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There is now partial support for creating a LinuxCNC configuration. At a jobsite recently I jump-started my hand editing of a heavily customized LinuxCNC config by creating small parts of it with halflow and stitching things together in a text editor.

There is some initial support for modbus networks point-and-click setup. More on that later. After my earlier complaints against modbus, recently I'm finding it useful.

It seems there is only so much ai can do with vibe-coding. Till recently I was treating halflow as a black box and commanding the chatgpt robot make it do this, do that... Things were getting to the point it seemed to be taking more and more effort for less results, in spite of starting fresh with new chats, etc. Now I opened the pandora's box and am digging through the code, switched to claude, and am telling it how I want things done under the hood.

FabLabRacing wrote:

I originally planned to use a small MeLe mini PC that I already had. It booted fine, LinuxCNC installed, QtPlasmaC launched, Mesa connected, and the machine homed and jogged. At first glance it seemed usable.

The problem was intermittent realtime/Mesa communication errors. I saw errors such as:

- Unexpected realtime delay
- hm2 error finishing read
- Watchdog has bit
- Smart Serial communication error / timeout
- Smart Serial Port 0 stopped


 

Adding to the list, I have a really cheap Uxx and MinisForum mini-pc here with the same shortcomings. I suspect most NUC type mini-pc's are built with laptop type of hardware.

On the other hand, I have used at least 4 different "fanless industrial mini-pc" from Aliexpress, several of them are running 24-7. None of these have disappointed me yet, but I am still somewhat cautious of them. I like their compact size, multiple network ports, and fanless means I'm not plugging them with dust in dusty environments (hopefully).

Projects where I want solid performance, I sometimes use servers or workstations with ECC RAM. Probably overkill in every dimension. They seem to run LinuxCNC just fine.

MaxEkb77 wrote:

Anybody need ?
 

Thanks, that looks like a screenshot of some kind of Lichuan servo drive configuration software. Can you give more details?

Would you help me with the ISO image files? My email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The system is Dell Optiplex 7050 with Intel i219 LAN. Core i5 with 4 cores, 8gb ddr4 ram, UEFI and Secure boot with option for disabling. 256GB ssd nVme. I will be controlling 5 axis CNC mill Gantry type. The spindle head will rotate and have 2 axis.
Kind regards

Hi everyone,
I'm working on a KEGEMA-branded CNC router (1300x2500mm working area) that currently runs on a RichAuto DSP A11 handheld controller. I'd like to bypass the handle and control the machine directly from a PC (jog, home, run G-code, start/pause) — similar to what was done in this thread:
forum.linuxcnc.org/30-cnc-machines/35371...troller-richauto-a11
I've read that thread carefully and it's been very helpful, but my setup differs in one important way: my machine uses AC servo motors, not steppers.
Machine specs
Working size: 1300x2500x200mm
Spindle: 6kw HQD air-cooled
Spindle inverter/VFD: 7.5kw Fuling (brand: Folinn on the unit itself)
Axis motors: Leadshine 750W AC servo motors + matching Leadshine AC servo drivers (model marking "L7", 750W, one per axis: X, Y1, Y2, Z — Y1/Y2 appear to be a dual-motor gantry setup)
Reducer: Shimpo (Japan)
Control: RichAuto DSP A11 handheld controller
What I've already confirmed
Inside the control cabinet, the A11's interface board has clearly labeled screw terminals (not just a blind 50-pin harness like in the thread above):
INPUT SIGNAL row: X1 (XH/X-home), X2 (YH/Y-home), X3 (ZH/Z-home), X4 (TS/tool setter), X5-X8 spare, 24V/GND/SHIELD
OUTPUT row: Y5-Y8 + GND (relay outputs — dust collector, water pump, etc.)
Separate 4-pin terminal blocks per axis labeled X_AXIS, Y_AXIS, Z_AXIS, C_AXIS, each with 5V / PULSE / DIR / SHIELD
Each axis terminal block has its own cable running directly to its Leadshine servo driver's CN1 connector
Since these are screw terminals (not a sealed connector), my plan is to add a second wire in parallel at each terminal (tap-off) rather than disturb the existing A11 wiring, so the A11 handle stays functional as a fallback.
What I'm unsure about / looking for help on
Pulse/Dir signal type from Leadshine 750W AC servo drivers (L7 series) — are these standard 5V single-ended step/dir inputs, or differential (like the RS422 signals in the referenced thread)? Trying to confirm from the datasheet before wiring anything.
Recommended motion controller for a 4-axis (X, Y1, Y2 as dual Y, Z) AC servo setup — Mesa 7i96 vs 7i76e vs something else? Do I need differential drivers (like the AM26L31CN used in the referenced thread) between the A11 board and the controller card?
Dual Y-axis (gantry) handling — should Y1 and Y2 be wired as one LinuxCNC axis with a single driver output, or does anyone have experience keeping them as two synced axes?
Spindle speed control — my board also has S0-S3 speed-select terminals (7-speed selection, not analog 0-10V). Anyone dealt with converting this to continuous VFD speed control from LinuxCNC/Mach, or is it easier to just leave spindle speed control on the VFD's own panel?
Any gotchas specific to RichAuto A11 + AC servo (vs. stepper) retrofits that I should know before starting?
Happy to share more photos of the interface board and servo drivers if useful. Any pointers, schematics, or "here's what worked/didn't work for me" experiences would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

Fr3nzy wrote:

Hello Mr. Rod,
Do you have iso image of working Linuxcnc with EtherCAT for direct installation?

I have some ISO's I'm not sure anything is working right now at the ethercat and LinuxCNC end. Working on that.

Hello Mr. Rod,
Do you have iso image of working Linuxcnc with EtherCAT for direct installation?

I have a component that uses atexit. On my system this works fine to do something when i close linuxcnc. All other attemps failed.



import atexit


def exit():
    some code...
atexit.register(exit)

 

Another AI leading you up the garden path. An IP address is not required on the Ethercat NIC and without a IP address, there is no ablity to use DNS.

Please read the installing Ethercat sticky and follow what it says. Installing Ethercat becomes easy.

This has nothing to do with ethercat. 2.9.10  Debs think is available on GitHub releases but you can compile it yourself

NO, do not touch the wiring if it works with Axis GUI.
Upload the config files here so we can have a look, the working and non working ones.

your script might be able to look for linuxcnc's rtapi thread (ie the servo thread) and exit if its not found.
AI seems to think it's possible.

I look forward to testing that, but my tiny script does what I need right now - except exit.  I had hoped to find something in the docs about detecting shutdown, but did not.  It seems a strange oversight, unless you assume linuxcnc never exits until the machine shuts off...
 

I too have started a journey through EtherCAT.  I am using an EK1100, EL1008, & EL2008.  Along with a LiChaun CL57E-4A closed loop driver.  I struggled for some time with getting the driver to go into OP mode.  If you are at all familiar with VS Code it can be an invaluable tool when used with Copilot.  I was able to use AI to build my entire configuration.  The problem I had turned out to be how my ethernet card was configured.  The key was to disable DNS on the ethernet card.  DNS does not play well with EtherCAT.  Once I did that everything just worked.  All the configuration file built by using Copilot.  If you find that your driver is getting an error when it tries to change to OP mode.  Try disabling DNS on your network card.

Hope this helps.

 

I have had really good luck with compac/hp 8300 sff (3rd gen i5 4 core)

sam

PS - my plasma is running a rpi 5...

www.youtube.com/shorts/9-y316bJrGk