Galil controller compatability (what works with the plugin)

[smurph]

I wrote this in another thread, but here it is in a quickly accessible place...

Any current Accelera controllers will work.  Stick with the version 7 Galil drivers though.

Any bus based or ethernet Optima controllers will work.  This includes the DMC1700, DMC1800, DMC2100, and DMC2200.  In theory, the DMC2000 (USB) may work as well.  I just don't know if there would be any issues with USB.  But it has all of the other necessary things to work.  Use the version 7 Galil drivers that come with SmartTerm for these controllers.  Older drivers will cause you big time headaches.

The DMC-18x2 econo controllers will also work.  But they don't support binary commands and this will slow things down a bit.  It takes about 350 microseconds for a Galil controller to process an ASCII command.  This time is saved if the controller can accept binary commands.  The Galil plug-in takes advantage of binary commands if the controller is capable.

The DMC-21x3 are like the DMC-18x2 controllers.  They might not work with the Galil plug-in because of the way they handle Data Records.  Big question mark here.
EDIT:  The DMC-21x3 controller will work fine as long as they don't have the 31x3 distributed mode firmware loaded.  If you have a 31x3, simply install the latest and greatest 21x3 firmware and you are good to go.  Also these controllers, while labeled "Econo", will accept binary commands.

There is also an older version of the DMC-21x3 called the DMC-21x2.  The difference is that the x2 controllers use the 100 pin SCSI connector instead of DB base interconnect modules for the x3 models.  So you will have to have ICM-2900s for the DMC-21x2 controllers.

The DMC-3415 and DMC-3425 controllers will not work.  These are 1 or 2 axis ethernet controllers that can be "chained" together to make a distributed controller that has as many as 8 axes.  But the way they do this is through a modified Data Record which is not compatible with the Data Record that the Galil plug-in will want to see. The Data Record is what Mach looks at (via the plug-in) to see if the state of I/O pins and DRO.

DMC-1415 and DMC-1425 controllers will work.  But they are 2 and 1 axis, respectively.

A DMC-3425 can be updated with DMC-1425 firmware and it will work.  But you are stuck with a 2 axis machine.  Same with the 3415 except you will have a 1 axis machine.

The DMC1000 ISA controllers will NOT work.  This is because these controllers do not have a Data Record at all.  They also do not support binary commands.  The Galil plug-in could be modified to support these controllers, but they would most likely be in the SLOW department.  Don't waste your time or money on these controllers for Mach use.

None of the VME based controllers will work.  e.g. the DMC-1300, DMC-300, or DMC-13x8 controllers.  The DMC-300 is ancient and should be discarded immediately.  The DMC-1300 suffers the same "no data record" as the DMC-1000's do.  The DMC-13x8 is an Optima controller, but the Galil windows drivers have no support for these cards at all.  Plus, unless you have a very industrial PC, you will not even have a VME bus, much less a VME bus driver.  I did, however, make a DMC-1348 controller work.  It's just that it's not feasible unless you have a bunch of VME hardware lying around.

None of the DMC-700 series or DMC-1500 series controllers will work.  They are serial communication controllers and they also don't have Data Records.  They would be good for making tool changers though.  Perhaps driven by I/O logic.

Also be aware that many of the Galil controllers that are floating around are special controllers made for an OEM.  Galil provides no support for these controllers.  Most of the time, a firmware update is all that is required to get the controller to work like a normal Galil controller.  But if there is special hardware mods, you will loose.

Steve

[smurph]

The DMC20x0 USB Optima controllers have been tested now and they work fine.

And a word on the Galil Tools drivers... 

Galil Tools and the drivers provided therein do not work with the Mach Galil Plugin.  However, Galil Tools and Smart Term v7 drivers can coexist on the same machine and run Ethernet based controllers.  Since the means of communicating with the Ethernet controllers is the same, both packages will function.  The Galil Tools package installs a different driver for the bus based PCI controllers, along with a different API.  So if you are running a PCI controller, don't install the Galil Tools along with the Smart Term v7 stuff. 

Steve

[lynnsaunders]

The USB versions of the Galil controllers seem to work with the plugin. I have  DMC1540 that uses RS232 for communication. What are the chances this will work when connected using a USB to COM port converter? Or will the plugin talk directly to a com port?

[kcrouch]

I'm afraid that the serial communications are way too slow for smooth operation. There is a post elsewhere on this forum from someone trying to run a 1425 using serial and ending up with poor performance. That all smoothed out when the ethernet was used, which confirms the problem with serial speed. Sorry, but you'll need another controller with faster communication method.
Kenny

[the-depot]

I have a 1842 galil board.  you mentioned a slight delay in processing the ASCII will this be very noticeable in the operation of the control.  The version 7 driver? I see several choices on the Galil website can you give me some guidance as to which one will be best for this board.  Sorry for the basic questions but I am just getting started with the galil conversion.   Thank you for your time. 

Jim

[smurph]

Jim,

You will never notice the ASCII processing.  As it turns out, it's not an issue at all.  You want SmartTERM.  It comes with the Version 7 drivers.  Don't use GalilTools-lite. 

Steve

[the-depot]

Steve

Thank you for your help,  one more Question about firmware for the board.  This board was purchased in 2001 and never used.  Should I update the firmware to the latest version?

Jim

[kcrouch]

Jim,
You should always use the latest Galil firmware for your board. There are corrections and added features that are there for your use at no cost to you.
Kenny

[the-depot]

Kenny

Thank you for your help

Jim

[the-depot]

I have another question.  While reading the manual that came with the 1842 card it said it does accept binary commands.  (Chapter 4 page 41)  Is this a miss print?  or is it true.

Thanks again!