What software would be recommend?

[Clive S]

Clives S on this forum is the Man you want to ask. He's the Linux Guru around here..

Dean don't take the piss

However linux and luxcnc are quite different. Linuxcnc is a motion controller that is embedded into a version of linux running a real time kernel. Now if you want to try it say for a simple 3 axis machine then it is simple as there is a program that is installed along with Linuxcnc called stepconfig. Stepconf is a program that generates configuration files for LinuxCNC for a specific class of CNC machine: those that are controlled via a standard parallel port, and controlled by signals of type step & direction.

You just fill in the boxes and it generates the configuration files for you. the step pulses etc. are generated within the PC.

If you want to have the pulses generated in hardware then you can use a Mesa card. that is installed in a pci or pcix slot in the pc in this case thee Mesa card is connected to a BOB through a db25 pin cable and will provide you with spindle control plus mpg encoder and loads of input and outputs all 24v etc.etc.

There is also a Mesa card than can be connected via lan cable.

Going down the Mesa route you use a program called Pnconf that is a wizard to get you going.

The download for the latest stable version is :- http://www.linuxcnc.org/linuxcnc-2.7-wheezy.iso
And the Docs:- http://linuxcnc.org/docs/2.7/html/

[JAZZCNC]

Dean don't take the piss

Clive was genuine big up, you know more than most on here about Linux CNC so don't put self down you Old Git.

[Desertboy]

It cost me ~£250 for a mesa solution for linuxcnc, I'd recommend going with the 7176e clive recommended me I didn't and it was more hassle getting a pc to actually work with the pci card I got. The 7176e is Ethernet so none of these issues.

Do you have 2 ballscrews and 2 motors on the Y axis? This is harder to setup but I managed it so you can lol.

Linuxcnc is funkier to setup, the linuxcnc forums are excellent though so you'll find plenty of help and once running it seems simple enough.

I like it and am glad I made the extra effort to go linuxcnc route (I would have gone mach 3 otherwise).

[Clive S]

t was more hassle getting a pc to actually work with the pci card I got.

If you are talking about the 7i25 card. Then I have to say that I have used a few of these with no issue. I have also had a lot of success with using PP pci cards with Lcnc with much issue.

You are correct that if two motors need to be homed to set the gantry square each time, then at this time you have to use the dev. branch (2.8) to do this. If that is not required then the best version is 2.7.12

[Desertboy]

If you are talking about the 7i25 card. Then I have to say that I have used a few of these with no issue. I have also had a lot of success with using PP pci cards with Lcnc with much issue.

You are correct that if two motors need to be homed to set the gantry square each time, then at this time you have to use the dev. branch (2.8) to do this. If that is not required then the best version is 2.7.12

I was just unlucky but pci is getting rarer of course ethernet is more future proof.

I had 2 machines that wouldn't boot with the 5i25 and then the 3rd machine wouldn't boot dvd or usb only cd so couldn't get latest linuxcnc on it. Then the last machine I tried had no pci slots only pcie so in the end I bought another pc for £10 from a local recycler and it worked fine.

On the linuxcnc forums I was told that there is a boot issue but it affects less than 1% of computers I just got unlucky twice but I have 2 RM education pc's from the same seller on ebay and when I checked they have the same motherboard although different cpu's.

[Clive S]

As a matter of interest what bob are you using with the 5i25. Is it the 7i76?

[Desertboy]

As a matter of interest what bob are you using with the 5i25. Is it the 7i76?

At the moment got it connected to the cheap $5 PP bob but I've ordered 7i76 to swap over it might take me a little while to swap it over as it works lol.

My biggest issue is I'm stalling when cutting anything over 5m/min so I think I need to get 3nm motors for the X&Y, I only have 2nm direct drive, I have 10mm pitch ballscrew on now.