C10 Bidirectional Breakout Board

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22 Jul 2023 23:58 #276032 by krigby
I'm completely new to LinuxCNC.  I have a kit from Automation Technology (www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/produc...r-2-axis-kit-small-2)  and it seems to me, with my complete lack of experience, that the first thing I need to do is get LinuxCNC configured to with this the breakout board (www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/produc...directional-breakout).
Does anyone have any experience with that breakout board/kit, and can you give me any help getting started with that kit.

Thanks,
Kent

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23 Jul 2023 00:08 #276033 by tommylight
If you have the kit, no need for the second link.
At any rate, stay off the second link, it is a simple board with nothing in it for 23$, for 5$ it would be ok for testing.
so:
Do you have a PC?
Does that PC have a parallel port? The pink/violet thingy with 25 holes on the back side?
If yes on both, download the official ISO from the download page, write it to a USB (do not copy), boot the PC from that USB, install, reboot.
In the menus there is a StepConf utility that will make setting up the machine a breeze, save, start the config.

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23 Jul 2023 00:33 - 23 Jul 2023 00:34 #276037 by cornholio
Pretty good wiring diagram they give, if you need any more info on the C10 cnc4pc should have the user guides and what not. I've used a C35 from cnc4pc and I can say it's a quality product and the documentation is good.

Some really good info here

www.automationtechnologiesinc.com/produc...directional-breakout
Last edit: 23 Jul 2023 00:34 by cornholio.

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11 Aug 2023 11:51 #277633 by krigby
Thanks for the replies. After watching hours of youtube videos (mostly about CNC, but with a cat video or two thrown in) I got my head wrapped most of the way around it all.

I have everything running well enough to do some basic testing. I still need to get limit switches installed and I would like to add a spindle encoder after that.

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11 Aug 2023 11:59 #277635 by krigby
not to date myself, but I know full well what a parallel port is.

Yes, I have a PC. and I had already installed the ISO. Debian!!!! Argh!!!! I would have preferred Ubuntu, and even tried that on a different box but I had no success installing linuxcnc on it and gave up.

I have years of experience with Linux, I have worked in IT for nearly 30 years, so I know my way around a PC and Linux, but CNC is new to me.

PCs with built in parallel ports are as rare as hen's teeth. I bought a PCIe parallel port card and that is working. I would have gone with an ethernet card, but everything at Mesa seems to be out of stock.

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11 Aug 2023 21:50 #277675 by rodw

not to date myself, but I know full well what a parallel port is.

Yes, I have a PC. and I had already installed the ISO. Debian!!!! Argh!!!! I would have preferred Ubuntu, and even tried that on a different box but I had no success installing linuxcnc on it and gave up.
 

Ubuntu only recently added  the required PREEMPT_RT kernel to their repos but it requires a paid license.
I guess you could build the kernel, its not hard. I have a guide somewhere if interested.
Building Linuxcnc from source is not hard. I did a video on a chromebook as proof/tutorial... 

 

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11 Aug 2023 23:47 #277685 by phillc54

Ubuntu only recently added  the required PREEMPT_RT kernel to their repos but it requires a paid license.

It is free for personal use on up to 5 machines.
The following user(s) said Thank You: tommylight, rodw

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12 Aug 2023 05:14 - 12 Aug 2023 05:14 #277697 by rodw
I missed the personal option. I believe Ubuntu Pro uses the 5.15 kernel. 
Bookworm is on 6.1. A few of us have found that the network latency is generally unsuitable with the 5.x kernels if you use a Mesa card. PCW says the best he's used was 6.4 but there were some regressions in later versions. Hopefully its fixed.
Also with a parallel port, a 4.x kernel (eg. Buster) will perform better than 5.x and there is a RTAI option.
Even if you did go with Ubuntu I think you would be building the kernel before long. A RT patch has been released for 6.5. I would go with it. I'm not sure of performance with a parallel port.

There is a known path on Debian. Ubuntu seem like more work.
Last edit: 12 Aug 2023 05:14 by rodw.

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12 Aug 2023 05:24 #277699 by phillc54
It may be more work but if users want to run a distribution of their choice they probably expect a bit of extra work.

FWIW my lathe has a 5.10 kernel and uses a 7i76e and has no issues.

 
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