Machinekit on a Thinkpad X200 with Debian Jessie and Xenomai

This document describes the setup of Machinekit on a Thinkpad X200 running Debian/Jessie with a Xenomai real-time kernel. This setup is used to control a CNC machine with Beckhoff EtherCAT components.

Changelog

2016-04-19: Successfully tested MachinekitClient.
- Server: Machinekit, QtQuickVcp, Cetus, and mklauncher on Debian/Jessie x64 (Thinkpad X200).
- Client 1: MachinekitClient on Ubuntu 16.04 x64 (Thinkpad X220).
- Client 2: Machinekit App on Android 5.0 (Nexus 4).
- Config files for this setup are in the mklauncher branch: https://github.com/koppi/mk/commits/mklauncher
2015-05-30: Current version based on Debian/Jessie
2015-05-26: Older version based on Debian/Wheezy

System Overview

IBM Thinkpad X200: Running Debian Jessie / Linux 3.8.1 / Machinekit 0.1 / Xenomai 2.6.4
24VDC 50W Power Supply
Beckhoff EtherCAT Components
SSR-40 DA Solid State Relay Module: (Currently unused, replaced by an EL2622 terminal)
Power Supply for Kress Spindle / Vacuum Cleaner

24V Power Supply Input
Ethernet Cable: From Thinkpad to EK1100 (EtherCAT Coupler)
Output 1 (EL2004): To Solid State Relay Module
Input 1 (EL1004): From Emergency Stop Button
Input 2 (EL1004): From Touch Probe
24V Supply: From EL9184 distribution terminal to EL9100 bus terminal
24V Supply: For EL7041-1000 Stepper Motor Drivers
Stepper Motor Outputs

Small CNC Machine: Portal 210 x 230 x 70
Nema23 Stepper Motor: 57BYGH627 - Wantai
Kress 1050 FME-1 Spindle Motor
Emergency Stop Push Button
Touch Probe Input: For tool length sensor
Machine Vise: 60x65mm

Videos

Installation Guide

1. Thinkpad X200 BIOS Setup

First, reset the BIOS to factory settings.

Then, disable the "Legacy USB" support in the BIOS. This can help with real-time performance.

2. Debian Jessie Installation

Download the Debian Jessie 8.0.0 live ISO with non-free firmware.

# Primary URL
wget -c http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-including-firmware/8.0.0-live+nonfree/amd64/iso-hybrid/debian-live-8.0.0-amd64-gnome-desktop+nonfree.iso

# Archive URL if the primary fails
wget -c http://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/unofficial/non-free/cd-including-firmware/archive/8.0.0-live+nonfree/amd64/iso-hybrid/debian-live-8.0.0-amd64-gnome-desktop+nonfree.iso

Verify the checksum against the official MD5SUMS.

md5sum debian-live-8.0.0-amd64-gnome-desktop+nonfree.iso 
7a56cc2f78f8ea90d0c78fc462f95b95  debian-live-8.0.0-amd64-gnome-desktop+nonfree.iso

Write the ISO to a USB stick. Warning: This will erase all data on the target device (/dev/sdX).

sudo dd if=debian-live-8.0.0-amd64-gnome-desktop+nonfree.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress

Install Debian from the USB stick and reboot.

3. Post-Installation System Configuration

GDM3 Automatic Login

To enable automatic login for your user, edit the GDM3 configuration.

# Replace 'koppi' with your username
sudo sed -i "s|^#\?.*AutomaticLoginEnable.*|AutomaticLoginEnable = true|" /etc/gdm3/daemon.conf
sudo sed -i "s|^#\?.*AutomaticLogin .*=.*|AutomaticLogin = koppi\nTimedLoginEnable = true\nTimedLogin = koppi\nTimedLoginDelay = 0|" /etc/gdm3/daemon.conf

Gnome Desktop Tweaks

These settings optimize the Gnome desktop for a CNC controller environment.

gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background primary-color '#000000'
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.wm.preferences titlebar-font 'Cantarell Bold 8'
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-timeout 0
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.lockdown disable-lock-screen true
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.xrandr default-monitors-setup do-nothing
gsettings set org.gnome.SessionManager logout-prompt false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-blink false
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.peripherals.mouse middle-button-enabled true
gsettings set org.gnome.Terminal.Legacy.Settings confirm-close false
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface enable-animations false
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.cursor active false
sudo sed -i "/title_vertical_pad/s/value=\"[0-9]\\{1,2\\}\"/value=\"0\"/g" \
    /usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml

Disable Suspend on Lid Close

Edit the systemd logind configuration to ignore the lid switch.

sudo vi /etc/systemd/logind.conf

Change #HandleLidSwitch=suspend to:

HandleLidSwitch=ignore

Restart the service to apply the change.

sudo systemctl restart systemd-logind

WLAN Configuration

Set up a static IP for the wireless interface by editing /etc/network/interfaces.

auto wlan0
allow-hotplug wlan0
iface wlan0 inet static
  address 192.168.0.3
  netmask 255.255.255.0
  gateway 192.168.0.1
  wpa-ssid "YOUR_SSID"
  wpa-psk "YOUR_PASSWORD"

Bring the interface up.

sudo ifup wlan0
/sbin/ifconfig wlan0

Sudo without Password

Configure sudo to not require a password for your user group.

su -
# visudo

Change this line:

%sudo   ALL=(ALL:ALL) ALL

to:

%sudo   ALL=(ALL:ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL

Add your user to the sudo group.

# usermod -aG sudo koppi # replace 'koppi' with your user id

Log out and log back in for the group change to take effect.

SSHD Configuration

To speed up SSH logins, disable DNS lookups on the server.

sudo sh -c 'echo "UseDNS no" >> /etc/ssh/sshd_config'

To suppress the "last login" message, create a .hushlogin file in your home directory.

touch ~/.hushlogin

4. Machinekit Installation

Follow the instructions from the official Machinekit documentation.

Configure Package Manager

Add the Machinekit package repository key and source list.

sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv 43DDF224
sudo sh -c \
  "echo 'deb http://deb.machinekit.io/debian jessie main' > \
    /etc/apt/sources.list.d/machinekit.list"
sudo apt-get update

Install Machinekit Packages

Install the Xenomai kernel and the Machinekit packages.

sudo apt-get -y install linux-image-xenomai.x86-amd64 linux-headers-xenomai.x86-amd64
sudo apt-get -y install machinekit machinekit-xenomai machinekit-posix machinekit-dev

5. Linux / Xenomai Configuration

GRUB Configuration

Edit /etc/default/grub to add kernel parameters required for Xenomai.

# Find this line:
# GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet"

# And replace it with this:
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet xeno_nucleus.xenomai_gid=120 xeno_hal.smi=1 lapic=notscdeadline hpet=disable i915.i915_enable_rc6=0 i915.powersave=0 intel_idle.max_cstate=1 processor.max_cstate=1 isolcpus=1 idle=poll"

xeno_nucleus.xenomai_gid=120: Sets the group ID for Xenomai access. See Running a Xenomai application as a regular user.
The other parameters are for disabling power management features that can interfere with real-time performance.

Update the bootloader and reboot.

sudo update-grub
sudo reboot

During reboot, select the Xenomai kernel from the "Advanced Options" in the GRUB menu.

Verify Kernel and Remove Old Kernel

After rebooting, verify that the Xenomai kernel is running.

uname -a
Linux x200 3.8-1-xenomai.x86-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.8.13-12~1jessie~1da x86_64 GNU/Linux

Once confirmed, you can remove the standard Debian kernel.

sudo apt-get -y remove --purge linux-image-amd64 linux-headers-amd64 linux-image-3.16.*-amd64 linux-headers-3.16.*-common linux-headers-3.16.*-amd64 linux-kbuild-3.16

Check SMI Workaround

Check if the Xenomai SMI (System Management Interrupt) workaround is enabled.

dmesg | grep Xeno
[    0.632334] Xenomai: SMI-enabled chipset found
[    0.632346] Xenomai: SMI workaround enabled
...

Xenomai Latency Test

Run the latency test for at least 10 minutes (24 hours is recommended for production systems).

sudo sh -c 'echo 0 > /proc/xenomai/latency'
timeout 600 xeno latency

Note the worst-case latency (lat min from the output, which is actually the max latency). Create an init script to set this value on boot. Multiply the value by 1000 (ns).

sudo nano /etc/init.d/xenomai-latency

Paste the following content, replacing 825 with your measured latency value.

#!/bin/sh -e
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          xenomai-latency
# Required-Start:    xenomai
# Required-Stop:
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: Set /proc/xenomai/latency value
### END INIT INFO

FILENAME=/proc/xenomai/latency
# Replace with your measured max latency in nanoseconds (value * 1000)
LATENCY=8250

test -e $FILENAME || exit 0

case "$1" in
  start)
        echo "Setting Xenomai latency to $LATENCY"
        echo "$LATENCY" > $FILENAME
        ;;
  stop)
        ;;
  restart|force-reload)
        $0 start
        ;;
  *)
        echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|force-reload}"
        exit 1
        ;;
esac

exit 0

Make the script executable and enable it.

sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/xenomai-latency
sudo update-rc.d xenomai-latency defaults

6. Machinekit User Configuration

Add your user to the xenomai and kmem groups.

sudo usermod -aG xenomai,kmem koppi # replace 'koppi' with your user id

Log out and log back in. Then run the Machinekit latency test.

latency-test

7. EtherCAT Master Installation

We will use the ec-debianize tool to build a Debian package for the IgH EtherCAT Master.

sudo apt-get -y install git debhelper gettext autoconf automake libtool dpatch libxenomai-dev
git clone https://github.com/sittner/ec-debianize
cd ec-debianize
./debian/configure -r xenomai # Specify xenomai build
dpkg-checkbuilddeps
dpkg-buildpackage -b -uc
cd ..
sudo dpkg -i etherlabmaster_*.deb
sudo cp ec-debianize/debian/etherlabmaster/etc/init.d/ethercat /etc/init.d/ethercat

In /etc/init.d/ethercat, you may need to change the config file path from /etc/sysconfig/ethercat to /etc/default/ethercat.

Enable the service:

sudo update-rc.d ethercat defaults

Configure the master to use your Ethernet interface (eth0). Edit /etc/default/ethercat:

# Find your device with 'ifconfig' or 'ip a'
MASTER0_DEVICE="eth0"
# The driver for the NIC, e.g., e1000e for Intel gigabit
DEVICE_MODULES="e1000e"

Install NTP for time synchronization.

sudo apt-get -y install ntp

Add your user to the ethercat group.

sudo usermod -aG ethercat koppi # replace 'koppi' with your user id

Log out, log back in, and test the EtherCAT master.

sudo /etc/init.d/ethercat start
ethercat slaves
0  0:0  PREOP  +  EK1100 EtherCAT-Koppler (2A E-Bus)
1  0:1  PREOP  +  EL2004 4K. Dig. Ausgang 24V, 0.5A
2  0:2  PREOP  +  EL2004 4K. Dig. Ausgang 24V, 0.5A
3  0:3  PREOP  +  EL1004 4K. Dig. Eingang 24V, 3ms
4  0:4  PREOP  +  EL7041-1000 1K. Schrittmotor-Endstufe (50V, 5A, standard)
5  0:5  PREOP  +  EL7041-1000 1K. Schrittmotor-Endstufe (50V, 5A, standard)
6  0:6  PREOP  +  EL7041-1000 1Ch. Stepper motor output stage (50V, 5A, standard)
7  0:7  PREOP  +  EL2622 2K. Relais Ausgang, Schlie\u00df"er (230V AC / 30V DC)

8. LinuxCNC / EtherCAT HAL Module

Install the lcec HAL driver for Machinekit.

sudo apt-get -y install machinekit-dev
git clone https://github.com/sittner/linuxcnc-ethercat
cd linuxcnc-ethercat
dpkg-checkbuilddeps
dpkg-buildpackage -b -uc
cd ..
sudo dpkg -i linuxcnc-ethercat*.deb

9. Machinekit Configuration

Clone the configuration repository and link it.

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/koppi/mk
ln -s ~/mk/linuxcnc ~/linuxcnc
ln -s ~/mk/linuxcnc ~/machinekit

Start AXIS UI

linuxcnc ~/linuxcnc/configs/koppi-cnc/koppi-cnc.ini

Desktop Shortcut

ln -s ~/linuxcnc/configs/koppi-cnc/koppi-cnc.desktop ~/Desktop/koppi-cnc.desktop

10. Advanced Configuration & Tools

Z-Axis Compensation Calibration

This setup uses a component to compensate for non-flat surfaces.

Mount a touch probe.
In the AXIS UI, under the MDI tab, run the scan_surface O-code to probe the work area.
```
o<scan_surface> call [0][0][220][220][10][100][10][1.5][-3]
```

Activate the new measurements and create a plot.

cd ~/linuxcnc/configs/koppi-cnc/
cp engrcomp.txt koppi-cnc-engraving-comp.txt
sudo apt-get -y install gnuplot-x11
./koppi-cnc-engraving-comp-plot.sh

`koppi-cnc-info.sh`

This script displays real-time parameters from the stepper motor terminals.

watch -n 0.1 ~/linuxcnc/configs/koppi-cnc/koppi-cnc-info.sh

HAL Graph Visualization

Generate a graph of the HAL connections.

sudo apt-get -y install python-pydot graphviz
~/linuxcnc/configs/koppi-cnc/hal-graph.py

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Machinekit on a Thinkpad X200 with Debian Jessie and Xenomai

Changelog

System Overview

Videos

Installation Guide

1. Thinkpad X200 BIOS Setup

2. Debian Jessie Installation

3. Post-Installation System Configuration

GDM3 Automatic Login

Gnome Desktop Tweaks

Disable Suspend on Lid Close

WLAN Configuration

Sudo without Password

SSHD Configuration

4. Machinekit Installation

Configure Package Manager

Install Machinekit Packages

5. Linux / Xenomai Configuration

GRUB Configuration

Verify Kernel and Remove Old Kernel

Check SMI Workaround

Xenomai Latency Test

6. Machinekit User Configuration

7. EtherCAT Master Installation

8. LinuxCNC / EtherCAT HAL Module

9. Machinekit Configuration

Start AXIS UI

Desktop Shortcut

10. Advanced Configuration & Tools

Z-Axis Compensation Calibration

`koppi-cnc-info.sh`

HAL Graph Visualization

Links

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Machinekit on a Thinkpad X200 with Debian Jessie and Xenomai

Changelog

System Overview

Videos

Installation Guide

1. Thinkpad X200 BIOS Setup

2. Debian Jessie Installation

3. Post-Installation System Configuration

GDM3 Automatic Login

Gnome Desktop Tweaks

Disable Suspend on Lid Close

WLAN Configuration

Sudo without Password

SSHD Configuration

4. Machinekit Installation

Configure Package Manager

Install Machinekit Packages

5. Linux / Xenomai Configuration

GRUB Configuration

Verify Kernel and Remove Old Kernel

Check SMI Workaround

Xenomai Latency Test

6. Machinekit User Configuration

7. EtherCAT Master Installation

8. LinuxCNC / EtherCAT HAL Module

9. Machinekit Configuration

Start AXIS UI

Desktop Shortcut

10. Advanced Configuration & Tools

Z-Axis Compensation Calibration

koppi-cnc-info.sh

HAL Graph Visualization

Links

`koppi-cnc-info.sh`