andypugh wrote:It is very much possible to set up a 5i25 system by hand, though.
Possibly using one of the sample configs as a template, but changing the board name, and using the IO pin names obtained as described earlier.
Then it is just a case of starting linuxcnc from the command line, watching it trip up at each problem in the HAL file, and fixing them one by one.
Ultimately, the manual configuration would probably be my preferred method. If I was a professional CNC guy and did LinuxCNC retrofits on a regular basis, I'd almost certainly prefer the manual approach.
Most of the code I've written was RISC microcontroller code. Any more basic and you'd be coding in machine language. Even when doing industrial control jobs, I had a strong preference for designing a solution rather than trying to integrate subsystems to create a solution. It always seemed that trying to learn how to use someone else's solution was more difficult and less certain for me than rolling my own specific solution from the bare essentials.
Hopefully, the buildbot will be back up soon and I'll try the new and improved PNCconf. Until then, I'm going to work on the wiring to get +5V and +24V to all of the MESA hardware as needed. I'd also like to finish wiring power to my much simpler LinuxCNC/MESA lathe project (5i25 and 7i76) and see if I can configure that with PNCconf.
As always, thank you all for the technical support. It's a huge benefit for those of us staring up at a big learning curve, unsure of the less perilous path to the summit.
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