Category: Installing LinuxCNC
I know this is an older thread, but I recently had success doing this. I wanted to run the Windows-based configuration/tuning utilities for my EtherCAT servo drives without hauling a laptop to my shop. I installed QEMU/KVM on my LinuxCNC development machine, installed Windows 10 in a virtual machine, and it works fine. I'm able to redirect the USB-serial devices into the guest OS so the software is able to communicate with the drives.
I've tested this with the software for the LeadShine EL7 series (Motion Studio) as well as the software for the StepperOnline A6 servos.
I have not done extensive testing in terms of the impact on realtime performance, but if there is any effect I haven't noticed it. LinuxCNC runs fine even while the guest OS is running, and there are no realtime warnings or unexpected behavior when operating the machine. When this conversion is completed, it will be running on a less capable processor with less RAM, so I won't be doing this for "production" use, but it's great for development purposes.