Bridgeport with Siemens amps and servos

Here is a (very bare bone) 5i25/7i77 hal/ini file pair
basically just the hm2-servo demo config
with a few 5i25/7I77 specific changes:

freeby.mesanet.com:7i77.zip

Thanks guys,

I understand what's going on now. Those files work and now I can see the 7i77 pins. I did start hand editing a sample config before but wasn't able to run it without errors.

I upgraded to the LinuxCNC brand through Synaptic Package Manager. 2.5.0-pre2-909

I finally have some time again to work on the mill. The encoders are wired and working but I'm not getting anything from the analog outputs. The drive enable half works so my amps are on but when I move an axis there is no 0-10 voltage. I have the pin as hm2_5i25.0.7i77.0.1.analogout0 for X. Is it supposed to be a 0 before the analogout? Like .0.0.analogout0? Am I sending a signal to a card that doesn't exist or is my pin name completely wrong? When I check that pin with Hal scope there is voltage but at the physical pin there isn't. Otherwise everything else works, inputs and outputs.

Benjamin

Thats the correct name (its hm2_cardname.cardnumber.remotesserialdevicename.sserialport.sserialchannel.signal)
and since the 7I77s analog is on channel 1 (I/O is channel 0) this is right.
You cannot send a signal to a card that does not exist (as the pin name will not exist)
If you have not changed the analog out scaling and you enable the outputs (and unlink them from the PID component) you should be able to set the outputs directly in volts

Thanks, that makes better sense now. I still couldn't get anything to show up so I started fresh and copied over the things that worked. Now everything seems to output what it should. I hooked up the drives and the servos do what they should. It sure makes me happy to see some progress!

I am having a bit of trouble with the X axis. When I enable the drives I can jog everything just fine, smooth movement and the distance is almost perfect (Best I can measure for now). The positive movement is negative though. I change the encoder value (I can't remember the exact name in the .ini) to a negative and this corrects the direction but now as soon as I enable the drives it moves right. When trying to home the movement is intermittent and the table shutters. No changes have made a difference to the homing The Y axis homes as it should. Also, the X servo "sings". With the Jog, it functions like it should, it just emits an annoying high pitched squeal. I turned down the gain and it helped some but not as much as I hoped. It did not do this when I tested the the drives a few months ago.

If you reverse the input scale, you will also have to reverse the output scale
or the axis will "run-away" as soon as enabled. If your drives have +IN and -IN
you can swap these or I believe you can swap the signs on the maxlimit and minlimit
parameters of the analog out for the affected axis.

correction -- to reverse a 7I77 output direction you reverse the sign on the parameter

hm2_5i25.0.7i77.0.1.analogoutN-scalemax

where N is the axis number

for example

setp hm2_5i25.0.7i77.0.1.analogout4-scalemax -10

Thanks PCW, I was so concerned with the .ini file that I forgot about simply switching wires.

I tightened the connections for the tacho and that solved the jitter in the motion. I think I have everything tuned fairly well, dimentions seem fine.

Attached is a picture of the first cut using a modified version of the sample program Spiral.ngc. I cut an aluminum part afterwards just to check.

The rotary is left to do yet and maybe eventually a Z axis. At least I can do something with a two axis for now.

And a picture of the controller box. I'm still looking for some decent momentary switches to put on the front for things like spindle and jog.