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Thanks, endian, for the converter. I tried to integrate my AX5125 into LinuxCNC. I converted the TwinCAT 3 export and tried to get it running in LinuxCNC. I can see the AX5125 as a slave and some of its pins. Unfortunately, I can’t get it from Pre-OP to OP mode. I’m definitely doing something wrong but I’m not sure where to look.

I hope someone can help. Which data do you need? I assume the .xml, .hal, and .ini files?

Is it okay if I post them here, or would it be better to start a separate thread? Thanks in advance.

Greetings
Tom

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. As far as I know, Tormach uses LinuxCNC with PathPilot as well, right? As long as the modifications are released again, like you said, everyone benefits!

Wow, I’m absolutely thrilled about the video I can’t wait to test it! Unfortunately, my machine isn’t operational yet; I’m still struggling with the Beckhoff driver. If you need multiple testers with real CNC lathes who can provide faster feedback than on the forum, Peter alias Talla83’s Discord (I assume you know him from his YouTube videos) might be an idea. It’s more like a chat there, and people reply quickly. There are also several lathe users and generally many smart, helpful folks.

This isn’t meant to poach users or replace this forum. I’m happy to be here, and in the long run, knowledge is better preserved here. So please post here as well so other users can find it more easily later. For faster feedback - for example, when you’re at the machine and need input from others - the Discord is hard to beat. Just an idea
The Discord mainly has German-speaking users from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, but everyone understands and replies in English too.discord.gg/dyd8M9wJ

Hey everyone,

After years working with CNC machining and G-code (and seeing the same mistakes over and over again), I decided to put everything I’ve learned into something practical — not theory-heavy, but actually useful on the shop floor. So I created a complete 5-book path, covering everything from absolute beginner to professional-level programming. This is NOT academic stuff — it's built around real-world use, production safety, and hands-on workflows. Here’s the breakdown:

BEGINNER LEVEL

Unlock the Power of G-Code: Master CNC Machining and 3D Printing

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBST2QXR

If you're starting from zero, this is where you begin.
It walks you through the fundamentals of G-code for both CNC and 3D printing — clearly and step-by-step.

MASTER LEVEL

The G-Code Mastery Guide: Your Practical Handbook for 3D Printing and CNC Machining

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FKBQ71D9

This goes deeper into real applications — not just syntax, but how to actually think in G-code.

PROFESSIONAL LEVEL

CNC Programming G-Code: Industrial Fanuc-Style Programming for Milling and Turning

www.amazon.com/dp/B0GR51Z9JC

This is focused on industrial programming, including:
- Production-safe code
- Crash prevention
- Full real programs
- Troubleshooting strategies

Basically, what you wish someone had told you before your first machine crash.

PRACTICAL COOKBOOK

The G-Code Cookbook: Over 100 Practical Recipes for CNC Machining and 3D Printing

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FDVGX7RC

No theory — just ready-to-use solutions.
Over 100 practical G-code “recipes” you can adapt immediately.

BONUS FOR MAKERS & ENGINEERS

Print Them All: 203 Ready-to-Use 3D Mechanical Components (STL + STP)

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A library of mechanical components ready for:

- prototyping
- CAD work
- real builds

WHY I MADE THESE

I kept seeing:
- beginners overwhelmed
- intermediate users stuck
- pros missing practical references

So instead of one giant confusing book, I split everything into a clear progression path.

HONEST FEEDBACK WELCOME

If you check them out, I’d genuinely love feedback — good or bad.
Also happy to answer any G-code questions here if you're stuck on something.

What’s the hardest part of G-code for you right now?

Hi Tom,

Your message really made my day, thank you for such kind words!

I completely understand what you mean — there is something special
about this community. People helping each other bring dead machines
back to life, sharing knowledge, no profit motives. It is rare and
valuable.

I want to be honest — I am not a pure altruist here. I do commercial
CNC work and NativeCAM improvements help my work too. But that is
exactly why open source makes sense to me: fix something for myself,
share it back, everyone benefits. Fern built this whole framework —
I am just adding pieces I need on top.

Good news to share: basic lathe polyline with G71 cycle is working!
Here is a short video showing a stepped shaft profile being generated.
Ø50 → Ø30 → Ø20 with chamfer and fillet. Toolpath renders correctly
in AXIS preview.



Still some minor bugs to polish before I release it on GitHub. Once
it is stable I will post here and invite everyone to test. A few more
things planned before release:

- G70 finishing pass after roughing
- Profile validation (prevent non-monotonic paths)
- Pocket cycles (G71.1 / G71.2)

Your feedback is exactly the kind of contribution that keeps this
alive. Users like you who test, report bugs, and cheer us on matter
just as much as the code. Thank you!

Best,
CNC Proton

Okay i where talking a little bit with chatgpt

my recomendation from chatgpt is something like that:

• 1x Mesa Electronics 7i95T 6-Axis STEP/DIR/Encoder Ethernet Controller (Chatgpt said this is better version?)
• 3x Leadshine CS-D808 30-80 V 8 A
• 3x Leadshine Closed Loop Schrittmotor mit 8Nm Typ: CS-M23480

My question would be, is 8Nm Torque for the Z-Axis enough because i think the head is quite heavy and i think there is no counter weight
 or should i get a bigger motor for the Z-Axis?

• 1x Closed Loop Schrittmotor Leadshine ES2-MH342120 mit 12,0 Nm
• 1x Closed Loop Schrittmotor-Endstufe Leadshine ES-DH2306 für 230VAC

 
 


 

axemas wrote:

...
Thank you so much for the kind words — it really motivates us to keep going!
...
Thanks again for the feedback — users like you make open source
worth working on!

Axemas

No no, WE open source users are the ones who should be thanking YOU!In a world where so much revolves around power, money, profit, and exploitation, it’s really great to see people like you and many other kind folks here on the forum working on such a huge and brilliant tool like LinuxCNC and making it freely available to everyone. And doing all of that in your spare time, simply to help others bring their machines to life or even rescue them, just to make people happy without expecting anything in return or having any hidden agenda.I can’t really contribute much myself, other than pointing out features I might be missing, testing things, and give feedback how well everything works. Or telling other hobbyists how great this community is and how much fun it is to be part of it. For me, it’s just a great hobby that brings me a lot of joy.As I mentioned, I’ve been using NativeCAM on my milling machine for years and I still absolutely love it. I’m very grateful to Fern and all the other developers who have contributed to it over time.When I started converting my lathe about a year ago, it was immediately clear that I wanted to use NativeCAM Lathe. I also quickly realized that for lathe work you don’t really need a separate CAD/CAM system, especially with that brilliant polyline function combined with tool compensation. Whats means a lot to me. So I was quite disappointed and sad for me to discover that this feature was never fully completed. Unfortunately it seems that development on it has stopped and we have to accept that. (Still hoping Fern is doing well and is just busy...)All the more reason why it feels like both Christmas and a birthday at once to hear that you’re planning to take this on and continue his great project that he put so much work into. Thank you very much in advance, I’m really excited to hear that!

Feel free to share your progress with the community while you’re working on it, or if you run into any issues or need someone to test things. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s really excited about this and would be happy to help if possible. I’ll definitely be following the project on Git as well.

Greetings Tom

click on the + sign top left
and joint this channel
discord.gg/uW7KXqMw

or you can add me as grandixximo, just search for friends, I already sent you an invitation, but never got accepted
 

I stay logged here 

You are still doing the install, and cannot get the system online?

the discord you joint the channel, go the the welcome, read the rules, thumb up the rules, and you can join in general
read the instructions and the rules to joint the linuxcnc channel, they are there when you try to join the channel

edit:
you need to confirm email, and maybe phone number
then add server in discord
discord.gg/uW7KXqMw
then you need to go to the rules, and thumbs up react to the first message in the rules, here you see #rules and you click it
 
here you see this message and you click the hand with the thumb up
 
Then you will be able to write in the linuxcnc general channel with everyone else, I also PM you in discord, but you seem offline.

 

About discor. are logged , but how logged in linuxcnc ?

There are two problems:
The delay in reading the slave pins when the GUI starts, and the noise the axes make during movement.

Clearly, the main problem is the noise from the axes, because while they move normally, sometimes you hear jumps, noises that represent non-smooth movement.
The machine cannot operate this way, also because the noise is loud.

The problem of updating the positions at startup is secondary, not fundamental to the actual use of the machine. Sure, it's unsightly for a CNC system, but it only requires a few seconds of delay.

@papagno-source, can we continue in discord, it is really hard to follow up with you here.
I am testing with generic driver, is the problem the OP time, or the grinding?

I have test with driver e1000e in ethercat.conf , the problem is the same

We are aware, but eventually 4.19 will not support new hardware, and eventually old hardware goes out of production, so we need to work on making things run.

mitigations=off is probably the most interesting hypothesis, worth a try, probably effect latency, I doubt it effects OP time.

 

I got a journal of r2m vs m2r
@hakan if the initial time from lcec is the problem, what could be a solution?
Initial time is dictated by the addf, the addf timing IMO has always been an issue, is your intuition also pointing that way? Or something different?

edit:
with my v1.41.0-pre1 from my github
github.com/grandixximo/linuxcnc-ethercat...ses/tag/v1.41.0-pre1
I get r2m I get OP in 6s and m2r in 3s
 

I have question at AI:

ethercat on debian 10 with kernel 4.19 and linuxcnc has less latency than debian 13 with kernel 6.12. Why?

reply , but only for curiosity :

This is a very insightful observation, and while it may seem counterintuitive (new = better?), in the world of Real-Time (RT) and numerical control (NC) like LinuxCNC, "old and stable" often trumps "new and complex."

The move from a 4.19 kernel (Debian 10) to a 6.12 kernel (Debian 13) introduces several layers of complexity that can degrade deterministic latency. Here are the main reasons:
1. Security Mitigations (The "Price" of CPUs)

Since the 4.19 kernel era, numerous hardware vulnerabilities have been discovered in CPUs (Spectre, Meltdown, L1TF, MDS, etc.).

Kernel 4.19: Many of these mitigations were not yet implemented or were less invasive.

Kernel 6.12: Includes a comprehensive suite of security patches that add overhead to every syscall and every switch between user-space and kernel-space. This increases jitter and maximum latency.

2. Kernel RT Integration (Preempt-RT)

Kernel 4.19: The PREEMPT_RT patch was a very mature set of external changes focused exclusively on pure real-time performance.

Kernel 6.12: Much of the real-time code has now been integrated into the Mainline Kernel. While this is a huge technical achievement, the overall integration must make compromises with other modern kernel features, making it sometimes less "extreme" than dedicated patches of the past.

3. Power Management (C-States and P-States)

Newer kernels are optimized for power efficiency.

Kernel 6.12 aggressively attempts to put CPU cores into power-saving states or vary the frequency.

Waking a CPU from a deep "C-state" requires precious microseconds, which, in EtherCAT communication (which often runs at 1kHz or more), translates into latency spikes.

4. EtherCAT Driver (IgH or SOEM)

The EtherCAT master (usually the IgH EtherCAT Master) must be patched to work with each kernel version.

On older kernels like 4.19, "native" drivers (those that replace the standard network card drivers, e.g., ec_8139too) are extremely stable and fast.

On very recent kernels, you're often forced to use the "generic" driver, which runs through the standard Linux network stack, inevitably adding latency compared to an optimized native driver.

5. Operating System Complexity

Debian 13 loads many more background services, more complex systemd versions, and more intensive D-Bus management than Debian 10. Even though LinuxCNC runs at high priority, background operating system noise can affect determinism.
How can I improve the situation on Debian 13?

If you absolutely must use the latest version, you can try "neutering" modern kernel features to regain speed:

Disable mitigations: Add mitigations=off to the GRUB boot parameters. (Warning: This reduces PC security.)

Core isolation: Use isolcpus=X (where X is the core dedicated to LinuxCNC) to prevent the operating system from using it for generic processes.

Idle=poll: Add idle=poll or intel_idle.max_cstate=0 to prevent the CPU from "sleeping."

Check Drivers: Make sure you don't use the generic EtherCAT driver if your network card supports an updated native driver for the 6.x kernel.

In summary: Debian 10 with kernel 4.19 is a "minimalist" and hardware-friendly combination. Debian 13 is a modern, hardened system optimized for power savings—the exact opposite of what's needed to drive a brushless motor in real time.