Rewrite

[multigcs]

I throw everything away =O <X

and start something new :)

ok, it's not that bad, I'm just doing a 'complete' rewrite of the build system.

The verilog code doesn't change much (a little naming)

The config-files will also only change minimally, but I already have an update script for that (plugin names and pin configuration).

Most of it is already working again, at the moment I'm working on the Hal component, which is now completely generated.

It was definitely necessary at some point, everything has grown so quickly and I've only ever tried to squeeze new functions into the existing structure,

it all gets messy very quickly.

• New plugins can be integrated more easily, the whole plugin structure and pin assignment becomes more standardised
• the Hal component is no longer based on the Remora sources but is completely newly generated and specialised for RIO
• the interface (between LinuxCNC and FPGA) will be leaner and offers more possibilities (not everything has to be 32bit)

I think I can release it next week and you can build running setups with it,

I have also created several test setups to test all plugins.

[multigcs]

first commit for the rewrite stuff:
https://github.com/multigcs/LinuxCNC-RIO/tree/rewrite

[multigcs]

• all plugin/pin configurations have been standardised
• debounce/invert/pullup/toggle can also be assigned to any pin
• try to support the setup-gui from the beginning
• simplified embedding of new plugins through a standardised structure
• generated hal-component
• flexible protocol (Host <-> FPGA)
• ...

[multigcs]

to convert old configs:

cp RIO_OLD/boards/TangNano9K.json rio/boards/
python3 rio/files/confert.py RIO_OLD/configs/Tangoboard/config.json > configs/Tangoboard/config-test.json

[multigcs]

!! early stage and very experimental !!

[kzali]

Great work Oliver!
Not that I am expert, but I am very excited about this.

[multigcs]

if you have wishes about what should be changed, now is the right time

[kzali]

Too much of a newbie here but maybe something like litexcnc toolchain installer or some clear instructions. My personal preference is a LAN connection as that does not restrict using specific PC hardware. Having said that, this was already there in the main branch. Also I am not very sure but some PMOD related info or module for expansion (Tangoboard has PMOD on it.) I have no idea why thats there!
Also in my opinion there should be a release system for the branches.

[multigcs]

Versioning / release system

i have split the sources into riocore and riogui,
add it to the pypi repository and now you can install it via pip:

pip3 install --upgrade riogui
rio-setup Altera10M08Eval/config-test.json

a tag is also set when I publish a new version on pypi
now we have versions in pypi and in git

Documentation

i'm often too lazy for documentaries, but i'll try to do better :)

PMOD / ChipKit (Slots -> Modules):

this are only abstractions and pinout-mappings for easier reuse of modules like a Arduino-CNC-Shield to other boards.

Sometimes it is difficult to assign the correct PIN of an FPGA to the pin of a connector.
Since PMOD is a standard connector (and present on many FPGA boards) and is numbered P1->P12, it is quite easy to assign a function to its pins.
Furthermore, it is also easier if someone has already defined a PMOD module, for example, so you only have to specify which module is connected to which connector and no longer the individual pins.
the same applies to arduino-compatible shields (ChipKit).

Expansions

if you have a small FPGA with a small number of pins, you can increase the number of inputs and outputs with an expansion-board (like shiftregisters)

so you can easily create a lot of pins from 4 pins (Clock/IN/OUT/Load) -> 8,16,32,...128,... :)

[multigcs]

https://github.com/multigcs/riogui/blob/main/FAQ.md

Need more input :)

@TurBoss
@ozzyrob
@jschoch
@festlv

???

[festlv]

I like the modules idea, I was actually thinking of having to do something similar one layer above. The only thing I can think of if the module->PMOD assignment will be flexible enough to cover not only standard PMOD connectors, but custom connectors/slots as well (i.e. for some applications PMOD pin count is not enough, was planning on 12-16 signals per slot).

Sadly I haven't really gotten further with my electronics testing, currently spending time on the frame of the machine :(

[multigcs]

https://packaging.python.org/en/latest/discussions/setup-py-deprecated/

Is setup.py deprecated?
No, setup.py and Setuptools are not deprecated.

[multigcs]

@festlv
you can freely define the connectors, so more pins are not a problem.
the problem i have with it at the moment is when i have 2 modules and only want to use half a pmod each.
or using one pmod-module that needs 2 connectors like this:
https://shop.trenz-electronic.de/de/28258-Pmod-VGA-Video-Graphics-Array?showb2c=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIn5q-uevwgwMVGotoCR0Tzg5gEAQYBCABEgJodvD_BwE

but you can also use the mapped names for normal plugin configurations like this:

"pin": "PMOD_A:PIN1"

[jschoch]

looks like lots of commits have landed. is riocore ready for testing yet?

[multigcs]

It is still at an early stage but is functional.
I would be happy if others could also test it, but there may still be major modifications and I am not suitable for productive use

[itain]

Hello,

1. rio.c/rio.h are using:
   #define PRU_ESTOP 0x65737470
   Is that at all relevant? How is an E-Stop button implemented?
   I think IT'S POSSIBLE use HAL to bind any binary input to this signal,
   but would it be safer to implement it at the FPGA level?
2. The docs for Tangoboard suggest to use oss-cad-suite 2023-07-20. Is there a
   more recent build that is tested OK (and that does not need patching).

[multigcs]

Hi,
1.
PRU_ESTOP is not used, but there is another mechanism to stop if the connection is broken
the rio.c is more or less a copy from the remora project with old unused parts
you can use any pin to add a button and wire it in the hal as estop

there was a problem on some systems with some FPGA's,
this version (with my patch) works on all systems i have.
BUT, i used the most recent version at the moment without any problems.