Teknic Clearpath SDSK wiring to 7i96s

Edited 2024-12-14 to reflect what I think is correct, but I am currently still looking for confirmation. I want to refer to this post in the future.

I know this has been talked about in the past, but I could not find an example with the entire circuit in a single graphic like this. Executed in Goodnotes on iPad Pro M2 12.9".

The graphic below will reflect my current state of understanding of how to wire 4x Teknic Clearpath SDSK motors and 4x NPN-NC inductive proximity sensors to a Mesa 7i96s card for use in LinuxCNC. It will be updated as my understanding of the circuit evolves and improves, and contributors correct me.

With daisy-chained HLFB:

1. If you are going to wire the step/dir inputs single ended, I would use a per drive GND for the
STEP- and DIR- pins. This is better electrically and allows you to swap drives easily if needed.

2. Since these are servo drives, I would make the enable controlled by a 7I96S output in turn
controlled by LinuxCNC, not permanently enabled as shown.

3. If you want to use the HLFB outputs in series I expect a higher than 5V supply would be needed
because of the per OPTO voltage drop. I would wire them in parallel instead (as long as they can
be programmed to indicate a fault by turning on) or use a 12/24V supply

4. The 7I96S input common needs to be connected to GND.

Thank you for the recommendations.

The motors have integrated drives, and plugs at the motor end (and the junction box they plug into), so swapping them out is trivial.

I was trying to minimize the number of wires from the junction box to the board, but I get why some of the benefits aren't worth the drawbacks. I hadn't even considered voltage drop, actually. Good point!

Here's a modified wiring scheme:

Hi fully_defined,

I'm an engineer with Teknic and came across your post. While we're not familiar with the exact board and pinout, the ClearPath wiring makes sense. (Good suggestions PCW)

If you encounter any problems or have other questions, please reach out directly at 585-784-7454 or teknic.com/contact/.

Best regards,
- Aaron B. Teknic Servo Systems Engineer

The enable outputs and input common are still not right
The drive enables could be wired in parallel as there is typically
no reason to drive them separately

Parallel Drive enable wiring could be:

+5V --> OUT0+
OUT0- --> all Drive ENA+
GND --> all Drive ENA-
 

The enable outputs and input common are still not right
The drive enables could be wired in parallel as there is typically
no reason to drive them separately

Parallel Drive enable wiring could be:

+5V --> OUT0+
OUT0- --> all Drive ENA+
GND --> all Drive ENA-

I think you're saying I can (and should) run all enable+ in parallel from output 0 and all enable- in parallel to GND for drive 0? Teknic previously advised me that I can tie enable-, step- & direction- together, but you said I should not do that on the 7i96s so I figured I would just give each input and output its own wire since I'm connecting all of this with a 64-conductor DSUB cable and I don't need to save on conductors. Obviously I am going to do it whatever the right way is, and I just need to figure out what the right way is, because there is no guide.

I don't fully understand what you mean in the first and second lines: +5v --> OUT0+, and: OUT0- --> all Drive ENA+. If I did not get it right above, can you elaborate what you meant?

I mean connect all drives ENA+ lines to OUT0-
All drive ENA- lines to ground, and OUT0+ to +5V

This means when OUT0 is enabled, all drives are enabled
it really doesn't make sense to have per drive enables
as it wastes outputs and there is typically no operational
advantage with individual enables.


 

I mean connect all drives ENA+ lines to OUT0-
All drive ENA- lines to ground, and OUT0+ to +5V

Thank you for everything so far.

I just looked at the 7i96s manual, and on page 10 I see that TB3 pin 13 is labeled "OUT0-", so I guess I was on the right track, sort of.

It's still not self-explanatory what you mean by OUT0+ to +5v, although you sort of partially explain it on page 14. Do you want me to connect my +5v power supply to TB3 pin 14? Doesn't that make it an input? Does every output (pins 13, 15, 17, 19) need its own power supply connection (pins 14, 16, 18, 20)?

You could avoid a lot of this back and forth by just publishing a typical use case wiring diagram. When I have this completely figured out, I am going to edit the top post, to accurately reflect the working system. Both for future me, and for others coming here to figure it out. That will hopefully also include all of the HAL changes, etc. I have seen other posts about Mesa boards and Clearpath SDSK, but they are sprawling conversations lacking a single definitive graphic at the top level that is accurate and well-labeled. I don't feel obligated to read the contents of the entire internet in order to hook up a servo motor.

I have heard great things about working LinuxCNC systems, but I have never heard a single positive experience from anyone setting one up.

Look out for an updated graphic. I'll be modifying the one above for the next hour or so, with my second cup of coffee.

The outputs are SSRs so act like relay contacts/switches
The do not supply power, they only switch it.

 

The outputs are SSRs so act like relay contacts/switches
The do not supply power, they only switch it.

I get it now. Thanks!

This is the current state of my understanding of how to wire a Clearpath SDSK DC servo to a Mesa 7i962 board:

I have also modified the HLFB circuit, based on the graphic below, from page 51 of the Teknic Clearpath User Manual Rev. 3.23:

Please correct me if I have gotten anything wrong.

The above graphic assumes the +5-24VDC is not internal to the board, so... is it? Do I need to apply +5v somewhere to drive the HLFB circuit? Keep in mind, I have to add 6x NPN NC sensors, and the above would need to be compatible with that too.