Newbie. LinuxCNC crushing on initial start.

Oh snap.. Do you guys know that if I click to remove uploaded file then for some reason the text form clears all the text that was written. That's a bug on a forum I guess. Gotta start over now, oh well.

Anyways, I am relatively new to linux and linuxCNC also, I have installed an image of LinuxCNC to my Rpi4 and connected to my 7i96 board, also ran a configurator and created a test setup. After that I tried to launch LinuxCNC app, and it just wont launch but is giving me an error instead. I am attaching the error report, it is probably something very simple, when you know what you are doing. So, hoping someone can point me into the right direction. Thanks a lot.

Note:
I do understand that there is a network issue. And I did follow these instructions: jethornton.github.io/7i96/install.html

However they do not mention anything about this, they tell you how to configure using configurator, and it says to input the ip address that is configured on the card. But its super unclear. How am I supposed to know what is configured there if supposedly I am configuring that in that very moment?

Linuxcnc is looking for the 7i96 address of 10.10.10.10 in the current configuration you have setup. The default ip is 192.168.1.121 with W5 and W6 in the down default positions. You can use 10.10.10.10 if you move w6 up.

All this information and a lot more is in the manual that can be downloaded at
store.mesanet.com/index.php?route=produc...oduct&product_id=311

Thanks Mike, I do have that manual and I tried both IP configs and also both jumper positions. It returns the same error regardless, just with different IP. Do you think it may be conflicting with Rpi wifi IP setups?

I have also tried to open provided INI file with configurator, and that file crushed it completely.

And another thing, you are linking to the document which is pretty useless for initial setup really. It goes into deeper things while absolutely failing to provide basic setup instructions. For example, on mesa website I am provided with a bunch of files in an archive... okay great, but what am I supposed to do with those files? I am assuming they are required for something, but there is absolutely zero documentation in that regard. I wonder if they ever tried to go through their own documentation step by step themselves....

Ok figured it out, just for the record. WiFi needed to be off, otherwise Rpi would give priority to WiFi and would not communicate with the board. #2 after that worked it threw another error about "touchy.hal not found", so I just changed that in settings back to AXIS, at least for now. And at least I was able to load the GUI now. Everything else should go easier now.

This should help address the wireless issue. Pay attention to the red section.
forum.linuxcnc.org/27-driver-boards/3559...ethernet-mesa-boards

Make sure you mesaflash in the correct firmware once you are up and running otherwise you will run into more errors. I believe the config tool you are using has a guide for that if you have mesaflash installed.

good point, I didnt realize you need to flush anything unless you run into problems. Is that a required setup step? Boy, why not make a proper setup documentation, Mesa? Decades of sales behind their shoulders and still no initial setup documentation.

The link in your first post is the best setup you will find for a 7i96 and your situation. It's pretty damn good all things considering and JT spent a lot of time on it.

Your use of linuxcnc and mesa cards represents a small fraction of the market that is intended. I would say mesa spends more time responding to this market segment then they do the rest of the market. That's not to say you/we are not important. I think it's awesome they do support us to the extent they do. But it's also on us to learn a bit and understand the tools we are using. This isn't meant as a dig against you.

But for $200 you purchased technology that is capable of running almost all industrial processes. Linux is used by tormach, heidenhain and Haas and is the base for a bunch of other technology. And yet you have it literally in something that fits in the palm of your hand and for argument sake will be using maybe 5% of it's capacity. Even my second machine, a 6000lbs VMC, is using maybe 10% of the available technology in Linuxcnc.

The instructions are there but cannot be placed in nut shells for every situation. This document has everything you need to know about linuxcnc and it's 100s of components:
linuxcnc.org/docs/2.8/html/

Just looking down near the bottom at the 100s of command, userspace and realtime components and the infinite number of possibilities precludes making a setup or config that makes everyone happy. The nature of linux is open source and user contribution. Everything is left generic but that requires engagement to find the stuff you will need. Make sure once you get things moving you come back to the forum and help others that are in your current situation. Seems like there is a 7i96 (functionally the same as 7i92, 7i76e and many others) post a couple times a day and definitely plenty of mesa card posts.

This ran a bit long but I think was worth saying.

Thanks guys, I am still pretty much nowhere with the board. Messed with it yesterday a bit but today decided to have a rest from that. I wonder what this mesa board can be used for aside from linuxcnc, if thats only 5% of their market? Genuinely curious.

Yesterday I managed to get into the GUI and settings, setup axis and sort of default values there and of course nothing worked lol. Called that a day. Trying to at least get one motor to move and can go from there. Gonna play with all that tomorrow when I wake up for sure.

What worries me the most is an absolute absence of initial setup documentation, and such board absolutely needs it, and no matter how small we are, I think it is reasonable to offer a documentation at least for initial setup, to tell us when flushing is required etc. I still have no clue what are the files, that were thrown at me together with the board for. Literally. How am I expected to know what to do with those files? There is a whole folder with random gibberish files, am I expected to know what that is for and where that belongs even? Maybe its due to me being a newbie, but I am sure there is a lot of people like me, who went through a lot of struggle just to get it to work.

I didn't personally go for LinuxCNC over MACH4 for savings, I went for it because I think it is a much better solution for CNC machine. And I am now starting to think that I could get MACH4 with POKEYS57CNC board running un under 6 hours, and everything extra I have to spend with this board is the time which is also money, and this new route may cost me thousands in lost time eventually. Hope that not a case, but so far it looks like there is a possibility of just buying a PITA for yourself in a form of a undocumented board. Whats weird, they did document the rest fairly well actually, but nothing about the initial setup at all. For me it looks like all the documentation starts from step 5, where steps 1-4 are not documented. But getting to step 5 is kind of important to [proceed further.