Another Biesse Rover 322

That's really not necessary. just need to put a relay on the output's.

I just found 25 of these in my stash of various industrial components I've accumulated over the years:
 
 

These are three channel 4.5...35 V / 2 A DC optocoupler transistor modules, " Murr 50043 ". Guess they should work, but I just found out they're 100 € a piece. Maybe I should sell them and buy something cheaper. 

I've tried to comprehend the line-up of MESA products and this is what I came up with: Would this be the way to go?

 

That's close tp what I use. Dont forget to get a 5v din rail power supply and din rail brackets as shown in p[ic.

Also another alternative to relays for the solenoids you could use mosfets. Build boards with mosfets on them like in the pic. I use thes I made for pinball machine 48volt solenoids. just an option.

 
 

On newer Biesse machines they used mosfet boards in combination with relay boards.

In the past two months, not much has happened to the Biesse.

I recently re-researched Mesa's products and found the ones with 2.5 A output capability - hopefully enough to safely drive the solenoids directly without additional relays or mosfets. This will cost about 350 € more, but it's a lot less physical work, time and sources of error.

The new setup would look like this:
Cabinet: 7i92M, 7i77, 7i74 plus about 10 external changeover relays to replace module 7 and 8, which have changeover relays originally. No solenoids have to be switched here, so 7i77 output current should be enough for the relays.
Y-sled: 7i66-24 and 7i64 (both have 24x 2,5 A outputs, 7i64 also has 24 inputs)
Machine left side: 7i64 (24 x 2,5 A)
Machine center: 7i64
Machine right: 7i66-8 (16 inputs / 8 x 2,5 A output)

This should cover all currently used inputs and outputs. Just to be sure I haven't overlooked anything in the schematics: All cards need to be standard sourcing outputs, right?

Hopefully I can order this stuff soon...

Just a quick info: In a last attempt at saving the original CNI I/O modules (SI816 and SIR88) I asked CNI group if they had any documentation on the so called IOS protocol they use via RS485.

I received a very polite and longer answer, but in short: They don't have any documentation nor rights to disclose it, if they did. It's all Biesse property.

I went ahead and ordered the Mesa cards. I went for a different setup now. I want to spare the time to install extra relays for each solenoid output, so I went for the 2.5 A output variants.
Here's what I ordered now:

• 7i94 (Ethernet card with 8x smart serial and one idc26 pin connector):
  Connects to:
  • 7i77 (via idc26-db25f cable): Analog servo + I/O card.
    Placed in cabinet, controls relays and servo I/Os
  • 7i64: 24I/24O (2.5A)
    Placed in left of the machine, controls tool changer I/Os and all the stuff that used to be controlled from the center of the machine. Will have to pull a 15+ strands cable from the center to the left of the machine, but saved one I/O card
  • 7i66-8: 16I/8O (2.5A)
    Placed in right of the machine, controls right tool changer
  • 7i66-24: 24O (2.5A)
    Placed on top of Y-sled
  • 7i64: 24I/24O (2.5A)
    Also on top of Y-sled
    Both control spindles up/downs, home switches, tool change, and two inputs that are used on the current modules which aren't mentioned in the schematics. Will have to figure those out.

This should take care of all the necessary in- and outputs. The machine came with some stuff that won't be needed anymore, so I could reduce the number of necessary I/Os.

Now I'm playing with pncconf and quickly noticed the 7i94 ethernet card isn't in there yet, so I'd be grateful for any Biesse HAL files and hints for my configuration.

Mesa cards have arrived and all is working well so far:
 

First thing, I flashed 7i94ss_7i77d.bit to the 7i94 to configure it for 7i77 + 5 serial devices.

Then created a HAL file to run with halcmd to see what's up. Beforehand I used "halrun" or "halcmd -kf" which both are very useful commands.

The output of running this HAL file is attached:
I'm not sure the 7i77 is showing up right? The 7i94 manual states to add the above two lines to enable the expansion port, but i'm not sure if this also enables breakout power?
EDIT: Ignore the next couple posts! Breakout power on 7i94 needs to be enabled by setting jumper W3 in the UP position. It's in the manual, I just didn't see it.

Also I noticed all cards (except 7i94) show a red light, which is rarely a good thing.