How to build a spaceship with a Mesa 7i76e ethernet card - a tutorial for new Linuxcnc users
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- This video passes on my lessons from building my Spaceship plasma cutter. It is a video guide for new Linuxcnc users that choose to use a mesa ethernet card like the 7i76e but the concepts will apply to any other Mesa card.
This video takes you through step by step all the steps required to install a Mesa 7i76e and demonstrates how to connect the ethernet cable to it reliably.
I then show you how to connect mechanical switches and proximity switches and how to confirm they are working.
You will also learn how to connect outputs to trigger opto isolated relays as well as mechanical relays and solenoids that have inductive loads without risking blowing an output on your motion control card.
So if you are making the plunge to Mesa hardware, this is a must watch video so find a spare hour and work your way through the video. Its bound to save you far more than that time during your build as it will get you off on the right spaceship charged foot!
Thank you Sir... And thank you for your helps on the forum, too.
I cannot thank you enough for posting this. Keep up the good work. This is what anyone stepping to linuxcnc exactly needs.
Wow great video. Thank you. Just got my 7i76e working. Now it’s time to hook the io up and get the machine going. Hal. Here we come!
Hi Rod . It's great to see more videos like this . It will surely help bring Linuxcnc out into mainstream.
Very helpful Rod. I'm now convinced LinuxCNC and a Mesa 7i76e is the way to go to upgrade the controller on my CNC router. Thanks very much.
Thanks for this, the part of connecting and configuring the sensors and outputs was super valuable!
Just starting to get my head around this CNC stuff and very helpful thanks! Going Linux and Mesa and its looking promising.
Thanks, super helpful. I have the 7i76e here and still haven't gotten around to playing with it. This got me moving again.
Nice tutorial, pull down diodes and resistors is left out in many of these types of videos...Bravo...
Thank you for this video. I picked up a couple old hanko mills I'm going to convert to linuxcnc and this helps allot
Thank you for taking the time to share this.
Subscriber here - thank you for the effort you put in making this video!
Great info on 7i76e. Greetings from India
Are you still selling the Mesa boards Rod, I'm considering doing a LinuxCNC retrofit to a large scale Gasparini Plasma that's currently not running due to an issue with the original controller.
This video came at just the right time. I have a CNC Router (cuts 2700x1300) that I built running a AXBB-E and UCCNC and it works great. I am now building a half sheet CNC plasma and am at the electronics stage. I have been researching LinuxCNC for the last few weeks mostly due to the advances you guys have made with THC. I was struggling to find a clear and concise instruction on wiring the Mesa board and was looking at trying to use another AXBB-E. I am now sold on the MESA 7176e and also appreciated the tips on the DIN mounts for it. I look forward to your video (coming soon I hope) on the THCAD. Is ohmic sensing needed or a luxury? Thanks for taking the time to make the video. Mark
They always come at the right time or a smidge too late when you already figure it out. However it’s great reinforcement to how you thought it worked to see it actually work before something is misunderstood and hooked up wrong.
@@idus Thanks for the feedback. The THCAD video is coming. I just had some unexpected behaviour on my test rig which was causing some unexpected AC ripple to understand before I went to air. Ohmic sensing is probably only able to be done if you have a shield on your torch but If I had a non-shielded torch, I'd try it out. Its good for thin material that bends on probing... I'm sure you will appreciate the 32 inputs and 16 outputs of the 7i76e over the AXBB-E. Yo could also look at the cheaper Mesa 7i96 but the wiring is a bit different .
@@RodWebster Thanks for that. The 7i76e is actually a little cheaper than the AXBB-E. Do you have a recommended MESA supplier that is fast or am I best to go direct? Our Proof of Concept CNC Plasma cutter was designed by my brother and was built for $700 (excluding the Plasma). It uses an $18 eBay board and Nema 24 Steppers running Mach3. It was temperamental to start but once the bugs were ironed out it is extremely accurate. Plasma being used is a Unimig RazorCut 45. Not the duty cycle of the Hypertherms but is producing exceptionally good results. We have also been trialing water outlets flooding over the cut just behind the torch with great results. Very little distortion on 2 and 3mm steel on all cut lengths. We have hooked up a car fuel pump sucking from the water table. Very cheap, simple and at the moment effective. I have now built all the mechanicals of a new more HD table. Just couldn't decide on the electronics package.
@@markalgie1794 Thanks. Either go direct or from mesaus.com/ or eusurplus.com/ if in Europe.
Hi Rod. Is there a Mesa distributor in Australia ? . The shipping from the states costs as much as the product most times.
I know what you mean. I was looking at a 7i96s and it's going to cost $334Aud landed. I wonder if they combine shipping as I'm getting a pendant IO board as well.
Perfect Video I’ve been wondering how to connect the 7i76e to a single 24v supply it’s an expensive board to damage. How much current can the on board 5v power supply deliver just for reference.
I really like what you've done & am starting to understand things. Is there any way I can use my chinaCNC milling gear without going to all Mesa gear? I suppose I'm trying to bridge the gap from plasma to milling with 4 axis plus 7i76E & the controllers that come with the cnc Router. A video on the full linuxCNC configurisation for this build would be helpful. Youve got to have a good budget behind you but if it gets rid of my intermittent errors it'll be worth it.
great video . learned a ton.
very nice,
greetings from Kosovo!
Thanks for this video, but why do the motors need 90v’s, that tripping me up a bit.
do you know if I can use the 7i95 with raspberry pi?
Hello thanks for sharing What type of pc you are using?
Great video. Do you still have a spare 7i76e for sale thanks Bradley
Where do I buy this card?? 😥
Hi Sir, It is a nice project. Do you have personal blog that we can see more info about your project?
This was just a one off video. I did a build log about a plasma cutter I built here. forum.linuxcnc.org/show-your-stuff/32029-rods-spaceship-scratch-built-plasma-cutter-build?start=0
Ok, I am going to have a lot of questions, first thing is, I really like that power supply!
Lol, screwdriver on the floor. I am going to need to watch this all again and take serious notes
Well just got those crimper and ferrals on Amazon....
Those screwdrivers get me every time! I tried to zoom in on the power supply so you could get the model number. You could go up to 2 amps or so in the same style.
@@RodWebster I really got to focus in on the whole thing, but your video has so far got me going back to my supplier, and im looking at the info on the u regulated toroidal power supplies.....so im going to have to go that route....I have drivers that take DC or AC current. This same supplier has a regulated power supply that I am thinking about getting because it looks like it gives me some options I might like to have. Let me know what you think? www.steppermotorcanada.ca/steppermotorcanada_031.htm
@@matthewcote4991 I would not get a multi voltage power supply. Some of them (like the one I have in the scrap heap) require a lot of current to be consumed on the 5 volt rail before the higher voltage is turned on. I could get it to run with a massive ceramic resistor on 5V but not with the Mesa cards. So essentially its useless. I am using Lam Technolgies DS1076A and LS1073A drivers www.lamtechnologies.com/Product.aspx?lng=EN&idp=stpdrvckd. The models ending in "A" accept AC input so it really simplifies the wiring and reduces the component count/failure points. You need to get the programmer too. These are worthy of a video on their own. I think the toroids become cheaper at higher voltages so if you are running say 48V, a 7amp or 10 amp switch mode regulated power supply is reasonably priced. But even the cheap Chinese motors can handle the 90 volts I hammer them with using the Lam boost feature to let them cool down while at constant velocity. They only need 30% of the power required to get them to speed at that point.
My drivers can take AC too, though they are not the same model as yours.
Hi, congratulations, Where Can I get this support software ?
Very informative. Thank you for the video. At 26.00 what us that little computer if I may ask?
*EDIT* I hear a few seconds later you said Odroid and I found it. Very cool.
sounds like he says ODROID-H2+
any chance you can provide links for some of the gear you used?
Where can I purchase a 7I96 STEP/IO Step & dir plus I/O daughtercard ? Can't seem to find one.
Mesa electronics
please fix your audio, with headphones it sounds terrible your voice is in my left ear while white noise is in the other.
@@MrRodW the first clip was the worst one. Headphones make the white noise more apparent but that wasnt the real issue.