1st time components selection Motherboard, power supply, display, etc.

Hi,

Any suggestions would be appreciated for selecting components to build a computer that will be mounted inside a console.

Motherboard (ASUS seems to be a favorite), power supply, display, etc.

The system would be used for a 3 axes mill. The processing capability could be limited as the machine would not be capable of anything more than moderate feedrates.

There may be an opportunity to retrofit a 5 axes mill. The processing capabilities of this system would have to be significant to issue the commands and receive the positioning feedback at a high enough rate to operate the machine correctly.

Thanks in advance!

Have a good day,

Jim

These are two premade units with Linux cnc installed. I have no idea if they are good or not.
www.probotix.com/CNC-CONTROL-SYSTEMS/CONTROL-PC

But the Mesa 7i76e seems like a nice card. If I expand my machine I would upgrade to it

If you are mounting inside a console you don't need a full PC. You can just use a bare motherboard.
If there is 12V power in the console than a motherboard that can be powered off of a single 12V supply would be advantageous.

What hardware interface do you anticipate using? Stepper or Servo?

Hi Leon,

Thank you for the reply. I think using a motherboard will be more suitable to my application. I am grateful for the link because I did not know that these units were available.

Have a good day,

Jim

Hi Andy,

I think the bare motherboard would be the most advantageous for my application. I can select whatever power supply would be needed for the motherboard. is there a list of motherboards that others have found work well with Linux and LinuxCNC?

The LinuxCNC system would be controlling a servo system with rotary encoder or scale feedback.

Have a good day,

Jim

CNCProductivity2019 wrote: I think the bare motherboard would be the most advantageous for my application. I can select whatever power supply would be needed for the motherboard. is there a list of motherboards that others have found work well with Linux and LinuxCNC?[/code]

I am using a Jetway JNF9C-2800 but I suspect that those are no longer on sale, it's been a few years.
www.mini-itx.com/store/category?type=mot...&sortby=price&page=1
is similar, 12V input, and with a parallel port if required.

The LinuxCNC system would be controlling a servo system with rotary encoder or scale feedback.

So, you probably won't be using a parallel port unless in EPP mode (Pico PPMC, Mesa 7i43 etc)
Do you have a preference for PCI or Ethernet connection? (PCI is typically easier to configure, and is a good choice if the motherboard is in the same box with all the other electronics).

Hi Andy,

I don't know what to prefer.

I have opportunity to be retrofitting a range of machines. The simplest would be two axis lathes with low feedrates / low resolution (<100 ipm rapid traverse, < 50 ipm machining feedrate and + / - 0.0005 inch positioning) and the most complicated would be 5 axis milling machines with high feedrates / precision resolution (up to 1000 ipm and 0.0001 in positioning with + / - 0.0002 in repeatability). So it would seem to me that there would probably be 2 or at most 3 standard control systems. A low and high or a low, medium and high. I expect the cost would reflect the capability of the system in terms of speed and accuracy.

I am an experienced CNC Field Service Engineer that has retrofit CNC controls to machines previously. I am not a computer geek but I follow instructions well. To correct the time display on my laptop I watched a YouTube video and completely disassembled my laptop, changed the BIOS battery and reassembled the laptop. It is now keeping time correctly.

I don't have the knowledge or familiarity to pick parts (motherboard, power supply, etc.). That is what is prompting my questions.

Have a good day,

Jim

If you are retrofitting and keeping existing encoders and analogue-voltage controlled drives then the Mesa 5i25 + 7i77 combo is hard to ignore.
That needs a PCI (5i25) or PCIe (6i25) slot on the motherboard and then a 25-way D-sub cable connects the 7i77.

If you are swapping out the drives, then the STMBL drive (if and when they become available again) is a pretty useful thing as it works with several types of encoders and resolvers, and can drive servos or induction motors. The preferred control mode is smart-serial from a Mesa card. (so all-digital to the drive)

Hi Andy,

I took a look at Mesa's website. Very little cost for substantial functionality. I will need to go back to the website and review their products again.

Thanks for the reference.

Have a good day,

Jim

Don't forget Pico systems and General Mechatronics.