Retrofitting Fadal VMC15-XT w/Mesa

   Hello all. Prepare for a bit of a novel, feel free to skip ahead. I am new under this user name, I believe I had one back in 2017 or so, but cannot locate it, and I don't recall ever posting with it.  Back then, I retrofitted a 6'x12' router with linux using a cheapo breakout board. That was a fairly easy project, I played with it a bit, and sold it as I didn't really have a use for it. Flash forward to 2020/21 and thanks to Covid, I had a pretty successful CNC plasma business. However, I didn't really care for the mess it created and was looking for the next move.  I bought this Fadal from a surplus place and figured the evolution was to machining and prototyping. Unfortunately, a week after I purchased it, my shop burned to the ground (ironic enough it was from a rodent getting into a tractor parked outside, and not all the plasma, welding, etc). Fortunately, the Fadal was not picked up, so it was spared in the incident. It went into storage in another barn for about a year while I got a new shop built and got situated. When we pulled it out, I found some pretty severe rodent damage (those guys again) to the wiring to the pendant, and even after repairing it, and getting the screen to operate and some functionality to the tool changer, it's in an error state and locked out.I started poking around and found msrdiesel's post and videos and decided that was the way for me to go. I like to tinker, and really like the idea of a modern UI as well as controls I know exactly what is happening with, I will be the only person running this machine, so it seems like a perfect fit.The machine itself is a bit of an enigma. The previous owner was the USAF at Vadenberg AFB. I'm not entirely sure it's purpose, but the spindle is enclosed in a stainless shield, there is a dual fire suppression system, and every seam and fastener are sealed with silicone. Also of note is that the paint looks brand new in the enclosure, not beat up like machines that mill metals.Also, thanks to being owned by the military, this thing came with a tote of paperwork, every diagram, manual, document, etc, which is handy to do a conversion.So, as of now, I'm deep in the research to determine the appropriate Mesa boards, as well as the UI panel to order.  I'd like to get everything coming this week, and would love to see motion on this thing by the end of the year. I also am trying to determine if my VFD will function on single phase, or if it's wiser to replace it.Anyhow, thanks for all the information everyone shares here, and I hope my future questions aren't too dumb.

That was my guess as well. Something soft and flammable.

The coolant tank should tell you. We always ran MAG dry. NO WATER or oil.

Getting the ball rolling here. So far it seems that that HP 8300 is a good choice for running this thing, so I grabbed one off ebay. 4 core, 8gb, etc. I also am going to order a 22" touchscreen monitor and intend to use with probe_basic, so I'm at least that far.

However, I am now quite confused on the topic of boards. My previous experience is strictly with using generic breakout boards with stepper drivers. I'm not entirely sure which mesa components I need to look at. My machine uses DC servos.

They are analog, which leads to think I need the 7i77d and 5i25? Following what MSR did on theirs

I see that they are out of stock. Ok, so I think that the 7i83 would be what I need, and no need for the 5i25 since it is ethernet, correct? I need to determine if the other outputs are suitable for controlling tool change, coolant pump and way lube.

Thank you for the help, there seems to be a lot of info on Kflop stuff for these, but not so much on Linux