Recommendation from PCW for use with built in Intel ethernet PC cards.
    If using intel ethernet that in some cases looses the connection, there should be the following line added in a terminal

        sudo ethtool -C eth0 rx-usecs 0

    Replace the eth0 with the name of your ethernet connection, to find out right click on the network manager in the taskbar 
    ( always on the right side, top or bottom depending on the flavour of Linux you are using ) and choose connection info. 
    Sometimes that name is quite strange like " enp4s0 " or similar.
    Test the ping again and check the reply time.


So, for me this worked:

        sudo ethtool -C enp1s0f1 rx-usecs 0

I ran the above, and it executed instantly and without any notes in response. 

Afterward I pinged the card, and it seems to have taken. All seemed OK.

I then retried the PNCconf wizard, both with and without board discovery in setup, and got the same problematic results mentioned above. 

Regarding the red LED, I am using a 5V 5A power supply as shown in the photos below. My wiring is straightforward. There is nothing else drawing from the power supply, it's grounded, and when I checked it with a multimeter it indicated 5V. 









I am attaching the error report generated when I tried to start LinuxCNC. For convenience, below is a copy and paste of the contents:
Error report created by /usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc/show_errors.tcl:

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/lib/linuxcnc/modules
LINUXCNC_CONFIG_DIR=
LINUXCNC_LANG_DIR=/usr/lib/tcltk/linuxcnc/msgs
INIVAR=inivar
HALCMD=halcmd
LINUXCNC_EMCSH=/usr/bin/wish8.6
LINUXCNC - 2.9.0~pre0
Machine configuration directory is '/home/doug/linuxcnc/configs/LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config'
Machine configuration file is 'LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config.ini'
INIFILE=/home/doug/linuxcnc/configs/LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config/LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config.ini
VERSION=1.1
PARAMETER_FILE=linuxcnc.var
TPMOD=
HOMEMOD=
TASK=milltask
HALUI=halui
DISPLAY=axis
COORDINATES=XYYZZ
KINEMATICS=trivkins coordinates=XYYZZ kinstype=BOTH
Starting LinuxCNC...
Starting LinuxCNC server program: linuxcncsvr
Loading Real Time OS, RTAPI, and HAL_LIB modules
Starting LinuxCNC IO program: io
Starting HAL User Interface program: halui
linuxcnc TPMOD=tpmod HOMEMOD=homemod EMCMOT=motmod
Found file(REL): ./LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config.hal
Shutting down and cleaning up LinuxCNC...
Running HAL shutdown script

identityKinematicsSetup: coordinates:XYYZZ
   Joint 0 ==> Axis X
   Joint 1 ==> Axis Y
   Joint 2 ==> Axis Y
   Joint 3 ==> Axis Z
   Joint 4 ==> Axis Z

hm2: loading Mesa HostMot2 driver version 0.15
hm2_eth: loading Mesa AnyIO HostMot2 ethernet driver version 0.2
hm2_eth: 10.10.10.10: INFO: Hardware address (MAC): 00:60:1b:16:81:00
hm2_eth: Unrecognized ethernet board found: 7I96S -- port names will be wrong
hm2_eth: discovered 7I96S
hm2/hm2_7i96.0: Low Level init 0.15
hm2/hm2_7i96.0: Smart Serial Firmware Version 43
hm2/hm2_7i96.0: 51 I/O Pins used:
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 000 (??-01): InM Input Module #0, pin in0 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 001 (??-14): InM Input Module #0, pin in1 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 002 (??-02): InM Input Module #0, pin in2 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 003 (??-15): InM Input Module #0, pin in3 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 004 (??-03): InM Input Module #0, pin in4 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 005 (??-16): InM Input Module #0, pin in5 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 006 (??-04): InM Input Module #0, pin in6 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 007 (??-17): InM Input Module #0, pin in7 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 008 (??-05): InM Input Module #0, pin in8 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 009 (??-06): InM Input Module #0, pin in9 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 010 (??-07): InM Input Module #0, pin in10 (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 011 (??-08): SSR #0, pin Out-00 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 012 (??-09): SSR #0, pin Out-01 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 013 (??-10): SSR #0, pin Out-02 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 014 (??-11): SSR #0, pin Out-03 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 015 (??-12): OutM Output Module #0, pin Out-04 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 016 (??-13): OutM Output Module #0, pin Out-05 (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 017 (??-01): StepGen #0, pin Step (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 018 (??-14): StepGen #0, pin Direction (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 019 (??-02): StepGen #1, pin Step (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 020 (??-15): StepGen #1, pin Direction (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 021 (??-03): StepGen #2, pin Step (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 022 (??-16): StepGen #2, pin Direction (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 023 (??-04): StepGen #3, pin Step (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 024 (??-17): StepGen #3, pin Direction (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 025 (??-05): StepGen #4, pin Step (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 026 (??-06): StepGen #4, pin Direction (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 027 (??-07): Encoder #0, pin A (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 028 (??-08): Encoder #0, pin B (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 029 (??-09): Encoder #0, pin Index (Input)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 030 (??-10): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 031 (??-11): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 032 (??-12): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 033 (??-13): SSR #0, pin AC Ref (internal) (Output)
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 034 (??-01): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 035 (??-14): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 036 (??-02): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 037 (??-15): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 038 (??-03): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 039 (??-16): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 040 (??-04): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 041 (??-17): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 042 (??-05): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 043 (??-06): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 044 (??-07): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 045 (??-08): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 046 (??-09): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 047 (??-10): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 048 (??-11): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 049 (??-12): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0:     IO Pin 050 (??-13): IOPort
hm2/hm2_7i96.0: registered
hm2_eth: in hm2_eth_reset
hm2_eth: HostMot2 ethernet driver unloaded
hm2: unloading
Removing HAL_LIB, RTAPI, and Real Time OS modules
Removing NML shared memory segments

Debug file information:
Note: Using POSIX realtime
./LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config.hal:10: parameter or pin 'hm2_7i96s.0.watchdog.timeout_ns' not found
108524
Stopping realtime threads
Unloading hal components
Note: Using POSIX realtime



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Info report created by linuxcnc_info:
The file:    /tmp/linuxcnc_info.txt
can be posted to a forum or a web site like:
     http://pastebin.com
in order to provide information about the linuxcnc
system and configuration.

                Date: Fri Dec 30 10:01:12 PM EST 2022
            UTC Date: Sat Dec 31 03:01:12 AM UTC 2022
        this program: /usr/bin/linuxcnc_info
              uptime: 22:01:12 up 14:36, 1 user, load average: 4.31, 2.40, 1.96
     lsb_release -sa: Linuxmint Linux Mint 21 21 vanessa
            linuxcnc: /usr/bin/linuxcnc
                 pwd: /home/doug/linuxcnc/configs/LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config
                USER: doug
             LOGNAME: doug
                HOME: /home/doug
              EDITOR: 
              VISUAL: 
            LANGUAGE: en_US
                TERM: dumb
           COLORTERM: 
             DISPLAY: :0
             DESKTOP: mate
        display size: 1366x768 pixels (361x203 millimeters)
                PATH: /usr/bin:/home/doug/linuxcnc/configs/LR3_LinuxCNC_Base_Config/bin:/usr/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/snap/bin

uname items:
         nodename -n: doug-Aspire-V3-572P
      kernel-name -s: Linux
      kernel-vers -v: #1 SMP PREEMPT_RT Debian 5.18.5-1 (2022-06-16)
          machine -m: x86_64
        processor -p: x86_64
         platform -i: x86_64
      oper system -o: GNU/Linux

/proc items:
             cmdline: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.18.0-2-rt-amd64 root=UUID=9399c7c0-9946-4d30-9c91-333c2cbe9fd5 ro quiet splash
          model name: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4210U CPU @ 1.70GHz
               cores: 2
             cpu MHz: 2389.899
             parport: 
              serial: 

Versions:
                 gcc: gcc (Ubuntu 11.3.0-1ubuntu1~22.04) 11.3.0
              python: Python 3.10.6
                 git: not_in_PATH
          git commit: NA
                 tcl: 8.6
                  tk: 8.6
               glade: not_in_PATH

linuxcnc_var all:

     LINUXCNCVERSION: 2.9.0~pre0
LINUXCNC_AUX_GLADEVCP: /usr/share/linuxcnc/aux_gladevcp
LINUXCNC_AUX_EXAMPLES: /usr/share/linuxcnc/aux_examples
            REALTIME: /usr/lib/linuxcnc/realtime
                 RTS: uspace
          HALLIB_DIR: /usr/share/linuxcnc/hallib
              PYTHON: /usr/bin/python3

dpkg -l '*linuxcnc*':
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name            Version                             Architecture Description
+++-===============-===================================-============-=============================================
un  linuxcnc        <none>                              <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-doc    <none>                              <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-doc-en <none>                              <none>       (no description available)
un  linuxcnc-sim    <none>                              <none>       (no description available)
ii  linuxcnc-uspace 2.9.0~pre0+git20220402.2500863908-4 amd64        motion controller for CNC machines and robots
 

Finally here is a screen shot showing the missing inputs whenever I do Board Discovery.



Thanks in advance for any advice or nudge in the right direction! As a newbie, I am very grateful for all your excellent help and work here on this site.
Attachments:

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31 Dec 2022 06:40 - 31 Dec 2022 06:41 #260613 by PCW
Sounds like you have an old version of LinuxCNC as pncconf in current
LInuxCNC master and I think current LInuxCNC 2.8.4 supports the 7I96S directly.

The red LED illumination is expected when LInuxCNC exits
(it indicates a watchdog bite)

Pncconf's discover is not needed nor are any firmware files unless you have a
add on card connected to the 7I96S's parallel expansion port in your system.
Last edit: 31 Dec 2022 06:41 by PCW.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Doug @ Design8Studio.com

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31 Dec 2022 06:44 #260614 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
Cool. How do I update the version of LinuxCNC? Sorry to be such a newbie.

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31 Dec 2022 06:54 #260617 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
My version of LinuxCNC shows as 2.9.0~pre0.

I launched "Update Manager" and all it says is "Your system is up to date."

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31 Dec 2022 07:06 - 31 Dec 2022 07:07 #260619 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
Here's what shows in terminal when I enter the command: hostnamectl

 Static hostname: doug-Aspire-V3-572P
       Icon name: computer-laptop
         Chassis: laptop
      Machine ID: --removed--
         Boot ID: --removed--
Operating System: Linux Mint 21                   
          Kernel: Linux 5.18.0-2-rt-amd64
    Architecture: x86-64

 Hardware Vendor: Acer
  Hardware Model: Aspire V3-572P
 
Last edit: 31 Dec 2022 07:07 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com.

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31 Dec 2022 07:15 #260621 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
The Synaptics package manager says I'm on: 
2.9.0~pre0+git20220402.2500863908-4

It also says the latest version is:
2.9.0~pre0+git20220402.2500863908-4

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31 Dec 2022 07:23 #260622 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
I'm currently reading on buildbot.linuxcnc.org/

And using a combination of terminal and package manager to try to get to a newer version of 2.9 master...

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31 Dec 2022 07:35 #260623 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
While reading on buildbot.linuxcnc.org/

I see several distro's mentioned such as buster, etc, but I don't see mint.

Am I out? I followed advice from this forum in selecting the approach that got me to mint with a working 2.9.

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31 Dec 2022 08:19 #260625 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
From reading on buildbot.linuxcnc.org/
...It says I should be going for:

    Click Settings from the menu and select Repositories.

    You can then either edit or delete existing LinuxCNC entries from the repositories list. 
    You need to end up with the following set of stanzas as the only enabled references to LinuxCNC:

        deb http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ <distro> <branch>-<type>
        deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ <distro> <branch>-<type>

    Where:

        <distro> is the name of the Linux distribution e.g buster
        <branch> is the LinuxCNC branch you require e.g. 2.8
        <type> is the realtime type e.g.rtpreempt

    So if you installed the Buster distro and wanted 2.8 branch then you would have:

        deb http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster 2.8-rtpreempt
        deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster 2.8-rtpreempt

 Based on that, I am attempting to add:
    deb     http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ mint 2.9-rtpreempt
    deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ mint 2.9-rtpreempt

However, the buildbot page says the main branch is:

    deb     http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster master-rtpreempt
    deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster master-rtpreempt

I tried entering the mint versions into the repositories list, but I got a message saying there were no listings (I think).

So I tried the following:

    deb     http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster master-rtpreempt
    deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster master-rtpreempt

That gave me errors and could not be contacted (or some such), so I tried this:
 
    deb     http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster 2.9-rtpreempt
    deb-src http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org/ buster 2.9-rtpreempt

But that gave me errors too. Here's a copy and paste:

    Could not download all repository indexes

    The repository may no longer be available or could not be contacted because of network problems. 
    If available an older version of the failed index will be used. Otherwise the repository will be ignored. 
    Check your network connection and ensure the repository address in the preferences is correct.

    GPG error: http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org buster InRelease: The following signatures couldn't be 
    verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY EF1B07FEE0EE663E 
    The repository 'http:/~/buildbot.linuxcnc.org buster InRelease' is not signed.
 

Then I remembered reading this in terminal:

    $ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver hkp://keys.openpgp.org --recv-key EF1B07FEE0EE663E
    [sudo] password for doug:     
    Warning: apt-key is deprecated. Manage keyring files in trusted.gpg.d instead (see apt-key(8)).
    Executing: /tmp/apt-key-gpghome.rjQwtNvAVd/gpg.1.sh --keyserver hkp:/~/keys.openpgp.org --recv-key EF1B07FEE0EE663E
    gpg: key EF1B07FEE0EE663E: new key but contains no user ID - skipped
    gpg: Total number processed: 1

So, "Warning: apt-key is deprecated." -- Sounds like not a show stopper.

Not sure what to make of this: "key EF1B07FEE0EE663E: new key but contains no user ID - skipped"

But then I notice in the response in package manager: "NO_PUBKEY EF1B07FEE0EE663E"

I'm not an experienced Linux user so I am struggling on how to get anywhere.

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31 Dec 2022 08:20 #260626 by Doug @ Design8Studio.com
PS: I know all the URLs in the previous post are broken. I had to break them to get the site to accept the post.

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