Help please !!! Servo configuration with stepconf.

BigJohnT wrote:

Does it have a setup procedure in the manual? You will have to tune the drives to use them.

They just provided internal setup procedure for their drive and they have their own controllers to interface them. While they don't provide any emc2 or other interfacing procedure.

If you are using that style of drive and the sorts of motors that suit it, I suspect that you have quite a large and serious machine, and in that case you will probably find yourself running out of IO lines on just a parport, and the 7i77 mentioned earlier will be a good upgrade.

Yes ! It's a 2*1*1 meter old manual milo-planer which is fully converted for CNC run.
I will try as you said and let you know.

BigJohnT wrote:

If you run out of I/O on the 7i77 then you can get a second card to expand your I/O. I'm not sure which card that is

You can connect a single SmartSerial card to the 7i77 to add up to 48 lines of IO (and they can be 2.5A / 48V rated IO with the 7i64 card)
Compatible cards are 7i64, 7i66, 7i69, 7i70, 7i71 or the 7i74 remote pendant interface.
However, the second header on the 5i25 allows you to also add a 7i74, and then you can add up to 8 more of those cards above.
So you could have another 432 IO lines additional to the ones on the 7i77 board. Probably enough for most purposes.

LinuxCNC includes a software PLC (Classic Ladder) and so you shouldn't need any additional external PLC hardware.

That's what I was referring to the internal set up and tuning of the drive itself. Using step and direction once the drive is tuned internally to the motor/load/friction it should move on command with step and direction inputs. You mention that it does not sound right when you try and use step and direction and this might be a result of the internal settings of the drive not being correct.

John

BigJohnT wrote:

You mention that it does not sound right when you try and use step and direction

It is also possible that the drive can't auto-tune to a bare motor. This is not at all unusual, as a bare motor is far too responsive compared to a typical servo loop. It might well be perfectly acceptable when mounted on the machine.

You can connect a single SmartSerial card to the 7i77 to add up to 48 lines of IO (and they can be 2.5A / 48V rated IO with the 7i64 card)
Compatible cards are 7i64, 7i66, 7i69, 7i70, 7i71 or the 7i74 remote pendant interface.
However, the second header on the 5i25 allows you to also add a 7i74, and then you can add up to 8 more of those cards above.
So you could have another 432 IO lines additional to the ones on the 7i77 board. Probably enough for most purposes.

LinuxCNC includes a software PLC (Classic Ladder) and so you shouldn't need any additional external PLC hardware.

This information is truly useful. Because during research, when your order arrives you find that you forgot that interface card or connector or expansion. which creates lot of hassle and time waste.

Regarding Classic Ladder, I heard that it needs to be programmed twice. Because controller of Classic Ladder is LinuxCNC as well and once you created your Ladder diagram, it needs validation through Hal programming. Maybe I am wrong. Please someone clarify.
While in external PLC, you don't have to program it twice. And also I am very comfortable to program Mitsubishi PLC's. I will be more happy to go with Classic Ladder if it needs to be programmed once.

That's what I was referring to the internal set up and tuning of the drive itself. Using step and direction once the drive is tuned internally to the motor/load/friction it should move on command with step and direction inputs. You mention that it does not sound right when you try and use step and direction and this might be a result of the internal settings of the drive not being correct.

John

It's a good idea ! but their manual is little bit confusing for me. there are many pins configuration for many types of systems. I will post whenever it start to sounds good.

You will have to figure out how to set up and configure the drive software before you can use any control software to run the drive.

I don't have a clue what you mean by program Classicladder twice??? If you can program ladder you won't have a problem programming Classicladder. Classicladder also has the benefit of directly interacting with HAL pins something and external PLC can not do as it can only see physical outputs and control physical inputs. Granted the UI for Classicladder is a bit poor but in a few minutes an experienced PLC progammer would be off and running. The biggest hurdle for most folks in Classcladder is ladder logic itself which is a bit foreign to most folks who know a little about programming C or basic or whatever. Just try and explain to someone who does not know ladder that if you have the same output in two rungs the last output wins!

John