On Sun, 23 Jun 2019, John Dammeyer wrote:
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2019 16:41:40 -0700
From: John Dammeyer <jo...@autoartisans.com>
Reply-To: "Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)"
<emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net>
To: "'Enhanced Machine Controller (EMC)'" <emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net>
Subject: Re: [Emc-users] Dual boot for WIN-XP and LinuxCNC
Hi Andy, Peter,
So that begs the question. Am I the first to try using a 7i92H to replace
two
parallel ports for LinuxCNC? If it has been done is there not a simple
template for even just one of the DB-25 with simple step/dir, limit,
estop,
machine enable?
On Sun, 23 Jun 2019 at 22:47, Peter C. Wallace <p...@mesanet.com> wrote:
No, but it does require some hal knowledge and understanding that the
card is
electrically compatible with parallel port breakouts but the hal file setup
is
compleley different due to the fact that the fast I/O is done in hardware
From: andy pugh [mailto:bodge...@gmail.com]
In theory you could use the software stepgen and drive the Mesa GPIO
in the base thread (that functionality is available in the driver) but
at that point you might as well use an actual parallel port.
The way to think about this is to draw a box around the Mesa card that
moves the stepgen, pwmgen, encoder counters etc into the Mesa card, so
the HAL connections that used to go to the stepgen now go to the Mesa
card.
In general the pin names are just the same, but prefixed by the board name.
So:
net Xpos cmd <= joint.0.motor-pos-cmd
net Xpos-cmd => stepgen.0.position-cmd
becomes
net Xpos cmd <= joint.0.motor-pos-cmd
net Xpos-cmd => hm2_7i92.0.stepgen.00.position-cmd
And then the link from the stepgen to the physical pins is determined
by the FPGA firmware.
The downside is that you have to find a firmware to suit the hardware
pinout.
The upside is MHz step rates.
So I think what you are both saying is the pncconf setup is not workable for
what I want to do and I have to start with something it created and then try
and figure out how to make the pins match my existing PMDX-126 BoB.
Not at all, What I am saying is that one pnconf stepper config will work for
almost any parallel port BOB _IF_ the correct firmware is loaded in the 7I92H
This is because the stepgens and PWMgens are accessed by channel number not
pins so one hal file is almost universal except for specific features like where
limit switches and estop pins are located. The pinout specific customization
for hardware step/dir, PWM etc is done mostly by choosing the proper firmware.
I wish I'd known that before I bought the 7i92H. I understood from previous
postings that the two ribbon cables matched the DB-25's and based on the 7i92H
manual, I could set the pins in the HAL to be the step/dir along with enable
and charge pump and eventually my limit switches. That the driver for the
Ethernet 7i92H would take care of translating that.
You cannot set the pins in hal because these are hardware pins, this is done by
selecting an appropriate bitfile that matches your breakout board pinout.
You _can_ set the number of hardware features like stepgens and unused special
function pins revert to hal accessible GPIO
Did you check the existing pinout files for the closest match to your breakout?
These pinouts (and the matching firmware files) all have parallel port
compatible pinouts:
7i92_5ABOB_Enc.pin
7i92_DMMBOB1x2D.pin
7i92_R990x2D.pin
7i92_5ABOBx2D.pin
7i92_BENEZANx2D.pin
7i92_G540x2D.pin
7i92_C11Gx2D.pin
7i92_MX3660x2D.pin
7i92_C11x2D.pin
7i92_MX4660x2D.pin
Note that pins used for special functions like encoder, stepgens and PWMgens can
revert to GPIO so you dont need an exact match most times
If none match closely enough, I can make PMDX126 compatible firmware
Ie From the pdf page 10 (marked page 5) of the 7i92H manual
DB-25-2 is P2 Header Pin 3 (IO2) which for me is X Step.
DB-25-3 is P2 Header Pin 5 (IO4) which for me is X Dir.
I don't see anything in the MESA 7i92H manual that would lead me in a step by
step fashion to create the HAL file. I really thought that the pncconf would
provide the template and the manual was a detailed reference for the FPGA.
pncconf will create a a hal template (though its a very different template than
a parallel port one as generated by stepconf)
For now, I've still got encoder noise issues to deal with. The LinuxCNC can't
step faster than about 25khz on the parallel port so tuning the STMBL drivers
was great until I ran MACH3 with the USB Smooth Stepper and 55kHz. Now the
STMBLs keep faulting with loss of position when they try to go to fast. The
HP_UHU drives go right up to 150kHz step rate but with them I'm losing the
occasional step.
I've put the handles back on my now again manual mill.
John
John
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Peter Wallace
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