Current turning capabilities status

andypugh wrote: How does the drive accept position information when it has encoder feedback?

From the inverter manual, using a train pulse, so this may act like a servo. For example to maintain a determined speed I would have to continue to feed a position constantly far away from the current position. Does Linuxcnc have this built in? This is very similar to have a servo motor acting as a spindle motor.

(I was unable to attach a file)

emcPT wrote:
(I was unable to attach a file)

the Add File function is broken until we can get Kunea and Joomula updated...

John

emcPT wrote: From the inverter manual, using a train pulse, so this may act like a servo. For example to maintain a determined speed I would have to continue to feed a position constantly far away from the current position. Does Linuxcnc have this built in?

Yes, it can be done, but possibly not easily in combination with analogue voltage control for the axis servos.
(It's not a LinuxCNC problem, but you would need an unusual combination of interface hardware)

I would suggest not getting the in-drive position control hardware yet, and seeing how LinuxCNC-only control works first.

Ok. I will follow your recommendation and wait for the VFD to arrive and set up linuxcnc and the mesa hardware to control only the spindle with the encoder connected directly to the mesa cards.
I will need some guidance then, but lets see what can I achieve looking on the documentation. People on my company don't look to this project as something that can be done, but I convinced my "boss" to let me try and to give me some € to spend. Lets see.

emcPT wrote: People on my company don't look to this project as something that can be done, but I convinced my "boss" to let me try and to give me some € to spend. Lets see.

They are wrong, you are right
I isn't going to be simple, but you will learn a lot on the way.

Ok, I have set a PC with a D2700 and a mesa card 5i20.
I have also run pncconfig and set up things to the best of my knowledge. I did not set up and I/O signals except the ones for the servos (X,Z,A and spindle).
I do not have any servo or any I/O signals hardwired.

Now when starting linuxcnc it will not start and the relevant (the first error) debug message is:

Can not find -sec MOT -var MOT -num 1
and a few more others, all that start with "Can not find ..."

This is probably due to a bad configuration on the pncconfig, but this is almost alien language.
My question for today would be what would be the most "clean" config that I can make just to have a spindle, because I would like to start only by having a spindle working.

A few pictures of the mesa hardware installed are attached. There was suppose to be any leds on the 7i37 ?

emcPT wrote: Can not find -sec MOT -var MOT -num 1
and a few more others, all that start with "Can not find …

What can't it find? That's the critical bit

Can you post the HAL file and the error log (dmesg)

There are no LEDS on the 7I37

You will probably have to post the full error message (and maybe dmesg log) to
debug this

Can you attach the entire error message?

John

Often everything you need to know is in the kernel messages. Heres how to capture:

in a terminal window type:
sudo dmesg --clear

then start linuxcnc
when linuxcnc aborts, type

dmesg > errorlog.txt

and upload errorlog.txt to the forum