National Instruments 73 Series User manual

Getting Started with NI-Motion
for NI 73xx Motion Controllers
This document provides instructions for installing and getting started with
the NI-Motion driver software and National Instruments 73xx motion
controllers. Refer to the user manual or technical reference material that
came with your computer for specific instructions about the computer.
Refer to the Documentation section at the end of this guide for a list of
the documents included with the NI-Motion driver software and the
73xx motion controller.
Installing NI-Motion
The following items are necessary for getting started with the 73xx motion
controller:
❑NI-Motion driver software
❑Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) configuration software
❑One of the following software packages and documentation:
–LabVIEW
– LabWindows™/CVI™
– Microsoft Visual C++
– Microsoft Visual Basic
❑NI Motion Assistant (optional)
❑A computer with an available PXI or PCI slot
❑NI 73xx motion controller
™
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NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers 2 ni.com
NI-Motion Software Installation
You must install the NI-Motion driver software before installing a 73xx
motion controller for the first time. If you are upgrading from a previous
version of the NI-Motion driver software, it is not necessary to remove the
73xx motion controller before installing the upgrade. The upgrade does not
affect the existing Windows configuration.
Complete the following steps to install the NI-Motion driver software:
1. Insert the NI-Motion CD into the CD-ROM drive to display the
NI-Motion installation screen.
2. Click Install NI-Motion.
3. Follow the installer prompts through the remainder of the installation.
4. Refer to the NI-Motion ReadMe.htm file for last-minute
information.
73xx Motion Controller Installation
The following sections explain how to install the PXI and PCI controllers.
Note When adding or removing a controller from a Windows 2000/XP system, you must
be logged on with administrator-level access. After you have restarted the system, you may
need to refresh MAX to view the new controller.
PXI Controllers
1. Power off and unplug the chassis.
Caution To protect yourself and the computer from electrical hazards, the computer must
remain unplugged until the installation is complete.
2. Choose an unused peripheral slot and remove the filler panel.
3. Touch a metal part on the chassis to discharge any static electricity that
might be on your clothes or body. Static electricity can damage the
controller.
4. Insert the PXI controller into the chosen slot. Use the injector/ejector
handle to fully secure the device into place.
5. Attach the front panel of the PXI controller to the front panel mounting
rails of the chassis with the slot screws on the chassis.
6. Visually verify the installation.
7. Plug in and power on the chassis.
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©National Instruments Corporation 3 NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers
PCI Controllers
1. Power off and unplug the computer.
Caution To protect yourself and the computer from electrical hazards, the computer must
remain unplugged until the installation is complete.
2. Open the computer case to expose access to the PCI expansion slots.
3. Choose an unused +3.3 V or +5 V PCI slot, and remove the
corresponding expansion slot cover on the back panel of the computer.
Caution Do not insert or remove any NI PCI-7390 motion controller from your system
without first disconnecting the +24 V power supplies from all PCI-7390 devices. Failure
to do so may result in damage to your system and/or PCI-7390.
4. Touch a metal part on the computer case to discharge any static
electricity that might be on your clothes or body before handling the
controller. Static electricity can damage the controller.
5. Gently rock the controller into the slot. The connection may be tight,
but do not force the controller into place.
6. If required, attach the mounting bracket of the controller to the back
panel rail of the computer.
7. Replace the cover.
Caution Make sure you have correctly connected all safety devices before you power on
the motion system. Safety devices include inhibits, limit switches, and emergency shut
down circuits.
Caution Always power on the computer containing the 73xx motion controller, then the
+24 V external power supply, if applicable, then initialize the controller before you power
on the rest of the motion system. Power off in the reverse order.
8. Plug in and power on the computer.
Firmware Updates
Firmware is software that is loaded onto the 73xx motion controller.
Firmware allows you to update the 73xx motion controller with new
features and updates. The latest firmware is automatically installed on the
computer when you install the latest version of NI-Motion. You must
download the firmware to the 73xx motion controller.
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NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers 4 ni.com
Complete the following steps to download firmware to a 73xx motion
controller:
1. Click the MAX icon on the desktop, or select Start»Programs»
National Instruments»Measurement & Automation to open MAX.
2. Expand Devices and Interfaces, and then expand NI Motion Devices
in the configuration tree.
3. Select the motion controller for which you want to download firmware.
An exclamation point on the 73xx motion controller icon indicates that
the firmware is outdated and must be updated.
4. Click the Firmware tab at the bottom of the window. An exclamation
point appears for each firmware sector that requires an update.
5. Click the Update Firmware button at the top of the window to update
all the firmware files on your device.
Tip To find NI-Motion updates, visit ni.com/motion and select Drivers & Downloads.
For support questions, visit ni.com/support/motion.
LabVIEW Real-Time Module Setup
Using 73xx motion controllers with the LabVIEW Real-Time Module and
a remote PXI system is very similar to using NI-Motion with a PCI 73xx
motion controller in the host machine. The only difference is that you must
map the remote PXI system to the local machine before you configure and
initialize the motion system. Figure 1 shows a remote 73xx motion
controller mapped to the local machine. The IP address in the device name
indicates that it is a remote device.
Figure 1. Mapped Remote 73xx Controller
When the 73xx motion controller is initialized, you can create a
deterministic, real time motion control application using the LabVIEW
Real-Time Module and target the application to the remote device in the
PXI system. Refer to the Remote Systems topic in the Measurement &
Automation Explorer Help for Motion for information about mapping the
remote system to the local machine.
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©National Instruments Corporation 5 NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers
Configuring Your Motion Control System
Before you configure your motion control system, install your motion
hardware, including 73xx motion controller, motors, drives, encoders, UMI
(if necessary), limits, and home switches. Refer to the appropriate hardware
documentation for installation instructions.
Note You must have a complete hardware setup to configure and test your servo system.
Note National Instruments recommends you connect the 73xx motion controller axis
inhibit outputs to the drive. Inhibit outputs are typically used to disable the servo or stepper
drive for power saving, safety, or specific application reasons. Refer to the NI-Motion User
Manual for information about inhibit outputs.
National Instruments recommends you use MAX to configure and test your
motion control system. Refer to the Measurement and Automation
Explorer Help for Motion for step-by-step configuration procedures.
NI Motion Assistant
National Instruments Motion Assistant is a graphical prototyping tool you
can use to prototype motion control applications. Motion Assistant contains
the following features: simple and complex moves, graphical prototyping,
and code creation.
Simple and Complex Moves
Motion Assistant offers several move types that represent the most often
used moves in motion control. Supported moves include the following:
• Reference moves include home and index moves.
• Straight-line moves create simple point-to-point movement for basic
motion applications.
• Arc moves enable circular, three-dimensional, and helical arc types.
• Contouring moves allow any trajectory specified by a series of
coordinates.
Graphical Prototyping
Motion Assistant is a fully graphical interface that makes it easy for you to
prototype a motion application by creating a series of moves. The position,
velocity, and acceleration of the moves are all graphed and editable in two
and three dimensions.
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NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers 6 ni.com
Code Creation
When you are finished creating a prototype of a motion control application,
you can use the Motion Assistant code creation feature to export LabVIEW
or C/ C++ code. You can use the exported code to complete the application
in LabVIEW, C, or C++. You also can use Motion Assistant to generate
code recipes that you can use to code a motion control application in other
text languages, such as Microsoft Visual Basic.
The code generation feature of Motion Assistant also creates placeholders
in the generated code or code recipes for non-motion code, such as data or
image acquisition, in any location you specify.
Advanced Features
Motion Assistant supports the digital output and position compare output
features that are available on 73xx motion controllers. These features are
designed to be used with motion control to synchronize or coordinate
external processes with moves.
The digital output feature allows you to write to an ancillary digital output
line on the 73xx motion controller under the following move conditions:
• Before Move Completes
• After Move Completes
• After Blend Completes
The position compare output feature allows you to write to the position
compare output lines on the 73xx motion controller at a specified position
in the move. If you are using a 7350 motion controller, you can configure
multiple or periodic position compare outputs. Both options add multiple
position compare outputs to a single move.
Hardware Support
Motion Assistant 1.3 is compatible with NI-Motion 7.0 and later. To create
LabVIEW code from a Motion Assistant prototype, you must have
LabVIEW 7.0 or later installed.
Motion Assistant requires that either the actual controller or the virtual
representation of a 73xx motion controller be installed in the computer.
Refer to the Motion Assistant Help for more information.
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©National Instruments Corporation 7 NI-Motion for NI 73xx Motion Controllers
Using Motion Assistant Without Hardware
If you do not have a 73xx motion controller, you can use a virtual 73xx
motion controller in MAX to preview the functionality of Motion
Assistant. Follow the instructions in the Motion Assistant Help to install a
virtual 73xx motion controller.
Documentation
This section summarizes each document included with the 73xx motion
controller and the NI-Motion driver software. Use this information to
determine which document is most useful for the task you are performing:
•NI 73xx hardware user manual—The hardware user manual
describes the electrical and mechanical aspects of the 73xx motion
controller, and contains information about installing and operating the
device.
•NI-Motion User Manual—The software user manual is task-based
and takes you through each phase of designing and executing a motion
application. This document contains information about selecting a
motor, designing a basic move, designing a multi-axis move,
incorporating vision and DAQ into motion applications, and working
with common motion concepts, such as contouring and breakpoints.
•NI-Motion ReadMe—This HTML document contains system
requirements, installation instructions, descriptions of any changes
made to the software, information about new features in the release,
and information about late-breaking known issues that are not
documented in other NI-Motion documents.
•NI-Motion Function Help—This help file for C and Visual Basic
environment applications includes dedicated function reference files,
and provides details about each function, including a description of the
function, a list of the function parameters, illustrations, and error
codes.
•NI-Motion VI Help—This help file for LabVIEW applications
includes dedicated VI reference files, and provides details about each
VI, including VI descriptions, lists of control and input terminals,
usage, illustrations, and error codes.
•Measurement & Automation Explorer Help for Motion—This help
file provides information about using MAX to configure the 73xx
motion controller as well as some advanced conceptual information
about topics such as Bode analysis and control loop parameters.
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Refer to the Terms of Use section on ni.com/legal for more information about National
Instruments trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade
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© 2003–2005 National Instruments Corporation. All rights reserved. 373329C-01 Nov05
Where to Go for Support
The National Instruments Web site is your complete resource for technical
support. At ni.com/support you have access to everything from
troubleshooting and application development self-help resources to email
and phone assistance from NI Application Engineers.
National Instruments corporate headquarters is located at
11500 North Mopac Expressway, Austin, Texas, 78759-3504.
National Instruments also has offices located around the world to help
address your support needs. For telephone support in the United States,
create your service request at ni.com/support and follow the calling
instructions or dial 512 795 8248. For telephone support outside the United
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