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There is also the option of equipping the LinuxCNC PC with an EtherCAT slave interface.
Data exchange can then take place via this interface.

Awesome! Rony didn't come back to me.

Thank you very much for this screenshot. For a long time, I couldn't understand why the manual didn't match the hardware. It seems that the old firmware was done differently...
 

Lichuan promptly (as in 'same day') responded to my request for manual and software. They're shared here:
git.gitcoding.net/nwe/lcec_4x_stepper.git

Thanks for sharing your experience — this is exactly the kind of real-world example we were hoping to hear about.
Your description matches very closely the architecture we are targeting: a PLC/HMI as the cell controller (sequencing, recipes, operator workflow, interlocks), and LinuxCNC used strictly as a motion controller. The Python “bridge” approach you described, using Modbus TCP on the PLC side and the LinuxCNC Python interface on the PC side, is a very pragmatic way to implement a clean command/status boundary between the two domains.
What I find especially valuable in your example is that the operator never interacts with LinuxCNC directly: the PLC/HMI owns the workflow, selects the product/recipe, and LinuxCNC is treated as a subordinate motion engine that executes the required paths and reports status back. That is exactly the separation of responsibilities we are aiming for.
It is also very useful to hear that this setup has been running in production for several years, daily, with good reliability. This addresses one of the main concerns in industrial environments: long-term robustness and maintainability, not just theoretical capability.
Your comment about Modbus TCP being “simple and universal” is also a good reminder that, in many industrial contexts, simplicity and familiarity often translate directly into better supportability and uptime.
Thanks again for sharing this — it’s a very strong reference point for PLC + LinuxCNC architectures in real machines.

royka wrote:

Thanks, yes I can suggest it, it runs pretty stable.

Have you got an image for this?

it lives!

Thanks, yes I can suggest it, it runs pretty stable.

Yes, that appears to be a working EPP configuration

What exact mesaflash command did you use?
 

He added the picture above, seems all is good as it lists PWM and encoder pins.

No picture was included

Did you have SPI working before you changed the firmware?

 

Isleape wrote:

Hi, I loaded Halrun, followed by loadrt hostmod2 and hm2_7i90.I got the following response on the foto. However im not sure if this is realy comming from my mesa card or not due to the warning and still no mesaflash responses what so ever....I started the i790hd from Secondary eeprom that i think ...never touched. I also resoldered the cable etc. Can you tell me what im seeing? I will try to see if the inputs work in the hal monitor...Thanks for any insight...

this looks awesome

and yes i agree its massively missing in linuxcnc

i have been trying for ages to get native cam running and can't

i find on semiens and fagor controls i use the contour cycle about 90 percent of the time

everything else like facing and shamfers etc i don't use as i can just do it in the contour cycle.

and of course threading is usefull

though the built in threading cycles are not too bad for that

cheers

Andrew

Hi, I loaded Halrun, followed by loadrt hostmod2 and hm2_7i90.
I got the following response on the foto. However im not sure if this is realy comming from my mesa card or not due to the warning and still no mesaflash responses what so ever....
I started the i790hd from Secondary eeprom that i think ...never touched. I also resoldered the cable etc. Can you tell me what im seeing? I will try to see if the inputs work in the hal monitor...
Thanks for any insight...

If you still get random counts, that suggests a signal integrity issue of some kind (missing grounds?)

Unfortunately our normal analog input card (the 7I87) is out of stock currently

What voltage range, resolution and conversion speed do you need?