This section assumes you have done a standard install from the Live CD. After installation it is recommended that you connect the computer to the Internet and wait for the update manager to pop up and get the latest updates for EMC and Ubuntu before continuing. For more complex installations see the Integrators Manual.
1. Latency Test
The Latency Test determines how late your computer processor is in responding to a request. Some hardware can interrupt the processing which could cause missed steps when running a CNC machine. This is the first thing you need to do. Follow the instructions in section ( [sub:Latency-Test]) to run the latency test.
2. Sherline
If you have a Sherline several predefined configurations are provided. This is on the main menu CNC/EMC then pick the Sherline configuration that matches yours and save a copy.
3. Xylotex
If you have a Xylotex you can skip the following sections and go straight to the Stepper Config Wizard in Section ( [cha:Stepconf-Wizard]). EMC has provided quick setup for the Xylotex machines.
4. Machine Information
Gather the information about each axis of your machine.
Drive timing is in nano seconds. If you’re unsure about the timing many popular drives are included in the stepper configuration wizard. Note some newer Gecko drives have different timing than the original one. A list is also on the user maintained EMC wiki site of more drives at http://wiki.linuxcnc.org.
| Axis | Drive Type | Step Time ns | Step Space ns | Direction Hold ns | Direction Setup ns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
X |
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Y |
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Z |
5. Pinout Information
Gather the information about the connections from your machine to the PC parallel port.
| Output Pin | Typical Function | If Different | Input Pin | Typical Function | If Different |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
E-Stop Out |
10 |
Both Limit & Home X |
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2 |
X Step |
11 |
Both Limit & Home Y |
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3 |
X Direction |
12 |
Both Limit & Home Z |
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4 |
Y Step |
13 |
Both Limit & Home A |
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5 |
Y Direction |
15 |
Probe In |
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6 |
Z Step |
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7 |
Z Direction |
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8 |
A Step |
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9 |
A Direction |
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14 |
Spindle CW |
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16 |
Spindle PWM |
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17 |
Amplifier Enable |
Note any pins not used should be set to Unused in the drop down box. These can always be changed later by running Stepconf again.
6. Mechanical Information
Gather information on steps and gearing. The result of this is steps per user unit which is used for SCALE in the .ini file.
| Axis | Steps/Revolution | Micro steps | Motor Teeth | Leadscrew Teeth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Leadscrew Pitch |
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Steps per revolution is how many steps it takes to turn the stepper one revolution.
Micro steps is how many steps the drive needs to move the stepper one step.
Motor & Leadscrew Teeth is if you have some reduction between the motor and the leadscrew. If not set these to 1.
Leadscrew pitch is how many turns it takes to move your table one user unit. If you’re setting up in inches then it is turns per inch. If you’re setting up in millimeters then how many millimeters per turn.
7. Configuration Wizard
Run the Stepconf Wizard in chapter ( [cha:Stepconf-Wizard])
8. Modifying
To change something in the basic configuration created by Stepconf Wizard run the wizard again. Select Modify a configuration… Then pick the configuration file .stepconf you wish to modify in the emc2/configs folder. The file headers tell you if the file can be manually edited or not.