Remora - Rpi Software Stepping Using External Microcontroller via SPI

Hi Scotta! Thank you for all the help and being so patient with us.
We have wired all of the enabels to one single enable since that enables the whole machine for simplicity's sake.

We have tested what you suggested and we now get enable and move the axis, the issue now, is that we can't move them for long. Not even a second, in the best cases just a second. We attempted to decrease the accelerations even further and increase the f error to 2 and 5 which also didn't really help, we also tested decreasing the SPI frequency to 1MHz and changed the STEPGEN_MAXACCEL to 1000; whilst keeping the 25% acceleration buffer from the max acceleration to the stepgen.

remora-xyz.ini:
# Basic LinuxCNC config for testing of Remora firmware

[EMC]
MACHINE = Remora-XYZ
DEBUG = 0
VERSION = 1.1

[DISPLAY]
DISPLAY = axis
EDITOR = gedit
POSITION_OFFSET = RELATIVE
POSITION_FEEDBACK = ACTUAL
ARCDIVISION = 64
GRIDS = 10mm 20mm 50mm 100mm
MAX_FEED_OVERRIDE = 1.2
MIN_SPINDLE_OVERRIDE = 0.5
MAX_SPINDLE_OVERRIDE = 1.2
DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY = 28.7
MIN_LINEAR_VELOCITY = 0
MAX_LINEAR_VELOCITY = 28.7
DEFAULT_ANGULAR_VELOCITY = 28.7
MIN_ANGULAR_VELOCITY = 0
MAX_ANGULAR_VELOCITY = 28.7
INTRO_GRAPHIC = linuxcnc.gif
INTRO_TIME = 5
PROGRAM_PREFIX = ~/linuxcnc/nc_files
INCREMENTS = 50mm 10mm 5mm 1mm .5mm .1mm .05mm .01mm

[KINS]
JOINTS = 3
#KINEMATICS =trivkins coordinates=XYZ kinstype=BOTH
KINEMATICS =trivkins coordinates=XYZ

[FILTER]
PROGRAM_EXTENSION = .py Python Script
py = python

[TASK]
TASK = milltask
CYCLE_TIME = 0.010

[RS274NGC]
PARAMETER_FILE = linuxcnc.var

[EMCMOT]
EMCMOT = motmod
COMM_TIMEOUT = 1.0
COMM_WAIT = 0.010
BASE_PERIOD = 0
SERVO_PERIOD = 5000000

[HAL]
HALFILE = remora-xyz.hal
POSTGUI_HALFILE = postgui_call_list.hal

[TRAJ]
COORDINATES =  X Y Z 
LINEAR_UNITS = mm
ANGULAR_UNITS = degree
CYCLE_TIME = 0.010
DEFAULT_LINEAR_VELOCITY = 4.17
MAX_LINEAR_VELOCITY = 28.7
NO_FORCE_HOMING = 1 

[EMCIO]
EMCIO = io
CYCLE_TIME = 0.100
TOOL_TABLE = tool.tbl

#*** AXIS_X *******************************
[AXIS_X]
MAX_VELOCITY = 28.7
MAX_ACCELERATION = 287.0
MIN_LIMIT = -0.001
MAX_LIMIT = 1080.0

[JOINT_0]
TYPE = LINEAR
HOME = 0.0
MIN_LIMIT = -0.001
MAX_LIMIT = 1080.0
MAX_VELOCITY = 28.7
MAX_ACCELERATION = 287.0
STEPGEN_MAXACCEL = 1000.0
SCALE = 100.0
FERROR = 5.0
MIN_FERROR = 5.0
HOME_OFFSET = 0.000000
HOME_SEARCH_VEL = -45.000000
HOME_LATCH_VEL = -2.500000
HOME_SEQUENCE = 1
#******************************************


#*** AXIS_Y *******************************
[AXIS_Y]
MAX_VELOCITY = 28.7
MAX_ACCELERATION = 287.0
MIN_LIMIT = -0.001
MAX_LIMIT = 950.0

[JOINT_1]
TYPE = LINEAR
HOME = 0.0
MIN_LIMIT = -0.001
MAX_LIMIT = 950.0
MAX_VELOCITY = 28.7
MAX_ACCELERATION = 287.0
STEPGEN_MAXACCEL = 1000.0
SCALE = 100.0
FERROR = 5.0
MIN_FERROR = 5.0
HOME_OFFSET = 0.000000
HOME_SEARCH_VEL = -45.000000
HOME_LATCH_VEL = 2.500000
HOME_SEQUENCE = 2
#******************************************


#*** AXIS_Z *******************************
[AXIS_Z]
MAX_VELOCITY = 20.0
MAX_ACCELERATION = 150.0
MIN_LIMIT = -125.0
MAX_LIMIT = 0.001

[JOINT_2]
TYPE = LINEAR
HOME = 0.0
MIN_LIMIT = -125.0
MAX_LIMIT = 0.001
MAX_VELOCITY = 20
MAX_ACCELERATION = 150.0
STEPGEN_MAXACCEL = 187.5
SCALE = 800.0
FERROR = 5.0
MIN_FERROR = 5.0
HOME_OFFSET = 0.000000
HOME_SEARCH_VEL = 15.000000
HOME_LATCH_VEL = 0.625000
HOME_SEQUENCE = 0
#******************************************


remora-xyz.hal:
# load the realtime components

        loadrt [KINS]KINEMATICS
        loadrt [EMCMOT]EMCMOT base_period_nsec=[EMCMOT]BASE_PERIOD servo_period_nsec=[EMCMOT]SERVO_PERIOD num_joints=[KINS]J$

        loadrt remora-spi SPI_clk_div=32 SPI_num=0 CS_num=0 SPI_freq=1000000
        #loadrt remora_lpc chip_type=LPC SPI_clk_div=64


# estop loopback, SPI comms enable and feedback
        net user-enable-out     <= iocontrol.0.user-enable-out          => remora.SPI-enable
        net user-request-enable <= iocontrol.0.user-request-enable      => remora.SPI-reset
        net remora-status       <= remora.SPI-status                    => iocontrol.0.emc-enable-in


# add the remora and motion functions to threads

        addf remora.read servo-thread
        addf motion-command-handler servo-thread
        addf motion-controller servo-thread
        addf remora.update-freq servo-thread
        addf remora.write servo-thread


# Joint 0 setup

        setp remora.joint.0.scale               [JOINT_0]SCALE
        setp remora.joint.0.maxaccel    [JOINT_0]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL

        net xpos-cmd            <= joint.0.motor-pos-cmd        => remora.joint.0.pos-cmd
        net j0pos-fb            <= remora.joint.0.pos-fb        => joint.0.motor-pos-fb
        net j0enable            <= joint.0.amp-enable-out       => remora.joint.0.enable


# Joint 1 setup

        setp remora.joint.1.scale               [JOINT_1]SCALE
        setp remora.joint.1.maxaccel    [JOINT_1]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL

        net j1pos-cmd           <= joint.1.motor-pos-cmd        => remora.joint.1.pos-cmd
        net j1pos-fb            <= remora.joint.1.pos-fb        => joint.1.motor-pos-fb
        net j1enable            <= joint.1.amp-enable-out       => remora.joint.1.enable


# Joint 2 setup

        setp remora.joint.2.scale               [JOINT_2]SCALE
        setp remora.joint.2.maxaccel    [JOINT_2]STEPGEN_MAXACCEL

        net j2pos-cmd           <= joint.2.motor-pos-cmd        => remora.joint.2.pos-cmd
        net j2pos-fb            <= remora.joint.2.pos-fb        => joint.2.motor-pos-fb
        net j2enable            <= joint.2.amp-enable-out       => remora.joint.2.enable

# inputs
        #endstops
        net X-min remora.input.01 => joint.0.home-sw-in
        net Y-min remora.input.00 => joint.1.home-sw-in
        net Z-min remora.input.02 => joint.2.home-sw-in




This is our current setup

the config.txt remains unchanged

Great to hear you are making progress.

No need for the SPI_clk_div=32 in the loadrt command line, that is for the RPi4/3.

What fault / error is generated when the machine stops? I've still got the Octopus and RPi setup on the bench, will look to try your config again over the weekend.

Hi Scotta!

This is the error we get:

"command (EMC_JOG_CONT) cannot be executed until the machine is out of E-stop and turned on"

but when we disconnect the E-stop it recognizes that it is connected, we also sometimes get the Joint X following error.

I was using Octopus Pro Board for LinuxCNC. That one is giving some problems. So I bought new board BTT SKR3 so that I can use TMC5160. Can anyone help me setting up its config.txt and LinuxCNC configuration. And connection diagram. I have wired it as per SKR2 board. Pinouts of both boards seems similar. I cant get Machine out of estop. I think there is no communication between rpi and skr3.
Remora.ini
remora.hal
config.txt

Which firmware are you using? The SKR3 is only supported in the latest Remora-core development repo.

Yes. I have cloned latest remora-h7xx-pio repository from remora-cnc. And compiled that. And used config files attached in previous post.