Linuxcnc 2.9.4 and Mesa 7i97T

Yeah, that is very old info, for some reason google insists on finding docs and info for version 2.4 but not for 2.8 or 2.9, and that is aggravating, extremely, but is beyond our reach to fix it.
We do remove outdated info from the forum whenever we bump into it.
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Ping OK is the only thing you need, make a config and start wiring stuff.
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You might need mesaflash ONLY if you need firmware for:
-you want to use a Mesa 7i74 or 7i85 or add a 7i76 or similar
-you request special firmware that is not standard
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One major tip for wiring, do NOT wire everything and power the machine ON.
Follow the link i posted, wire stuff one by one as mentioned there, check and recheck, and only when making sure all is good, move on to wiring and testing the next thing on that list.

Again THANKS a lot
My issue isn’t with Linux itself, but with the documentation.

I guarantee you that I am starting on a very small scale. My gantry weighs 600 kg without the spindle.

I will start tomorrow with mesa ct but just a small question:
When I look through the files immediately after the installation i see no bitfile I can relate to 7i97 card. Is that how it is supposed to be? Does the bitfile exist at all as a separate file and is it generated automatically when the config file is written by mesaCT?

No need for a bit file, only if you need non standard firmware.
That is from old Mesa boards that needed the firmware at startup, all new ones have that on board, many of them twice, just in case a bad flash messes up switch to the backup and flash again, correctly if possible.

Again -thanks for life-saving support on this issue
I have now a mesa 7i97T connected to my Linuxcnc and according to mesaCT everything seems to be ok.

Now I'm ready for the next chapter:
Configuring Linuxcnc for the analog setup with my Rexroth ECOdrive.
The plan is to let the ECOdrive make the encoder loop between drive and motor encoder, and not loop back to LinuxCNC due to the lack of encoder signals hand over from ECOdrive.
So, is there any directions or previous discussions about this topic here in the Forum?

The plan is to let the ECOdrive make the encoder loop between drive and motor encoder, and not loop back to LinuxCNC due to the lack of encoder signals hand over from ECOdrive.
So, is there any directions or previous discussions about this topic here in the Forum?

Unfortunately, that will not work, analog commanded  drives require position feedback to LinuxCNC.
 

Maybe mesa 7i97t will not work without position feedback but it’s far from uncommon that woodworking cncs run this way.