Mesa setup page: Configuration Tab: Allows you to choose the firmware, number of components / number of gpio, frequency of pwm / pdm and the watchdog timeout. The base frequency should be set as per the Mesa daughter board you are using. Different boards require PDM vrs PWM which is set on the connector tabs. pick the firmware you wish to use and you will see the component numbers change default is to have all the available components active. by choosing less of each component frees up gpio press 'accept component changes' to have the connector tabs reflect the changes Any signalnames you had already pick will be lost unless the component is the same as before the change. Depending on the board chosen, the connector tabs will disapear if not available. Sanity checks are available for some boards - these just remind you to check some settings that are specific for the choosen board. The help page output tab will show the firmware PIN file, which shows the default components, their channel number and their Component number. The component number is useful for changing some options such as stepper output pins to open drain. For instance: in firmware SVST8_4 to change stepper channel 0 to open drain outputs, find out their component numbers. step IO number = 48 direction number = 49 In your custom HAL file add the commands: setp hm2_5i20.0.gpio.048.is_opendrain true setp hm2_5i20.0.gpio.049.is_opendrain true note that this says GPIO but the component number corresponds to the stepper ouputs. See the manual for more options. If you are using the 5i25 card with 2x7i77 or 2x7i76 firmware but are only using one daughter board, deselecting half the components (including half the sserial channels) will free up the extra 5i25 connector for GPIO, if desired. Connector Tabs: The available tabs are selected based on the mesa card type. The available component types are based on the firmware / component number selected on the setup page. The tabs will display the signal names and the component types. There are different pintypes depending on the components available in the selected firmware: GPIO - general purpose input / output This is for general digital control. If selecting mainboard GPIO, you can select the type in the pintype combobox This includes GPIOI - input, GPIOO - output, and GPIOD - open drain output The available signals will change if you switch between GPIOI and GPIOO/GPIOD. Sserial daugher boards GPIO type is not selectable. In general, mainboard GPIO is updated faster then sserial GPIO. ENCODER - a hardware base quadrature counter You select the A phase signal and the rest of the phases (B, I, and possibly M) are automatically included. If using a single input or single input and index for the spindle encoder, the encoder must be put in 'counter-mode'. This must be manually added in a custom HAL file. For example (changing the board name and encoder number to your requirements): setp hm2_7i43.0.encoder.00.counter-mode 1 HAL file. See the Hostmot2 section on encoders for more info about counter mode. MUX ENCODER - a hardware base quadrature counter You select the A phase signal and the rest of the phases (B, I, and possibly M) are automatically included Mux encoders allows two encoders per set of pins by using a select pin to choose a second set of encoders. This component is used with firmware that requires a special daughter board from Mesa. Remember when connecting encoders you must use the pinout for the daugher board. RESOLVER - a resolver encoder counter used with MESA 7i49 daughter board with special firmware Some servos have resolvers rather then quadrature encoders PWMGEN - a hardware base pulse width (or density) modulation generator You can select: PWM -pulse width modulation using pulse and direction output pins PWD -pulse density modulation UDM -pulse width modulation using up and dowm output pins you select the PULSE signal and the direction and enable signals are automatically setup. Please see the Mesa daughter board documentaion for the most up-to-date recommendations for frequency and type. Here are the common ones: The 7i33 daughter board requires PDM @ 6 MHz. The 7i78 daughter board (for the 5i25) requires PDM @ 5 Mhz. The 7i29,7i30,7i40 require PWM @ 20 KHz the 7i48 and 7i49 require UDM @ 24 KHz 3 PWMGEN - special pwm generators used for driving brushless servo motors 3 windings directly. This is not fully supported yet so the HAl file will need commands added to it to finish the config. STEPGEN - a hardware based step and direction generator only step and direction stepgens are supported You select the STEP signal and the direction and enable signals are automatically setup If you wish to have a slave stepper for a tandem axis select a master axis and a tandem axis. The tandem axis will be connected to the master axis command signal and will be set at all the same settings as the master axis stepper, so the stepper/driver should match. There is no facility to align these steppers while homing, the slave simpily follows the master's command. POTENTIOMETER - A digital potentiometer used primaraly to control a spindle found with sserial card combo 5i25/7i76 SSERIAL - smartserial daughter boards comunication stream. allows connection to many daughter boards. Currently PNCconf recognizes: 7i64 I/O board 7i69 I/O board 7i70 I/O board 7i71 I/O board 7i76 I/O board works only with the 5i25 main board 7i77 I/O board works only with the 5i25 main board 7i78 breakout board works only with the 5i25 main board 8i20 amplifier ( untested ) Linuxcnc supports 4 ports of 8 channels each of sserial PNCconf only configures 5 channels of port 0 (so max 5 sserial boards - note that some 5i25 daugther boards use some of the sserial channels internally.) Note that some daughter boards use multiple sserial channels. You could change these options in a custom HAL file If you wish to connect a component to something in a custom HAL file write a unique signal name in the combo entry box. Certain components will add endings to your custom signal name. Encoder will add < customname > +: -position -count -velocity -index-enable -reset Steppers add: -enable -counts -position-cmd -position-fb -velocity-fb PWM add: -enable -value Signal selection: By selecting signals you are configuring the input and output of the mesa boards and selecting how pncconf displays options in the upcoming pages. PNCconf can configure servo motors, open loop steppers and closed loop steppers. PNCconf does a sanity check when you push the next button. It checks for some obvious problems such as: if you select a PWM signal for an axis PNCconf assumes you are using a servo motor (except for the spindle)- then you need to select an encoder signal too. If you select an encoder you must select an PWM or a stepper signal as well (except for a spindle) A dialog will pop up letting you know of these detected errors. PNCconf will not catch the error of setting two components the same (If fact for GPIOO outputs this is fine anyways) For testing purposes if you require an output true, for instance to force a relay to close to allow the amplifier to be powered, select the 'force-pin-true' output signal. The openloop and tuning tests will then set the output true for the length of the test.