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The same way that StepConf Wizard exist for configuring a Stepper Motor machine does a similar Wizard exist for setting up a Servo Motor machine? If the answer is not then can anyone provide a link for documentation specifically targeted to setting up servo motors and drivers?

I’m planning to use five of these on an upcoming project:

www.teknic.com/products/motor_sel.php
Model M-3441


www.teknic.com/products/eclipse.php
SSt-Eclipse, Velocity-Mode Servo Drives Model SSt-E545-VCx


Thanks

Pncconf is for Mesa servo hardware, otherwise you will need to read the Integrator Manual or use one of the sample configurations.

John

What hardware were you going to use to run them?

If you use a Mesa 5i25 and 7i77 combo (there are other Mesa options but this would be about the cheepest) you could use Pnconf as mentioned by John.

I am using some older Teknics drives with this combo on a project I am working on now.

Todd:

I already bought the Mesa 5i25 and 7i77 combo and will soon start configuration and will post to this thread with the outcome.

On another subject:
I will like to save on components and wiring time by eliminating all five home sensors and instead use Teknic’s Servo Drives built in Hard Stop Homing (Sensorless Homing). Have you used this before, do you know anyone that had any issues with it?

No I have not used it. But I think the option is only avalible on their position drives. On the drives I am using it only works in step/dir mode, and not in the analog tourque mode I am using. Besides a cheap limit switch only costs a few dollars anyway.

In torque mode its probably possible to do this entirely in LinuxCNC without any specific drive support, though it would be a fair amount of work. I think you would need a resilient stop to avoid damage to ball screws etc unless you are willing to creep very slowly towards home. Limit switches would allow reasonable homing speeds, hard stops on a heavy carriage would require pretty low speeds so the stored energy in the carriage/ballscrew/motor (1/2 MV^2) cant generate peak forces that can harm anything

Yes, the teknic manual does mention that you should use some sort of shockabsorber on the stop. I realy never even considered trying it, since the machine I am retrofitting already has limit switches. I also did not use the drives limit swich inputs. I can't realy imagine why you would want to in an app that uses a cnc controler any way, figured it was more for some sort of plc type app.

Well Servo Motors, Drives and Gears have not arrived yet so I’m just reading a lot and playing with the software plus learning about Linux which is new operating system for me.

Meanwhile something strange is happening with the Mesa 5i25-7177 and the Intel® Desktop Board BOXD525MW, (4MB of Ram, small VGA monitor, 350 Watts power supply and a 30MB SSD)

I was able to successfully install LinuxCNC version 2.5 and got to played around with it for a while. The next morning when I turned everything back On I noticed the motherboard will not start up and the monitor was pitch black.

After an hour of unproductive troubleshooting I decided to turned off the system, pull out the Mesa 5i25-7177 and power cycle the system again. This time the motherboard started normally, Linux ran again, the monitor was ok and everything was back in order.

This strange behavior has repeated several times already and I’m getting a little nervous about it. I wondered if this has happened to anyone here before, I will love to know what the problem is. Your input is appreciated.

Do you have external 5V applied to the 7I77?
This can cause this behavior if the 7I77 and 5I25
power options are set wrong so the supply back-powers the MB

Problem solved, 5V to the 7177 is what was needed, THANKS