issues with MESA to SCARA kins

Hi all,

First time poster so i hope you'll excuse if this is a simple fix. I'm attempting to make something like an ArcDroid for a uni project but I've run into a road block. I'm using a MESA 7i96s as my controller and two knock off tb6600 as my drivers. after using the Pncconfig i got both my motors spinning in the XYZ setup, but once i tried to change it to SCARAkin, it didn't work. At first it loaded but was still in the XYZ config, then once i changed enough it stopped working outright. At the moment I'm aiming for simple motion control and I'm not sure if the issue lies in something I'm doing or in my coding. I've made several attempts so i have multiple files, mostly just coping from the existing SCARA config that exists in LinuxCnC but also from consulting with ChatGPT. Any help would be greatly appreciated, functional files for something like this would be a life saver and a more direct line to someone who is happy to provide help would be out of this world.

Why does everyone go to ChatGPT for help?

ChatGPT is kinda stupid and makes errors sometimes.

Though it can be helpful, I admit.

Why do you have an XYZ config if you only have 2 motor drivers?

Create a new config with PNCConf and then try twaeking it with PNCConf, editing the files manually is great,but it's easy to accidentally break the whole thing.

With PNCConf, you can safely edit stuff withing the guided prompts of the GUI.

I recommend you use AXIS as your GUI, and Ipresume you already are.

I was using a mix of ChatGPT as well as YouTube and this forum, ChatGPT works well for more specific but simple issues but as you said, it’s often not 100% correct but for a novice like myself, it gets close enough.

I was using the XYZ congfig as I thought I was the most similar to what I wanted as I will eventually have a third axis. My main issue is I can’t work out how to make it use scara kinematics as I don’t think it’s an option PNCconfig so I think I’ll have to manually edit the files. I am also using the Axis GUI but I’m not sure if I maybe am running into issues with joint vs world mode. My current setup is a 1:2 scale 3d printed model with no homing or anything so I’m really just trying to have a proof of concept. I can make my motors spin. Scara exists in linuxcnc, now I just need to combine them together.

How does your PC communicate with the machine?

If it connects via parallel port, use StepConf.

If you use a MESA card, use PNCConf, though it is quite posssible not all boards are supported 100%.

In my experience, ChatGPT varies from super correct and intellijent to totally wrong and stupid.

Its an Ethernet card, i got the motors to spin as though it were a milling machine, but SCARA isn't an option. The default it has is XYZ, XYZA and XZ lathe, none of those options are what i need. I followed a few guides that said how to change the kinematics but so far, following those guides, I've had no luck. I was hoping that might be able to helps me out with either more direct communication or by providing a working example.

I suspect your issue is you are trying to use pncconf to set things up but I highly doubt it supports advanced kinematics models like scarakins.
You need to build your hal and ini files by hand in a text editor from the base xyz config you have.