Step By Step Help Needed . EL8 Leadshine to PI 5

Waveshare do an add ethernet adaptor that connects via the pcie bus, they also do one that has a Nvme drive and an ethernet adaptor.
The Odroids have Realtek adapters, so there's that to think about, but I didn't have any issues although I did install the dkms drivers. Then again the Odroid has Nvme and sata ports built in, so no extra $$$ in that respect.
The N100 with Intel hardware sounds like worthy advice. Decisions decisions.

Hi Will, I am using the waveshare PCIe TO Gigabit ETH USB3.2 HAT+ which is working well and has some extra USB ports if needed. I was getting some power dropouts when using a 5v 3a power supply so be sure to use a 5v 5a one that works.

I’ve made some further progress and have probe basic working well. I might be able to help you out with the homing issues more directly.

unknown, I might be looking to test an Odroid H4+ and you seem to be the main proponent for them. I have had some slowness on the pi in a couple of cases with ethercat chatter to and from the drives and monitoring Ferror. But I think they’re just fine generally. Have you tried the H4+? I believe it has 2x 2.5gb intel I226-v NICs so avoids the realtek issue. Is there any other tweaking involved in getting them set up?

I haven't had a chance, honestly I don't think I could justify one ATM. The old tech budget has taken a beating already this year.
The Intel NICs sounds like a good idea.

Very nice enclosure!
I am also building a Samurai 120 with Leadshine EL8's and LinuxCNC.
My own enclosure is made from aluminium extrusions and is nowhere near as nice as yours.

My solution to the spindle drive problem has been to use a Leadshine EL8-1000 drive and a Leadshine ELM2-1000 motor for the spindle, replacing the original motor and drive. The new drive and motor are 1000W instead of the 1200W of the original Samurai but the motor is a straight drop-in replacement (same mounting holes and hardware, slightly shorter motor overall) and seems both very well built and with a decent overload margin so I suspect the final performance will be very close if not the same, and sticking with EL8's throughout means only one learning curve for manufacturer quirks etc.

When you do that, the same Marco Reps LinuxCNC servo scheme works for driving the spindle, except that the EL8 settings are slightly different to his Metronix spindle settings (for example Leadshine does in PDO idx 1601 a lot of what Metronix does in PDO idx 1600). You also need to factor in the belt ratio from motor to spindle to get the right RPM.

I am also adding small pneumatic cylinders to pull up a bit on the spindle carriage and take the Z-axis weight load, mounted with some sheet metal brackets I ordered from PCBWay that attach around the Z-axis motor atop the column.
 

The xml settings for the spindle using an EL8-1000 are:
<code>
      <!-- Spindle Leadshine EL8 1000 servo drive -->
    <slave idx="4" type="generic" vid="00004321" pid="000010c4" configPdos="true">
      <dcConf assignActivate="300" sync0Cycle="*1" sync0Shift="0"/>
      <syncManager idx="2" dir="out">
          <pdo idx="1601">
              <pdoEntry idx="6040" subIdx="00" bitLen="16" halPin="cia-controlword" halType="u32"/>
              <pdoEntry idx="6060" subIdx="00" bitLen="8" halPin="opmode" halType="s32"/>
             <!--  <pdoEntry idx="6098" subIdx="00" bitLen="8" halPin="homing-method" halType="s32"/> -->
              <pdoEntry idx="6071" subIdx="00" bitLen="16" halPin="target-torque" halType="s32"/>
              <pdoEntry idx="6071" subIdx="00" bitLen="16" halPin="target-torque-dummy" halType="s32"/>
              <pdoEntry idx="607A" subIdx="00" bitLen="32" halPin="target-position" halType="s32"/>
              <pdoEntry idx="60FF" subIdx="00" bitLen="32" halPin="target-velocity" halType="s32"/>
          </pdo>
         </syncManager>
         <syncManager idx="3" dir="in">
             <pdo idx="1a00">
                 <pdoEntry idx="6041" subIdx="00" bitLen="16" halPin="cia-statusword" halType="u32"/>
                 <pdoEntry idx="6061" subIdx="00" bitLen="8" halPin="opmode-display" halType="s32"/>
                 <pdoEntry idx="6064" subIdx="00" bitLen="32" halPin="actual-position" halType="s32"/>
                 <pdoEntry idx="606C" subIdx="00" bitLen="32" halPin="actual-velocity" halType="s32"/>
                 <pdoEntry idx="6077" subIdx="00" bitLen="16" halPin="actual-torque" halType="s32"/>
             </pdo>
         </syncManager>
    </slave>
</code>
 

Hi JRC,Thanks for sharing your spindle configuration — it was really helpful. I’ve also replaced the original spindle motor with a 1000W servo from StepperOnline, and I’m  pleased with how it’s performing so far - machine has its limitations but for aluminium it seems good so far. I’ve nearly completed my enclosures; I just need to install a  coolant system and add the chip tray and filtration underneath to separate the swarf properly.I’m running the Probe Basic interface as well, which I find very intuitive and easy to use.I have the ATC fitted to my machine but haven’t configured it yet. Do you have an ATC installed on yours? If so, would you be willing to share your configuration files (INI, HAL, etc.)? That would be a huge help.Also, I’d really appreciate a bit more detail on the cylinders you’re using to counterbalance the spindle weight.I’m currently designing a 3D-printed cover for the ATC and would be happy to share it once it’s finished.Thanks again Will