Stretch / Linuxcnc and Mesa 7i96

Hi,

I've read all (I think) the forum posts on getting the above combination going - but I must be missing something.

uname -a reports; Linux linuxcnc 4.9.0-8-rt-amd64 #1 SMP PREEMPT RT Debian 4.9.130-2 (2018-10-27) x86_64 GNU/Linux

LinuxCnc version is 1:2.8.0~pre1.4096.g3b009f950.

The problem -- the linuxcnc config front end doesn't show the 7i96 ?

My thoughts;

Should there be a uspace in there somewhere.?
Does the 7i96 option only turn up when connected ?

Would appreciate any thoughts.

Kind Regards
Gavin Melville.

I don't think the PNCconfig wizard supports the 7i96. I think someone was working on a configuration utility just for the 7i96, but I don't know if it is included with the current 2.8-pre1 yet. (I kind of doubt it.)
forum.linuxcnc.org/27-driver-boards/3504...6-configuration-tool

Thanks for the reply,

There is a config utility for the 7i96, but it was the linuxcnc front end I was trying to get to show the 7i96. Screen shot here.

That is the configuration selector. And you are looking at example sample configurations that came with Linuxcnc. First you have to build your config for your 7i96, using the configuration tool and save it. Then you can open it with the Configuration Selector. Or download and save an example 7i96 configuration form some place (such as: freeby.mesanet.com/7i96-2.8.zip ) and save it to your config dir.

Thanks Todd,

The one missing detail...

Kind Regards, Gavin

Saving the extracted contents of that zip to the configs directory doesn't work.

I build my config with pncconf. When I select a board I select 7i76e. Then after I've finished with pncconf I go into the generated ini and hal files and to a search and replace, find and replace all 7i76e to 7i96.

Note that if you setup your inputs and outputs in pncconf the full pin names will also need further modifying. I can't remember off the top of my head what the change to. I just use it to setup the steppers and get them jogging and get the bulk of the required configs generated. Linking up a few IO pins after that is pretty trivial.

Here is a link to a 7i96 configuration tool. forum.linuxcnc.org/27-driver-boards/3504...6-configuration-tool
I had an issue or two trying to use it, can't remember what now, but if it's not working 100% you can at least use it's output to get correct i/o pin names and such.

Also, make sure to set your ip address to 10.10.10.10. You'll also need to double check the ip address jumpers on the 7i96. Page 4 of the manual www.mesanet.com/pdf/parallel/7i96man.pdf

Here is some additional information in setting up the ethernet though I'm not quite sure it's required. gnipsel.com/linuxcnc/uspace/debian9-eth.html

Be a lot easier to just use my 7i96 configuration tool...

jethornton.github.io/7i96/

JT