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You will likely need to  either merge some parts from a standard step/dir hal/ini file setup,
or use either pncconf's discovery option or MesaCT to create a working 7I77 + step/dir setup.

Hello again,

While checking availability, I noticed that in terms of cost and stock it might be more convenient to go with the 6i24, since it is currently available directly from Mesa USA. Otherwise, I would need to buy everything from Eurosurplus, which ends up being more expensive overall.

Could someone please confirm the main differences between the 6i25 and the 6i24? From what I see, the 6i24 has no limitations on its connectors, so in the future I could also leave an extra port available to add another servo control board if needed.

Thanks a lot for your help!

It is possible to use LinuxCNC to run cartesian (ie xyz) gcode on an industrial robot. However, since the planner has no information about the kinematics used and 'assumes' a cartesian joint/axes configuration you will not get uniform velocities over the robot's work space.
If accurate path velocities are important for your application then you are going to have a hard time using LinuxCNC with a manipulator.

Daan96 wrote:

Are the following components suitable for making a voltage divider? My plasma has a 1:1 arc output.
 

Yes.

Daan96 wrote:

I'm using a TH-CAD2 in combination with two resistors in series and a 0.1uF capacitor to absorb the voltage spikes. Am I doing this correctly?
 

Yes, but wire one resistor to each side of the arc voltage, not both on the same wire. That makes it much safer in case the cable is kicked somewhere on the way to electronics and lowers the interference caused by plasma source.
And you can skip the capacitor as it does work without it, but i like to have it as it smooths the voltage readout and subsequently the torch motion up/down while cutting, but it will limit a bit the reaction speed.

Daan96 wrote:

What happens if a voltage spike does occur? Will the capacitor fail?
 

Usually nothing, if the polarity is correct.

Daan96 wrote:

Can I connect the start arc and arc OK signals directly to the Mesa board, or is it better to use a relay to protect the mesa board?
 

Yes you can, 7i96S has two fully isolated outputs ( 4 and 5 i think, double check that), so no need for relay.

Daan96 wrote:

Can I route these signals to the plasma cutter through the same cable as the THC?
 

Yes, if the resistors are mounted inside or outside the plasma source, but close to the plasma source.

The new power supply worked. No more such errors. Thanks!

I would like to add a fuse to the incoming +5v to the 7i96s. What rated fuse should i use for this?

hope it helps.

Hi again. I have sorted the power issue (manual was no help at all). Now, I have it set to Linuxcnc using ethercat. It is all communication etc. I want to run the servo as a spindle motor so just have the target-velocity (60FE). How do I create the 'pins' to tell the drive to turn at say 1000rpm with an M3 command is given. I have done the many times using a VFD (much easier but space and weight limits force me to use a servo).

I am soooo out of my depth here, any help is always hugely appreciated. (I have already looked through the various threads and found no help after hours of scrolling)

Excellent, thanks again for the help. Now, looking at what @Andy mentioned, what would be the advantage of the 6i24-16 (I understand this is the one being referred to) over the 6i25? I see that it has more expansion possibilities for the future, but in terms of processing capability and other aspects, is there any difference?

From what I’ve checked, I think that with the 6i25, 7i77 and 7i74 I already have a very large working possibility. Also, I couldn’t find a way to use a 4th axis in the future with the 50-pin options, since they come with control for 4 analog servos, and I understand that one of them would have to be used for the spindle. That means I’d have to use one of the 6i24 configurations that allows 8 servos (which in my case seems unnecessary). So I’d like to know what would be the advantages of using a configuration with the 6i24.

@Tommy, thank you very much as well for your reply to Andy. I was checking which workstation models I could use with these configurations, and I noticed that the ones you mentioned are actually available here in my country (Argentina, which has a lot of issues with getting certain hardware). So thanks to both of you, I’ll keep researching the advantages and options.

Hey !
I'm building a cnc mill with a german FS4GM epoxy granite gantry and a Spinogy X22 spindle. It's a small but rigid setup that I'd Iike to control with 400W servos, LinuxCNC and EtherCat.
Since I only ordered the mechanical parts+spindle, I still can avoid some problems (ie latency issues) by choosing the right things on the electronic/control/computer side. Hence this newbie message : 
What servo/drivers/computer/other things-I-still-don't-know-about would you go if you had to get them again ?

Cheers,
Flo

I hope a 5V 2A power supply will be enough for this work.

@tommylight
Sorry for the questions, but I'd like to get it right the first time. I'm not yet that good with various electrical components at a detailed level.
I've read through your other threads and I think I found the right info, thank you very much!!
Are the following components suitable for making a voltage divider? My plasma has a 1:1 arc output.
I'm using a TH-CAD2 in combination with two resistors in series and a 0.1uF capacitor to absorb the voltage spikes. Am I doing this correctly?
What happens if a voltage spike does occur? Will the capacitor fail?
 

I have another question.
Can I connect the start arc and arc OK signals directly to the Mesa board, or is it better to use a relay to protect the mesa board?
Can I route these signals to the plasma cutter through the same cable as the THC?
 

I will try changing the 5V power supply today and update back. Thanks..

Yesterday I tried running the VFD with a potentiometer, but had no luck. I experimented by slowly adjusting the frequency and changing some basic parameters to see if I could get any results. The only thing that seemed to have some effect was changing the V/f pattern.

Thanks! i got it running. i was able control the pins. Weirldy enough i was not able to get the stepgen running. i was not able to see anything on the oscilloscope. i did not plug the 12/24v as i thought it is not needed. I was able to pull both the dir and pulse pin high by inverting it.

Any tips are appreciated, gonna continue working on it tommorow

The /DONE LED (CR7) lighting means a power cycle.

This suggests an issue with 5V power.