National Instruments NI 9503 C Series User manual

Getting Started
NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive
Modules and SoftMotion Module
Note If you are a new user of LabVIEW or are unfamiliar with LabVIEW, refer to
the Getting Started with LabVIEW manual for information about LabVIEW and
LabVIEW terminology.
This document explains how to use an NI 9503 C Series drive module with
LabVIEW NI SoftMotion Module User-Defined Variable (UDV) axes, using an NI 9503
C Series drive module example to demonstrate concepts and programming best practices.
Tip If you encounter any problems during setup, refer to the Tips and
Troubleshooting section for assistance.
Contents
What You Need to Get Started ................................................................................................. 2
Hardware .......................................................................................................................... 2
Software............................................................................................................................ 3
SoftMotion Module Overview.................................................................................................. 4
Hardware and Software Installation ......................................................................................... 5
Step 1: Set Up the Real Time System............................................................................... 5
Step 2: Connect NI 9503 to the Stepper Motor ................................................................ 5
Step 3: Connect the NI 9503 to the NI PS-16 Power Supply ........................................... 6
Step 4: Connect the System to AC Power ........................................................................ 6
Step 5: Install Software on and Configure the NI RT Controller..................................... 6
Using NI 9503 with SoftMotion............................................................................................... 7
SoftMotion UDV Axes and Configuration Data .............................................................. 7
SoftMotion Engine to FPGA Communication ................................................................. 8
Compile and Run the Example......................................................................................... 10
Setting Up and Using Optional Hardware................................................................................ 12
Adding and Connecting Additional Modules................................................................... 13
Additional UDVs and FPGA VI Loops............................................................................ 15
Tips and Troubleshooting......................................................................................................... 16
Drive Fault on Enable....................................................................................................... 16
Interactive Test Panel does not get updated ..................................................................... 17
Where to Go Next..................................................................................................................... 17
Worldwide Support and Services ............................................................................................. 18

2|ni.com |NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module
What You Need to Get Started
You need the following items to get started.
Hardware
NI 9503 C Series stepper drive module
NI CompactRIO Real-Time controller and chassis
24 V power supply (such as the NI PS-15) for the CompactRIO controller
(NI part number 781093-01)
24 V power supply (such as the NI PS-16) for the NI 9503 module
Note NI recommends the NI PS-16 power supply, which is designed for motor bus
power, for use with the NI 9503 module. Refer to Regeneration Consideration Using
the NI C Series Drive Modules at zone.ni.com for more information.
Ethernet connection and cable for the CompactRIO controller
NI or third-party stepper motor
Note NI offers NEMA 17 and NEMA 23 stepper motors compatible with the
NI 9503. Go to ni.com for more information.
Optional Hardware
NI or third-party encoder
Note NI offers encoders for NEMA 17 and NEMA 23 stepper motors. Go to
ni.com for more information. Some NI stepper motors include integrated encoders.
NI 9411 digital input module for encoder connections
(NI part number 779005-01)
NI 9935 15-pin D-SUB connector kit for connecting the NI 9411
(NI part number 779016-01)
NI 9401 high-speed bidirectional digital I/O module for position compare and position
capture operations
(NI part number 779351-01)

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module |© National Instruments |3
NI 9924 25-pin D-SUB connector kit for connecting the NI 9401
(NI part number 781922-01)
NI 9423 sinking digital input module for home, limit, and digital input connections
(NI part number 779009-01)
NI 9472 sourcing digital output module for digital output connections
(NI part number 779004-01)
Software
LabVIEW 2014 or later
LabVIEW 2014 Real-Time Module or later
LabVIEW 2014 FPGA Module or later
LabVIEW 2014 SoftMotion Module or later
NI-RIO Device Drivers 2014 or later
Figure 1 shows the system setup without optional hardware. The Setting Up and Using Optional
Hardware section discusses optional hardware, including a connection diagram and example
walkthrough of optional functionality.
Figure 1. SoftMotion Module with NI 9503 UDV Axis System Overview
Ethernet
Cable
Motor Connections
NI RT Controller
(NI cRIO-9014 shown)
with NI 9503modules
+24 V Power Supply
(NI PS-15 Shown)
9 to 30 V Power Supply
(NI PS-16 Shown)
Stepper Motor

4|ni.com |NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module
SoftMotion Module Overview
SoftMotion Module UDV axes allow you to implement an interface for communication between
the SoftMotion Engine and the LabVIEW FPGA Module. This is achieved using user-defined
variables that you add to the project, making it easier to use C Series modules in FPGA mode
with the SoftMotion Module.
The following figure shows the SoftMotion architecture when you use the SoftMotion Module
with UDV axes and the LabVIEW FPGA Module.
Figure 2. SoftMotion Module with UDV Axes
You use the LabVIEW Project to configure your axis settings and test your configuration. When
your hardware configuration is complete, you use SoftMotion APIs to create move profiles.
Communication to the LabVIEW FPGA Module is handled through user-defined variables. You
use the SoftMotion Drive Interface VIs to implement an interface for communication between
the SoftMotion Engine and the LabVIEW FPGA Module. When you use the Drive Interface VIs
with UDV axes you communicate using a predefined set of UDVs. Refer to Adding
User-Defined Variables for Use With a UDV Axis in the SoftMotion Module Help, available by
selecting Help»LabVIEW Help for information about the predefined UDVs. Refer to the Using
NI 9503 with SoftMotion section for more information about the NI SoftMotion Drive
Interface VIs.
Axis
Interface
Trajectory
Generator
Supervisory
Control
Host HMI and
AxisSettings:
LabVIEW Project
Non Real-Time LabVIEW Real-Time Module
NI SoftMotion
User VI
NI SoftMotion
APIs
LabVIEW FPGA with
NI Scan Engine Supported Platform
C Series
Module(s)
cRIO
Chassis
Motor Control,
Drive Interface,
and Sync VIs
cRIO
Chassis
NI 950x
C Series
Module(s)
User-Defined Variable
Communication
Module
User VI
NI SoftMotion
APIs
User VI
NI SoftMotion Engine

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module |© National Instruments |5
Hardware and Software Installation
This section covers the hardware setup for the Real Time system and NI 9503 C Series drive
module.
Step 1: Set Up the Real Time System
Complete the following steps to set up the Real Time system depending on your hardware.
1. Refer to the Getting Started guide included with the Real-Time Controller to assemble it,
connect it to power, discover it on the network, and install the software in NI MAX.
Note Older Model chasis, such as cRIO-902x, cRIO 907x, cRIO-908x, NI 9144,
and NI 9148 have HSI support only on slots 1 through 4. Refer to your chassis
documentation for more information about HSI support.
Step 2: Connect NI 9503 to the Stepper Motor
1. Connect the stepper motor to the NI 9503. Figure 3 shows a typical bipolar stepper motor
connection. Refer to the NI 9503 Operating Instructions and Specifications for important
connection information, including information about EMC compliance and connecting
6- or 8-wire stepper motors.
Figure 3. NI 9503 Bipolar Stepper Motor (2-Phase Type) Connection
NEMA 17 and NEMA 23 stepper motors from NI use the following wire color scheme.
Figure 4. Stepper Motor Wiring
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Phase A+
Phase A–
Phase B+
Phase B–
Reserved
Reserved
Reserved
COM
Vsup
Phase A+
Phase A–
Phase B+
Phase B–
Phase A+
(Black)
Phase A–
(Orange)
Phase B+
(Red)
Phase B–
(Yellow)

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Step 3: Connect the NI 9503 to the NI PS-16
Power Supply
Tip Refer to the NI PS-16 Power Supply User Manual and Specifications for more
information about connecting and using the NI PS-16 power supply.
Complete the following steps to connect the NI 9503 module to the NI PS-16 power supply.
Tip Refer to the NI 9503 Operating Instructions and Specifications for more
information about module power supply requirements.
1. Connect the NI 9503 Vsup (pin 8) to one of the two (+) terminals on the NI PS-16.
2. Connect the NI 9503 COM (pin 7) to one of the two (-) terminals on the NI PS-16.
3. Connect the power supply to AC power.
Step 4: Connect the System to AC Power
Complete the following steps to power on the system.
1. Connect the controller power supply (such as the NI PS-15) to AC power.
Step 5: Install Software on and Configure the
NI RT Controller
This step covers installing and configuring the software for the NI 9503 stepper drive module.
It assumes that all required software from the What You Need to Get Started section is installed
on the host machine.
Complete the following steps to configure the controller and install software on it.
Note The NI Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) user interface may not
match these steps exactly depending on which version of MAX you are using.
1. Launch Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) on the development computer by
clicking the MAX icon on the desktop, or by selecting Start»All Programs»
National Instruments»NI MAX.
2. Select the controller under Remote Systems in the Configuration pane. If you do not see
the controller, you may need to disable the firewall on the development computer.
3. Verify that the Serial Number in the Identification section matches the serial number on
the device.
4. Expand the controller item in the tree, right-click Software, and select Add/Remove
Software.
5. Highlight your device.

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module |© National Instruments |7
Note If you do not see the controller, you may need to disable the firewall on the
development computer. Go to ni.com/info and enter RIOMAXTroubleshoot
for more information.
6. Verify that the Serial Number in the System Settings section matches the serial number
on the device.
7. Select a recommended software set that includes NI CompactRIO 14.0 or later. Click Help
if you need information about installing recommended software sets.
8. Click Next.
9. Select LabVIEW SoftMotion Module from the add-ons list.
10. Click Next to install the selected software on the controller.
11. Make a note of the IP address assigned to the controller, to use when adding the target in
LabVIEW.
12. Close MAX.
Using NI 9503 with SoftMotion
The following tutorial walks you through using an NI 9503 UDV axis using the 9503 Stepper
Drive (NI 9503) sample project. This project shows how to configure the NI 9503 for a
UDV axis using the LabVIEW project and contains all required UDVs for use with the NI 9503.
1. Select File » Create Project» Sample Projects» SoftMotion » Stepper Drive (NI 9503)
to access the sample project provided for the NI 9503
2. Select Position Profile as the Project Type in the Create Project window and click
Finish.
3. Right-click the RT CompactRIO Target item in the Project Explorer window and select
Properties from the shortcut menu to open the real-time target properties dialog box.
4. On the General page, enter the IP address you configured in Step 4: Connect the System to
AC Power.
5. Click OK.
6. Right-click the target and select Connect from the shortcut menu. The RT target icon in the
Project Explorer window changes to indicate a front panel connection with the RT target.
SoftMotion UDV Axes and Configuration Data
This section describes each UDV used in the example and explains how module configuration
data is communicated from the LabVIEW Project to the LabVIEW FPGA Module.
1. Expand the RTCompactRIO Target item in the Project Explorer window.
2. Expand the Chassis item, then expand the User-Defined Variables item to display the
UDVs used in the example. Figure 5 shows the UDVs displayed in Project Manager.

8|ni.com |NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module
Figure 5. 9503 Stepper Drive (Getting Started) User-Defined Variables
The following table briefly describes each UDV used in the project. Refer to Adding
User-Defined Variables for Use With a UDV Axis in the SoftMotion Module Help for more
information about each UDV.
SoftMotion Engine to FPGA Communication
Each User-Defined Variable communicates information between the SoftMotion Engine and the
LabVIEW FPGA Module. These UDVs are used directly with the Drive Interface FPGA VIs in
specific loops on the block diagram. Complete the following steps to open the FPGA VI and
display the block diagram.
1. Expand the FPGA Target item in the LabVIEW Project Explorer window.
2. Double-click the Stepper Drive (Getting Started) - FPGA.vi item to open the VI.
3. Select Window»Show Block Diagram to open the FPGA VI block diagram.
The following table briefly describes each FPGA VI loop used in the project.
Table 1. Stepper Drive (Getting Started) UDV Descriptions
UDV Name Description
Axis 1.Control Register Contains information used to control the state and operating
mode of the device.
Axis 1.Mailbox
(FPGA to Host)
Contains information used to provide configuration and other
data from FPGA to the SoftMotion Engine.
Axis 1.Mailbox
(Host to FPGA)
Contains information used to provide configuration and other
data from the SoftMotion Engine to FPGA.
Axis 1.Position Setpoint Specifies the position setpoint.
Axis 1.Status Register Contains information used to report status and operation mode
information from the device to the system.
Axis 1.Steps Generated Returns the current step count of the stepper generator taking
into account the direction. This value is based on actual steps
generated, not feedback position, and may not exactly match the
feedback position.

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module |© National Instruments |9
Table 2. Stepper Drive (Getting Started) Loop Descriptions
Table 3.
FPGA Loop Name Description
Fault Monitoring Loop The Fault Monitoring loop sends fault information, including
user-defined faults, to the NI SoftMotion engine and sends the
state machine implemented in the Control Status Loop into a
fault state.
Control Status Loop The Control Status Loop interprets the Control Register UDV
and recognizes state changes, executes the appropriate action on
a state change, and generates the Status Register UDV that
returns information to the SoftMotion Engine.
Reset Monitoring Loop The Reset Monitoring Loop latches the reset variable so that it
only changes on a rising edge of the Scan Clock. This allows
proper operation of the SoftMotion Motor Control VIs with a
reset input.
Mailbox Loop The Mailbox Loop transfers axis configuration and other data
between the SoftMotion Engine and the LabVIEW FPGA
Module. The transferred data is written to FPGA memory and
accessed using the Read Motion Memory and Write Motion
Memory Drive Interface VIs. This loop is required to be
implemented as-is for proper operation
Synchronization Loop The Synchronization Loop synchronizes the FPGA clock
(slave) to the RT clock (master) to correct for drift and jitter.
This is the preferred synchronization method to use with the
NI SoftMotion Module. The Synchronization Loop is required
to be implemented as-is for proper operation.
Position Loop and
Current Loop
The Position Loop receives position setpoints from the
SoftMotion trajectory generator and uses the Spline
Interpolation VI to generate intermediate setpoints, resulting in
smoother motion. It converts the position setpoints to an
electrical angle, which is used to generate phase A and phase B
current setpoints. The Position Loop sends current setpoints to
the Current Loop
PWM Loop The PWM Loop takes the A+, A-, B+ and B- duty cycles and
converts them into digital signals that control H-bridges on the
drive. The PWM Loop also triggers the Current Loop to run at
the midpoint of the high phase of the PWM duty cycle.

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Compile and Run the Example
Complete the following steps to compile and run the example.
1. Right-click the axis in the Project Explorer window and select Properties from the shortcut
menu to open the Axis Configuration dialog box. The Axis Configuration dialog box
includes configuration options for stepper drive command signals, feedback devices,
motion and digital I/O, trajectory, and axis setup.
Figure 6 shows the parts of the Axis Configuration dialog box for NI 9503 UDV axes.
Refer to the NI SoftMotion Module section of the LabVIEW Help for detailed information
about each configuration option.
Figure 6. Axis Configuration Dialog Box for NI 9503 UDV Axes
Note The Axis Configuration dialog box user interface may not match this image
exactly depending on which version of the LabVIEW SoftMotion Module you are
using.
2. For NI steppper motors, select the motor name from the drop down list. The motor
parameters are included with SoftMotion and do not require customization. For third party
stepper motors, set the Rated Phase Current and other motor parameters accordingly.
3. Click OK to close the Axis Configuration dialog box.