Excitron Stepper Motor Controller Manual
Contents
1. Use for external monitoring of position and speed real time Character overrun occurs at higher Vsps so use wisely Q Quit and return to Motion Profile or CNC menu Simple Serial Bus connects multiple X Controllers with one host PC serial port or no external computer at all The simple protocol is STX address byte data bytes ETX STX is ctrl B and ETX is ctrl C A slave responds to commands only if a STX and matching address is received You wire the host s transmit to the Receive of one X Controller its Transmit to the Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 next X Controller Receive and so on and the last X Controller Transmit is wired to the Receive of the host See the Excitron_ExROS_65_Diagram pdf Setting Motion Parameters All motor parameters required for sophisticated motion control of your motor are described here in alphabetical order You type only the characters shown in bold The X Controller displays the equals sign the existing value from 1 to 7 numbers colon and a space most commands A 0 n Acceleration 1 2 or 3 is allowed 3 is fastest C Clockwise motor direction as viewed from the motor face N 0012000 nnnnnnn Number of steps R 00000 nnnnn Repeat quantity from 00000 to 65534 t 00800 nnnnn time delay either before or after the motor motion Input or then 5 numbers representing milliseconds e g t 00500 defines a 500 millisecond time delay afte2. P or v commands and are described below Note that this display also shows the quantity of input numbers for each parameter The following table describes each of the column headings and defines the minimum maximum or allowable values for the parameters Heading Cmd Description these values apply to the motion profile and are all saved when power is off with the U command P P Profile number 01 to 30 D C or W direction of rotation C clockwise or W counter clockwise G G g or S Go run this motion G single g reciprocal S continuous A A Acceleration 1 low 2 medium 3 high acceleration accel slightly decreases as speed increases Brk Brake 000 to 100 use care with braking values 100 is full on Number Number of steps 0000000 to 9999999 for larger values use S command for continuous stepping Repeat Repeat quantity 0 to 65535 While running the remaining number is output Vsps Velocity maximum steps per second 00256 to 18 000 max depends on motor size msec time delay in milliseconds before or after the motion profile 00000 to 65535 pin Input pin to control this motion O means to ignore any pin and pin Mode in this Profile Mode enter a mode number 00 31 not validated so enter only valid values B N R V Trq T Torque percent of full rating 005 to 150 use with care increasing T increases the amperage t p M K K Analog input value O to 255 for pin modes and for I Profile Modes analog
3. SM60 86 What s New New CNC gcode Mode ability to read gcode files store view and execute for easy automation for robots and CNC machines Enhanced Master Slave features one master Excitron X Controller sends serial commands to other Excitron X Controllers via our Simple Serial Bus This saves you time space money and complexity by eliminating external PCs PLCs and other expensive CNC controllers See CNC Gcode section Electronic damping on last step for 2 seconds then Braking is automatically applied if enabled Command H allows automatically running Profiles 02 05 at power up and optional auto repeat Feel free to contact us at info excitron com Reduction of Hazardous Substances RoHS Statement of Compliance Excitron is a product manufacturer and does not melt or produce any of the raw materials sold to our customers Excitron only purchases ROHS parts does not add or expose these materials to any of the hazardous substances lead mercury cadmium hexavalent chromium polybrominated biphenyls polybrominated diphenyl ether listed within the EU RoHS Directive except we use tin lead solder As cited in statements from our vendors the materials sold by Excitron do not exceed allowed levels of these substances because they are exempt and therefore the materials are compliant with the EU RoHS directive 1 of 9 www excitron com Excitron X Controller User Manual Key Features This document applies
4. compare mode Remember to type for built in command help Options USB TTL and RS232 TTL external adapters for USB serial communications Switch Assembly for remote control External Joystick for remote control Firmware modifications to reduce or eliminate your external electronics such as PLCs or computers Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com www excitron com 8 of 9 Excitron X Controller User Manual v5 06 Examples of using I Input Profile Modes with pin Modes You can achieve remarkable and interesting motion by combining I Profile Modes with a pin modes The following example is how we setup the Motion Profiles for use with our Switch Assembly It explains the simple setup and to offer further help about the differences between I Input Profile Modes and Input pin amp Modes Please read those sections Extra line spacing is shown here for clarity The following view is from an X86 118 by sending the I and v commands then copy pasted here X gt I Excitron ExROS v5 06 X86 118 400 0000000 16 C 24v P D GA Brk Number Repeat Vsps Trq msec pin Mode K 01 C G 0 000 0004800 00000 03200 055 00300 0 00 200 gt V P D G A Brk Number Repeat Vsps Trq msec pin Mode K 01 C G 0 000 0000400 00000 03200 055 00300 0 00 100 CNC Master amp Driver Mode values 02 C G 0 000 0000400 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 Home values 03 C G 0 000 0001600 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 Home valu
5. have Schmidt triggers for noise immunity 200 ohm resistors and 100kV static protection You read your X Controller pin values and the Input Profile Modes with the J command In2 In3 In5 In6 1 1 1 1 Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 The In is the Input connector pin number only X86 and X110 have In5 and In6 Each input pin is normally high 3 3v and can be connected to switches optical mechanical etc or to monitor signals from other electronic devices The correct connection is for one terminal of the switch control connected to ground and the other terminal connected to the input pin Input In2 is digital or analog 12 bit resolution depending on the pin Modes and the other pins are digital only and have an 24K 5 pull up resistor to 3 3 volts The J display is the digital representation of the 8 bit analog value with a full range from 000 Zero to 255 3 3V If used for digital switch inputs then any value near 000 is a digital low while any value close to 180 is a high Use a 25K ohm potentiometer You specify the pin number the little p p 3 is the connector pin number M 12 is the Mode you wish to assign to your chosen pin number ranging from 00 to 31 A pin value of 0 will ignore any pin and its mode in that Motion Profile Valid Pin Modes are 00 wait until pin is low then step 01 wait until pin is high then step 09 at power up count pin CTR
6. is CNC ready and runs with almost any CNC PC or PLC program and 3 3 volt logic An enable signal is not needed because the X Controller will automatically stop when the STEP pulses cease The X Controller serial port can be used for stepping especially in CNC mode Do not wire 5v or higher directly to the input pins In Driver Mode internal Torque amperage temperature Full half step and Brake values are maintained automatically by the X Controller using the current Motion Profile Use caution if you change Profiles Switches and Input Profile activations give you easy jogging or other semi automatic positioning Since Driver Mode uses two input pins for step direction the corresponding Input Profile Modes are disabled The improved Driver Mode step dir automatically processes active high or low pulses and with no time restrictions Since it is possible to run the motor using an input pin or TTL serial characters do not send CNC step pulses while the motor is already stepping and vice versa or they will be lost Help Hints and Tips Displays the simple command help The Excitron motors and X Controllers definitely have the torque range specified and generally torque decreases as speed increases Small burrs chips non flatness or dents on your moving parts can result in the motor stalling The faster you step the worse the effect of the small burr Also be aware that even small machine screws can exert a thousand pound
7. motion A computer running Hyperterminal RealTerm or an equivalent serial port communications program is required The serial port operates with 8 bits no parity 1 stop bit and 115 200 baud Select the correct Port Protocol is none no hardware handshaking and just ASCII alphanumerics The X Controller will echo all characters received on the USB TTL port therefore turn off Echo in your communication program Once setup in various mode the serial port is no longer needed Each X Controller has an assignable Axis address A B C D E X Y Z the default address is X Changing X Controller Configuration The little c command accesses commands for changing the X Controller operation and features Prompt is you must type a to continue c submenu Commands are A X Axis address ABCDEXYZ for CNC Gcode D Driver mode see Driver Mode section for details future e 0 echo CNC serial port set 1 only if standalone motor F 002 First steps at low speed at the beginning of the Profile H 0 0 Home disable at power up 1 runs at reset power H 0 0 Home disable at power up 1 runs at reset power M 1 Master if 1 slave if 0 Master always sends responses slaves only send response if up caret command is issued once after power up Underscore _ command turns off slave responses O 1 view each motor step pulses while the motor is stepping 0 off 1 on If on each motor step CW is an CCW is an
8. steps second and cannot be the 1 line in the file Line numbers and comments are ignored spaces are allowed Example of an input file Z 2000 F1200 sent to all 8 axis X40000 F2100 Y 02000 feed rate sent only to Y Axis Z2000 M30 end of program this is mandatory MO6 is a general pause or tool change restart after Excitron uses this Gcode to machine our own parts One X86 motor can store every part we make and many more A Simple Serial Bus TTL cable is required Keep the cable length short between motors 5 feet maximum Position step counter Details The X Controller maintains and validates Position step counter at each motor step up to 9999999 steps The Shaft value is also constantly updated real time stored in volatile memory but is only a calculated value not measured Commands for Position are XxX Position value can be set 7 digits x send Position and Shaft values Any motion may be harmful to people or your mechanism so use Care in all situations www excitron com 7 of 9 Excitron X Controller User Manual v5 06 Motion Profile and Command Details The I command provides important information Excitron ExROS v5 06 X86 118 400 0000000 16 C 24v version controller motor halfsteps rev cycle count temp volts P D GA Brk Number Repeat Vsps Trq msec pin Mode K 01 C g 2 000 0004800 00000 03600 055 00300 0 12 180 current profile values The last two lines are displayed after I
9. to all Excitron X Controllers See the individual motor X Controller data sheets for additional details and connector pins The X Controller performs all calculations and intelligence to automatically step the motor It also contains powerful motor drivers No additional electronic device is needed to control and drive a stepper motor You have the freedom to enter simple motion parameters to create ingenious stepper motor motion profiles Serial communications and control use ASCII alphanumeric characters thus no programming is required all you need is a basic serial interface program like Hyperterminal Your biggest goal is stepping your motor from point A to point B quickly and accurately An Excitron X Controller allows you to attain this goal with truly simple commands for friendly use yet versatile and powerful enough to control a sophisticated robotic automatic assembly machine You can quickly change motion parameters to achieve your goal You may opt for higher torque and faster movement after finding that the temperature rise is satisfactory Or you may desire to reduce mechanical noise by varying the acceleration SPS or torque Most step motor documents state that bipolar motors produce more torque than unipolar motors that is not true with our motors and X Controllers Our proprietary circuitry was first developed and patented in 1976 Improvements continue steadily to maximize motor and X Controller efficiency which max
10. using Profile 01 repeat value 12 step until pin goes high then stop smoothly 13 step until pin goes low then stop smoothly 14 step until analog pin In2 gt ADC value then stop smoothly 15 step until analog pin In2 lt ADC value then stop smoothly An output pin is a custom Excitron firmware request 28 output pin is high at start low after motion profile 29 output pin is low at start high after motion profile Driver and Input Profile Modes restrict In2 and In3 as general input For repeat and or reciprocal motions an input triggers only 1 motion not multiple motions I Input Profile Mode The I command enables the input pins to randomly run a set of 3 motion profiles This gives you great standalone operation and can be used in all other modes X86 amp X110 motors have 4 input pins and all others have 2 For example 4 push buttons can select any of 4 positions for 01 10 50 and 1 00 inches of travel The I values are set independently of each other and these are the allowable values I 06 runs Profiles 06 07 amp 08 In2 analog only I 09 runs Profiles 09 10 amp 11 In3 I 12 runs Profiles 12 13 amp 14 In5 I 15 runs Profiles 15 16 amp 17 In6 When you type I the Controller sends 2 or 4 current values and waits for you to type enable or disable followed by one of the valid numbers and your new value is auto saved The analog I Profile Mode for In2 will trigger
11. 800 00000 01200 055 00300 0 00 100 Joystick 3 225 runs Profiles 24 25 26 25 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 26 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 27 W G 0 000 0000800 00000 01200 055 00300 0 00 100 Joystick 4 315 runs Profiles 27 28 29 28 W G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 Once the motor is running this Joystick switch 29 W G O 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 changes to slowing down the motor 30 W G O 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 Joystick Center runs Profile 30 The far right column shows the special Motion Profile functions Notice Profile 09 has the same input pin In3 and has Mode 12 which is run until this pin goes high and this is used to stop motion Why does this work First a switch is wired to In3 Flipping the In3 switch low ON triggers running the 3 motion profiles then when you flip the switch to high OFF the motor gracefully stops because of pin 3 mode 12 Same pin but two different functions If you want to run a fixed distance then make N your step quantity and pin Mode 0 00 then when you flip the switch up and down the motor runs the number of steps you specified See Excitron_SW1 2D pdf for valuable details Errata and notes 07 02 15 v5 06 5 03 5 05 are almost identical to 5 06 Fixed Gcode erase command 10 11 14 Corrected pg 8 and 9 values 12 09 14 v5 02 corrected many manual details CNC mode read w
12. Excitron X Controller User Manual Introduction and Quick Setup Excitron s X Controllers are fully integrated with our stepper motors to make your motion control simple and easy We pack years of design and plenty of power into ultra small new Controllers loaded with innovative features They contain all the electronics and power for thousands of motorized applications and they run right out of the box by simply typing a G or pushing the Joystick This manual is for X Controllers and all motors Most details are the same as for our recent Au controller Most commands are now capital letters See Excitron_X_Features pdf for more details You can run standalone and or send single letter serial commands Serial port communication uses standard 3 3v TTL logic to any computer and PLC Our USB TTL and RS232 TTL serial port adapters are available Various motor size power and control functions give you the best selection for your project Our X Controller motor configuration and part number system is simple X57 76M is the number for X Controller assembled with our SM57 76M stepper motor 57 is the width in mm 76 is the length in mm Stepper motors rotate one small step at a time and are the best choice because both position and speed can be precisely controlled unlike any other type of motor Our motors can run continuously for 30 years Our experts are happy to assist you in selecting the best X Controller stepper motor a
13. Profiles 06 07 amp 08 when the analog pin value is lower than the K ADC value you specify in Profile 06 Example I 06 and K value 190 Profiles 06 07 amp 08 run when the analog value on In2 pin is lower than 190 2 5 volts Input pins are active low Once triggered the 3 profiles run to completion even if the input pin is raised high so use caution To run only 1 profile when the input goes low set the remaining 2 profiles with N 0000000 and 5 of 9 www excitron com Excitron X Controller User Manual t 00000 so that they are ignored You may also use an input pin and mode inside the Motion Profile Driver Mode disables the corresponding Input Profile Modes Sending 3 s in a row clears I to 00 and Home 0 See page 10 for more details Motion Profiles The X Controller stores all motor stepping parameters in each of the Motion Profiles You can view and edit these profiles individually The motion profiles are stored in EE memory and thus retain their values when power is off The major purpose of motion profiles is to allow a standard programmed X Controller to operate as a standalone unit not needing a PC or external X Controller Once set up only a power supply is needed With the H command the Controller runs Profiles 02 through 05 and automatically repeats if c menu R 1 enabled You can easily modify existing motion profiles to fit your own application by entering values for Acceleration Vsps e
14. ampen the motor shaft for ultimate step response You may immediately start another run during this damping This feature is especially useful for vertical drives Braking When the motor is not stepping motor current amps may be applied to create a braking holding torque WARNING high temperatures may occur rapidly with high brake values over Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 110 Values from 040 to 060 produce little braking and values between 080 and 100 are typical Always increase braking values slowly and check heat If you do not need braking torque specify zero braking current by typing B 000 nnn Braking holding current limiting parameter Range of values is 000 and 010 to 100 Power saved by minimizing braking results in greater torque available for motor stepping Higher current results in higher temperatures B 000 also reduces the X Controller power consumption Any reset makes B 000 for Profile 01 only during Command mode the saved B value is unchanged for all other modes P 01 or v restores your B value be careful Home Command You can enable the X Controller to auto home at start up by setting H under the little c menu to 1 c gt H 0 1 0 disable 1 enable When enabled Motion Profiles 02 05 are run to completion even if you don t have a sensor in your system You have complete control of the values in these 4 profiles including which direction to rota
15. as r now R Added Joystick Center runs Profile 30 Acceleration now 1 2 or 3 Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com www excitron com 9 of 9
16. cting higher torque than allowed may damage the X Controller You are responsible for any damage to the X Controller or motor If the temperature limit is reached the motor ceases running Then the LED blinks once per second and a s x Hi temp message is sent from the serial port where the s x part of the message is the address of the unit sending this message No operations occur until an reset character is received or power is cycled Note that this terminates Motion Profile Mode and the X Controller is then in serial Command Mode Stepping the Motor You step the motor with the G g S and commands G Go step the motor for the specified N number of steps g Reciprocating motion same as G and at its completion the motor reverses direction and performs exactly the same motion profile S Step the motor continuously This command ignores the step number entered Only a motor stop command O or o will stop the motor run one motor step CW any unsaved changes are discarded C run one motor step CCW After you type G g or S you can send U D O or o U Speed up the motor on the fly D Slow down the motor on the fly Ooro Starts deceleration gracefully and the motor slows down and stops Pushing JCEN also stops the motor Use the built in Joystick to change speed while running The new global SPS value is saved by pushing J2 After running the motor coils are energized for 2 seconds to electronically d
17. es 04 Ww G 0 000 0003000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 Home values 05 C G 0 000 0000020 00000 03200 055 00300 0 00 100 Home values 06 C G 0 000 9999999 00000 03200 055 00300 2 12 100 06 IN2 07 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 08 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 09 w G 0 000 9999999 00000 03200 055 00300 3 12 100 I 09 IN3 10 w G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 11 Ww G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 12 C G 0 000 93999999 00000 03200 055 00300 5 12 100 I 12 INS X86 X110 only 13 w G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 14 Ww G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 15 w G 0 000 93999999 00000 03200 055 00300 6 12 100 I 15 IN6 X86 X110 only 16 w G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 17 Ww G 0 000 0000000 00000 03200 055 00300 0 12 100 18 C G 0 000 0000040 00000 01200 055 00300 0 00 100 Joystick 1 45 runs Profiles 18 19 20 19 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 Once the motor is running this Joystick switch 20 C G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 changes to speeding up the motor 21 W G O 000 0000040 00000 01200 055 00300 0 00 100 Joystick 2 135 runs Profiles 21 22 23 22 W G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 Once the motor is running this Joystick switch 23 W G 0 000 0000000 00000 02000 055 00300 0 00 100 saves the current speed to eeprom 24 C G 0 000 0000
18. hot to human touch but is ok for motor and X Controller operation up to the high temperature limit Acceleration maximum SPS torque and other parameters can be optimized for your application An acceleration value of 1 is a good starting point The X Controller automatically decreases www excitron com 4 of 9 Excitron X Controller User Manual acceleration as speed increases This optimally matches the stepper motor s output torque curve better than a linear speed curve Many interesting combinations exist to create the motion you need for sophisticated control of automatic assembly machines or for motorized products The time command T can be coupled with various input mode commands to produce intelligence and control for almost any application All stepper motors have a natural resonant frequency around 260 to 1 200 SPS If stepped at constant SPS in this speed range the motor may vibrate and lose steps This condition is worse at higher torque settings It is best to accelerate through this range Lower T values reduce resonance and miss stepping The controller always runs using half steps Power ON Reset The X Controller has sophisticated power on reset and brownout voltage protection circuitry This protects from power supply glitches and increases the X Controller s robustness and integrity The X Controller waits a few seconds for your power supply to stabilize before allowing any motor motion The RESET pin is nor
19. imizes torque Four modes of operation are available Command Home Driver Joystick and I Input Profile Optical Encoders are optional See individual motor drawings for Joystick details A full set of parameters for stepping the motor is called a Motion Profile 30 motion profiles are stored and retained even with power off A motion profile consists of acceleration stepping at a constant maximum Vsps steps per second then deceleration to stop precisely at the number of steps you specified Deceleration is identical to acceleration A time delay before or after motion occurs gives you precise timing control Some key parameters are acceleration maximum Vsps number of steps direction and torque control The X Controller uses unique current limiting circuitry for high efficiency and performance By adjusting the acceleration top Vsps and other factors you can minimize the time required for a particular motion Vsps can be changed on the fly while the motor is stepping by pushing the Joystick see the motor drawings Various input devices such as limit switches and potentiometers may be connected to the TTL CMOS 3 3 volt logic input pins Order our handy SW1 2D Switch Assembly In2 and In3 input pins accept analog 0 3 3v and converts it to a digital value A single LED provides visual feedback that power is applied and it also indicates motor steps or serial communications by being brighter One key unique feature is the ext
20. mally high To reset the X Controller send a logic low level control to this pin and release After any reset Brake is 000 for Profile 01 in Command Mode only the saved eeprom value is unchanged This protects against unplanned heat build up The first motor step after power up or reset is always the same step and 1 3 steps may be needed to sync the X Controller with the motor s last rotor position The high value filter capacitors in the power supply provide considerable power supply voltage spike attenuation and a 1 4 second hold up time When switching off always wait briefly before unplugging Software Reset and Commands Software reset by sending which restarts the X Controller as if a power on reset occurred Use this command to terminate Motion Profile and Driver Modes and run serial commands Do not use this reset command more than 100 000 times due to eeprom write limit Other special commands are followed by any character besides STX sends Axis address 3 s in a row clears Home amp all I Input Profile modes Input Pins and Modes You can create very interesting and versatile control of stepper motions by using the input pins and their pin Modes Some control features are stop and go control logic only wait for two inputs to occur sequence external events extended time delays or other ingenious reasons All pins are TTL CMOS compatible 0 to 3 3v and are also 5 volt tolerant They
21. motion is satisfactory Do not increase T without adjusting V first Do not increase T to make the motor run faster At higher speeds the T is not effective it is only effective as the motor spins up and during deceleration After determining the suitable values adjust T up or down for best performance vs heat buildup The X Controller measures power supply voltage at start up and 3 of 9 www excitron com Excitron X Controller User Manual automatically adjusts the amperage You do not need to adjust T if swapping power supplies the voltage measurement is automatic After a certain SPS the X Controller determines that current limiting is no longer needed and the motor is fully on Torque is then limited by the motor s reluctance The power supply voltage is the largest factor for torque Motor current is rated based on the amount of current that causes the motor to reach 85 C in 10 minutes If mounted to a relatively large metal plate to dissipate the heat this current rating will increase significantly For intermittent operation which is most stepper motor applications the motor may be over driven up to 2 times its rated power depending on many factors Warning stepper motors require amps of current and overheating and damage can quickly occur Start with low T values then gradually increase while monitoring temperature via the i display Maximum operating temperature is hot to the touch and may burn you Sele
22. nd Profile 09 has p 3 mode 00 Pushing a switch attached to In3 triggers Profiles 09 12 but motion stops at Profile 10 because p 3 mode 00 Pushing your switch again triggers Profile 10 then 11 CNC Gcode Robotics Operating System New technology Excitron X Controller motors can now execute Gcode directly from its own memory thus eliminating an external PC PLC or controller Saves you money time and a lot of space 8 axis are standard You can download your gcode text files into the X Controller coder motors then view save retrieve and execute gcode files Unique feature each axis has its own distance and Feedrate Vsps speed unlike all other gcode controllers Now you can have total control for multi axis robots and CNC machines One X Controller operates as a Master and the other X Controllers in your system are slaves You set Master with the c gt M command Each X Controller has its own Axis address and choices are A B C D E X Y Z Set the Axis address using the c gt A command Excitron provides a mini operating system for easy motor motion while maintaining the Motion Profiles command system It gives you enough power to sequence over 24 000 motions with the memory upgrade else 3 600 motions The Excitron 19 or 29 Motion Profiles remains as a robust motion sequence and control system Gcode files are read into RAM memory and then can be stored into flash for permanent storage To use the Gcode Robot system
23. nd accessories for your project We also offer linear slides belt sliders actuators rotary tables X Y tables XYZ machines and heavy duty 3 axis milling machines Visit our website for all documents prices and online purchasing For a quick start e Make sure the AC DC power supply is off or unplugged e Connect the power supply RS232 connector which is a small 1x4 housing to the X Controller 4 pin gold header e Use the built in Joystick to rotate the motor e If you have a USB TTL adapter connect your USB cable between your computer and the X Controller serial 3 pin header PC Software drivers must be installed Turn on your power supply The controller LED should be ON e Start Realterm available from our website or any equivalent program with 115 200 baud 8 bits no hardware handshaking e At power up the X Controller displays Excitron ExROS v5 06 X86 118 400 0000000 16 C 24v X gt Type G to run the stepper motor e Type I to see the current motion profile e Change direction C or W Vsps or number of steps N type G and see the difference e Type to display a brief command help list e It s that simple Or use Input Profile Home CNC gcode modes for extra motion control Global Controller values are changed in the c menu Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 X57 40M motor controller XYZ Robot ee 3 3 1m sec Wire Slider WS70 012
24. ot type Enter key after typing your command type only the command and any characters as specified by the each command Note that the ASCII numbers are fixed field format This means the exact required quantity of alphanumerics must be typed For example to enter a step quantity of 188 steps type N X Controller sends 0033000 then 0000188 All 7 digits must be entered If you enter fewer digits the command is left waiting for completion All input values are validated to be within the range specified for each command Any input value outside this range results in a being displayed and the default or existing value being used If you send extraneous alphanumeric characters a is displayed and no values change The exception to this rule is that commas spaces carriage returns Enter or CR and line feeds LF are ignored Serial input characters are not buffered At power up the X Controller is ready to accept serial commands Commands may be typed in any sequence and the X Controller remembers your last typed values You save values permanently with the v view command Warning Use caution when operating severe injury can result from the motor rotating Long wires act like antennas and may cause erratic dangerous motion Disclaimer all values and statements contained herein are subject to change without written notice No products manufactured by Excitron may be used for life support equipment f
25. r the motor motion V 04600 nnnnn Velocity maximum SPS Note that the step quantity and acceleration values may define a motion such that the maximum SPS will not be achieved Counter clockwise motor direction Rotate 1 step clockwise Rotate 1 step counter clockwise gt Awe up caret character sending to a slave enables all serial port responses Underscore character sending to a slave disables all of its serial port output except gt for completion The new Damping delay gives you automatic holding at the end of motor running for 2 seconds Setting Motor Stepping Torque Motor torque is directly proportional to motor current with some non linearity Torque is defined as Force x Distance and is usually measured in oz in ounce inches The X Controller uses unique current limiting circuitry for high efficiency and performance for the user Step motor current amps must be limited or excessive heat and amperage can destroy motors and X Controllers Most step motors are rated for 2 to 5 volts so Excitron s current limiting allows them to be connected to a higher voltage 12 and 17 volt being most popular power supply You control precisely the amount of torque in the motor with one simple command T 060 nnn sets the internal of full motor torque A low value for T such as 020 produces low torque Typically use T 040 to 090 Higher values increase torque Start at low values for T and increase the value until your
26. remely low supply power for the X Controller electronics With a 19v power supply the X Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 Controller only dissipates 0 025 watt which is insignificant All internal voltages are self generated and thus require only a single voltage supply Built in temperature sensing on X Controllers safeguards the electronics and motor from thermal burn out the limit is 170 F 77 C Excitron X Controllers drives any size unipolar stepper motor even our 110 180 a 25 pound Super size 42 Many options are available All X Controllers are upgrade able via firmware updates thus protecting your investment Custom firmware applications are also available just ask the friendly Excitron technical staff Sending Serial Commands The format of X Controller commands is simple send the single letter of the command Important capital and small letters are different If user input is expected after the command is typed the X Controller responds with the existing value a colon and a space This existing value also shows the exact quantity of numbers to send Then it waits until you send the required quantity of numbers After all input is received the X Controller will send a LF line feed CR carriage return Axis address and a prompt gt The gt provides feedback to host computers that the command is complete In other modes the mode character is also sent Do n
27. s of force bend heavy steel parts and thus bind up moving parts Tightening a small timing belt can bend steel motor shafts easily due to the leverage action Stepper motors run faster and stronger with direct shaft attachment Best is to slide our motor shaft into a precision bored hole in your part and clamp using a C collar clamp Note that if you re bored hole is off even by 003 your top speed will be limited Non rigid rubber couplers introduce vibration and phase lags which can cause motor stalling Best is to shock mount the motor not the drive parts If your motor just hums without stepping check your V and T values DO NOT increase T while trying to get the motor to spin faster see other notes about T If your X Controller has manual 6 of 9 www excitron com Excitron X Controller User Manual push buttons push one to see correct rotation Once you verify correct running then increase V to suit your purpose Use multiple Motion Profiles for added control For instance for longer time delays use multiple Motion Profiles If 1 2 or 3 Motion Profiles suit your operation without auto repeating then use I Input Profile Mode which trigger once each time that particular input pin goes low And this works well with up to 4 inputs If you need 4 profiles and automatically repeating forever is desired then use Home Mode In either mode once started an input pin can control motion An example is I 09 a
28. tc The X Controller provides for a broad range of applications All you do is change the profiles You can change motion profiles for designing trouble shooting demonstrating or marketing purposes For example most mechanisms operate at blinding fast soeed the motion profiles can be altered to slow down an interesting movement so that fine details can be observed Since most applications only use less than 5 profiles you can create an entire second range of motion profiles that operate at slow speed You can even offer this feature to your customers Here are the commands for viewing selecting and saving Motion Profiles If you issue a v or Q command changes to current parameters are saved automatically P nn Display the motion profile specified by nn v View all Motion Profiles A header line is sent followed by all the Motion Profiles Current Profile data is saved Q Quit to CNC Mode Current Profile data is saved Note that the last G g or S executed is saved into the current Motion Profile You can enable the X Controller to auto home at start up by setting H under the little c menu to 1 see Home Command section The motor stepping parameters may be loaded by sending an ASCII text file The format of this file may be any of 3 formats csv comma separated values space separated values or nothing between values An example of a csv format created from MS Excel or Notepad is A0200 V04400 B000 N0080000 v No
29. te and using any input pins Suggest setting Profile 03 for backing up a small amount of steps at a lower speed to increase position accuracy If you don t need Profiles 04 05 then set N 0000000 and t 00000 You can run Motion Profiles 02 05 at any time by sending H Note that auto home will auto repeat forever at power up if you enable this feature by setting R 1 in c submenu Command Examples and Notes Suppose you wish to rotate the motor for 10 000 steps clockwise and a maximum SPS value of 1 800 Send N 0000080 0010000 C V 04200 01800 G Note that you do not type gt nor enter with any command the X Controller provides it The gt prompt is not shown here for clarity The order of the N C and V commands is not important but the G command is since it starts motor motion The N and V commands must receive their required exact digit quantity To step the motor again with the same parameters except CCW counter clockwise type W G Note that the other commands do not have to be re entered The X Controller temporarily stores the last values of all parameters and commands Save permanently by using the v view all command Be aware that the motor and X Controller will heat up faster while running at slower speeds At Vsps over 3 000 depending on power supply voltage the motor s inductance the motor self limits the power and should run cooler A temperatures over 50 C may feel
30. te that the order is not important except the v command is last which saves the input values to current Profile number You may also have CR and or LF after each input command but these are ignored If you send multiple lines you must insert a 300 millisecond delay after each line to allow the X Controller to finish writing its internal values The X Controller does not buffer input commands Windows Notepad or similar text editors can be used to capture information via cut and paste or to set parameters Note that eeprom writes require 6ms per character to save data in the X Excitron Corporation Superior CO USA info excitron com v5 06 Controller The life expectancy of the EE memory is 100 000 times do not exceed this number Driver Mode future You set Driver Mode for step dir signals operation by typing little c then little D 1 and it is saved immediately Setup your favorite CNC program which send steps and direction pulses from a PC LPT1 parallel port or other device The X Controller steps the motor using 2 external input signals Step and Direction DIR 0 is CW logic 1 is CCW this is IN2 STEP negative or positive going pulse gt 5 usec this is IN3 Driver Mode is now integrated with Command serial mode so that you can also run all serial commands such as I or G The only precaution is if the motor is running using step dir do not run G or any other run command until Driver steps are complete The X Controller
31. type Q from the Motor menu CNC Commands are D directory of all files in flash storage A Axis direction enter an Axis letter then 0 for none 1 reverse Changes are stored immediately G Go execute the file in RAM Commands are sent to the slave Excitron controllers G command sends the underscore command so that slaves do not send any characters except for the gt completion same as G but is a dry run the motors do not run information load a file in flash to the RAM change line number applies only if SRAM file exists Has no functionality for future firmware R___read an external file into RAM memory Enter a filename after typing R Filename must be at least 2 characters letters and numbers and some symbols only First letter of file name must be a letter S Save the file in RAM to flash storage type to confirm vV view the file in RAM line numbers are added Erase all flash files must type twice to be sure then G to erase the God files or C for all of the gcode code Superior CO USA rH Excitron Corporation info excitron com v5 06 help list of commands only 86 and 110 Controllers The input gcode file is a simple text file with general gcode structure Distance value is in motor half steps not inches and is incremental Limit is 5 digits is CW is CCW while neither is assumed as CW Leading zeros on Axis or Feed rate is ok but do not exceed 5 digit limit Feedrate is in half
32. ull notice on our website Use extreme caution when operating severe injury or death can occur because motors move and rotate www excitron com 2 of 9 Excitron X Controller User Manual Serial Port Setup and Power Excitron motor X Controllers can operate standalone or in various modes The on board USART serial port is 3 3v TTL and every motor kit includes our USB TTL adapter AC power cord AC DC switching regulated power supply 100 240VAC 50 60 Hz with sufficient amperage to drive your step motor The power supply voltage range for X86 and X110 large motors is 9 2 to 28V while all others operate from 3 3v to 28v These and other accessories are available on our web site See each motor and controller drawing for interface pins The power supply wires should be at least 20 AWG stranded 18 AWG is best and as short as possible 4 to 12 inches The amount of current into the motor is NOT the power supply current A rough guideline is the power supply watts out to the motor equals the motor watts watts volts x amperes You will need to budget at least twice the motor s watts Power in watts is also defined as amperes x amperes x resistance Excitron s X Controllers can operate at 1 5 times the rated value for intermittent operation If the power supply amperage is inadequate the X Controller may pull the power supply voltage low enough to cause a reset of the X Controller This is harmless to the X Controller but stops your
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