New install of Mesa 7i92 on TCL lathe

Clearly I have my braces crossed !
So does my host computer not already have an IP address ??

So When I follow the instruction ""Configure network with static address
Add these lines to the file /etc/network/interfaces to configure eth1 with a static address:"" then I am assigning an IP address to the host computer which can have any 3 last digits of my own choosing as long as they are not one of the prohibited sets???

And do I change eth1 to enp2s0 ??
I have to say I am not yet following the logic of all this , but that does not really trouble me as long as i get the host to communicate with the mesa.

john11668 wrote:

So does my host computer not already have an IP address ??
 

No it does not as there is no DHCP server to assign it an IP address, this is due to Mesa being wired directly to the PC and neither of those having the DHCP capability since there is no need for it, this is set once and never again.

john11668 wrote:

So When I follow the instruction ""Configure network with static address
Add these lines to the file /etc/network/interfaces to configure eth1 with a static address:"" then I am assigning an IP address to the host computer which can have any 3 last digits of my own choosing as long as they are not one of the prohibited sets???

Yes. So 192.168.1.2 will work, same as everything up to 192.168.1.253, with 192.168.1.121 excluded as it belongs to the Mesa board.

john11668 wrote:

And do I change eth1 to enp2s0 ??
I have to say I am not yet following the logic of all this , but that does not really trouble me as long as i get the host to communicate with the mesa.

Yes. That is the name of the network card on your PC.

No special Magic for the 7i92 cards. They work.
Biggest issue is people not understanding basic Network config nor willing to have a basic understanding.
Some distros may show no network connection until the 7i92 is connected via a cable to the computer. Which could be confusing to Young Players.

once you get the 7i92 seen by linux following test pinging it.

you will need to flash the firmware to the 7i92 for your 5 axis bob (there is a firmware *.bin file in the folder I linked to on the mesa website for the cheapo bob)

How do you intent to link the encoder back to the mesa 7i92? (do you have a planned pins and ports config sheet, is the encoder single ended or differential?)

I ask because I have a denford orac I've converted to linuxcnc with a servo spindle and a 40 position quick change tool changer (multifix AA).

Thank you for that  Alittleofftherails  Not sure how to take it though. There seems to be veiled criticism of my inexperience.
I came to this project after successfully converting a mill to operate on mach 3 and UCCNC as a retirement / lockdown project . Prior to this I had no CNC experience.
Having managed that I moved to a lathe and was guided to go the linux route which has proved to be challenging as you can see above (only part of the story) .

Whilst I would willingly submit to a course which might give me that basic understanding if only I could find one . Unfortunately I have not been able to find one

Thanks for that Robert .
Today I will follow the earlier instructions above and try to get communication between PC and Mesa.
Then I will look into flashing the firmware (although I seem to remember that the instructions in the manual did not come over (to me ) as clear .
I did download the file set, but there seem to be a bewildering range of bit and pin files to choose from and it is not always clear which one(s) might be most suitable for the application ( suggestion would be welcomed )

I havent yet thought about the encoder connections, and your descriptions of single ended or differential are not familiar to me either. With the DC motor I had an encoder disc, with led switches and used 3 pins ,A, B, and Z.

I am going one step at a time at the moment so when I get communication, I would value suggestions with regard to suitable firmware and maybe some clarification on procedure.
Maybe make that episode 2 and start a new topic for next step