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Good day all,

I wanted to share my experiences using the Raspberry Pi 5 to run my CNC machine and ask for some advice, as I am not sure where to go from here.

Please note, I am a novice at best!

To my surprise, I managed to set up LinuxCNC with EtherCAT to run my A6 servo motors that I got from StepperOnline. I am using the Probe Basic UI, and I love the setup so far. Big thanks to RodW for all the work and instructions on setting up EtherCAT.

I am also using an Arduino Mega connected to the Pi for general-purpose I/O—this also works great. (Using LinuxCNC_ArduinoConnector from: github.com/AlexmagToast/LinuxCNC_ArduinoConnector) This will mainly be used for buttons and tool changer I/O, so latency is not an issue. An EtherCAT I/O module would be better, but they are rather pricey.

What I would like to do is add a step/dir interface for my Z-axis, as this is still driven by a closed-loop stepper motor (my X and Y axes are EtherCAT). I want to be able to run the motor at a maximum of 200 kHz step rates. In the future, I would like to add a second Z-axis as well.

What I have tried:

• Using the GPIO pins from the Pi, but this does not generate step rates fast enough to run the motor. This also causes some latency issues, as the step generation is now done on the Pi.
• I switched out the Pi 5 for a Pi 4 (since SPI is not supported on the Pi 5) and tried using the Remora SPI interface to run a BTT SKR 1.4 as an external step generator. However, this also had a maximum step frequency that was too low. Additionally, I would prefer to use the Pi 5 instead of the Pi 4.

I would also like to build a second machine using only stepper motors with a step/dir interface. My motor drivers accept a maximum of 200 kHz.

I am looking for a solution that will allow me to run LinuxCNC on a Pi 5 with external step generation around 200 kHz that is not too pricey.

Any advice on which direction I should go next would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

I'm trying to calibrate my probe, esch time i start any probing routine the pribe will only teavel down 0.5mm even though i have the max z clearance set way above this. No matter what i change i get the same results. I'm on version 2.9 

Here are my settings (mm)

 

 

Yes, I created the file on a Win computer... but I used VS Code.  Haven't had any of the typical 'wordpad' issues others have reported when using Win to edit/create files until now.

I'll create a new one from scratch on the Debian PC and see how it goes.  Thanks again.

i did the test. Does not work in the air.
How do I understand the best option to buy a new plasma cutter for CNC machines with Pilot Arc?
I saw that Stahlwerk CUT 70 with Arc Pilot is not expensive on amazon.de. costs about €450. I saw there was a discussion about this plasma cutter before. is it worth buying it or are there any proven and more profitable cutters?

I was able to move servo. But motion is too jerky. And servo is starting from any position. G0 x0 don't move to servo 0. It moves to where it was started.

RNJFAB wrote:

Halshow has the reading fluctuating from about -3650 -> +3650 with no plasma source having power.

Repeating myself here, interference, lots of it, so check the wiring and especially the grounding, ground loops will cause havoc.

You are welcomed, always.

Hello guys! I want to thank JT very much for the work done! This is very cool! After reading the documentation, I want to try to make a graphical interface for a CNC lathe. I'm not good at programming, it's easier for me to sit with a soldering iron in my hands))). But I think something will work out))) Question: I want to implement a light and dark theme. Can I make a switch to change the theme (light/dark)? So as not to write this in the .ini file. So that I would have the opportunity to switch the topic from the program! 

Hi, any update on this topic? I'm also on the way of setting up a rack atc

Thank you, the issue was inside servo parameters, somehow all three have been swapped to incremental.

Note the backslash-r in ‘python3\r’.
Seems that you have a problem with line endings, did you handle the file on a windows system?

If you have to use Windows maybe this helps:
sberahimzadeh.medium.com/solve-the-error...python3-f58dcf02add4

ok, until I have a better solution,
I have added a new 'type' (201 : Custom Boolean)

sample config (gui setup will not work / need to added by hand in the json config):
"on": the bytes of the frame to switch the output on (without address and checksum)
"off": the bytes of the frame to switch the output off (without address and checksum)

insert in [DISPLAY] section of my .ini file these row ... the situation seems littel bit better .... but not perfect:

PROGRAM_PREFIX = QT_LOGGING_RULES="qt.qpa.input=true"

now try with bash script .....

You can add me on discord, my username is onceloved.cn I can use TeamViewer to remotely configure for you

I was born at 1100m, I find it hard to like summer more than winter....even though I've wanted to get a boating license for years (and right now I know I don't have the time ) .... in 1 hour I can be at the seaside ...

But if at your home in winter register -17°C there is certainly someone who puts on skis with skins and goes uphill... then takes them off and goes down... or not?