FlexMotion 5.1 Release Notes

RELEASE NOTES
FLEXMOTION™ 5.1
FlexMotion 5.1 is the motion control software and VIs for interfacing with
all National Instruments FlexMotion series motion controllers.
If you have developed motion control systems using a previous version of
FlexMotion, you may need to recompile your code before it will work correctly with
FlexMotion 5.1. Refer to the FlexMotion Software Installation section of this document for
more information.
Caution
These release notes discuss compatibility issues, describe how to install
FlexMotion 5.1 and related hardware, and summarize changes and
improvements associated with this version. Topics include:
•
FlexMotion 5.1 Contents
•
Changes and Improvements
•
Controllers
•
FlexMotion Software Installation
•
Hardware Installation
•
Using the Online Manuals
•
Using MAX Help
FlexMotion 5.1 Contents
FlexMotion VI Library 5.1 is the motion control software for interfacing
with all National Instruments FlexMotion series motion controllers using
the National Instruments LabVIEW visual development environments.
The FlexMotion VI Library 5.1 is compatible with LabVIEW version 5.1
or later and LabVIEW RT 6.03 or later.
FlexMotion Software 5.1 is the motion control software for interfacing
with all National Instruments FlexMotion series motion controllers using
C/C++, LabWindows/CVI, or Visual Basic development platforms.
CVI™, FlexMotion™, LabVIEW™, National Instruments™, and ni.com™ are trademarks of National Instruments Corporation. Product and company
names mentioned herein are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
370363A-01
Copyright © 1998, 2001 National Instruments Corp. All rights reserved.
March 2001
Changes and Improvements
There are several changes and improvements to the FlexMotion VI Library
and Software functions that make them easier to use and expand their
functionality. Code you have created and validated in the past still works
with FlexMotion 5.1. A broad description of changes made in version 5.1
follows.
LabVIEW RT 6.03 Support
The FlexMotion 5.1 software adds motion support to LabVIEW RT 6.03.
There are now three levels at which you can use motion:
•
Level one: motion programs running on a host system
•
Level two: motion programs running on an embedded LabVIEW
RT 6.03 system
•
Level three: motion programs running on the motion controller itself
Level one offers ease of development but is only as reliable as your system.
Level two offers the ease of development through LabVIEW and runs your
program on a more robust real-time system. Level three offers the best
response times since your program is running on the controller itself in its
own real-time operating system.
To get started with LabVIEW RT, select View Printed Real-Time
Manuals (PDF) from the Help menu. (See the Using the Online Manuals
section in this document for more information on PDF files.) Next, select
LabVIEW RT User Manual. This will tell you how to start running
LabVIEW VIs, including FlexMotion VIs, on your embedded system.
For information on using the FlexMotion VIs for identifying and
initializing the FlexMotion controllers in your embedded system,
select FlexMotion VI Online Help from the Help menu, and view
the FlexMotion RT Support topic.
Stepper Generation Enhancement
The FlexMotion 5.1 software offers significant stepper-generation
improvements over previous releases. The new step generation algorithm
enhancements make stepper control smoother than ever at both high and
low speeds.
The generation of step pulses has been improved to produce steps at more
precise intervals, resulting in smoother stepper motor operation at all
velocities. Also, when changing direction, the first step of a move is now
generated after the direction signal changes, rather than at the same time.
This will enhance compatibility with a wide variety of stepper motor drives.
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Servo Tune in MAX
Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX) for NI-Motion 5.1 has a
control loop gains tuning panel called Servo Tune. Servo Tune allows
even novice users of motion control to use the MAX graphical interface to
set tuning and behavioral aspects of their motion axes. You can manually
tune the motor using step response and bode analysis tools, or you can
automatically tune the control loop gain parameters using the Auto Tune
option. Servo Tune is listed under Calibration in the MAX configuration
tree.
Breakpoint Window
The FlexMotion 5.1 software changes the way breakpoints are handled
with a breakpoint window. In the past, you could get an unwanted
breakpoint instantly at low velocity if the breakpoint was re-enabled
without any delay. This occurred because the current position could still
match the breakpoint position when it was re-enabled.
With the new version of FlexMotion, the breakpoint window attribute
specifies a window of variable width around the breakpoint position.
The current position must be outside this window for the breakpoint to
be armed. This prevents unwanted breakpoints.
Controllers
The FlexMotion controllers and their respective bus types are listed in
Table 1.
Table 1. FlexMotion Series Motion Controllers
Controller
Bus Type
PXI-7344
PXI/CompactPCI
PCI-7344
PCI
FW-7344*
IEEE-1394
* Windows 2000/Me/98 only.
The FlexMotion 5.1 software is compatible with
Windows 2000/NT/Me/9x.
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FlexMotion 5.1 Release Notes
FlexMotion Software Installation
Install the FlexMotion software before installing a FlexMotion series
motion controller for the first time. If you are upgrading from a previous
version of the FlexMotion software, you do not need to remove your
FlexMotion controller before installing the upgrade. Your existing
Windows configuration settings are not affected by the upgrade.
Complete the following steps to install your FlexMotion software:
1.
Insert the NI-Motion 5.1 CD into your CD-ROM drive. The CD will
automatically show the NI-Motion installation screen.
2.
Click FlexMotion 5.1 Installation and then choose the Install option.
3.
Follow the installer prompts through the rest of the installation.
4.
Refer to the ReadMe.txt file after the installation is complete for
last-minute information not contained in this document or the
FlexMotion online help.
The FlexMotion software you selected is installed.
Software Updates
You can find FlexMotion 5.1 updates and patches by visiting
ni.com/motion and clicking on Drivers & Downloads.
Hardware Installation
If this is the first time that you have installed the FlexMotion software
on your computer, then complete the following steps to install your
FlexMotion series motion controller.
Refer to Chapter 2, Configuration and Installation, of your motion controller
hardware user manual if you need additional hardware installation and handling
instructions.
Note
PCI/PXI/FW Installation
Complete the following steps to install your PCI/PXI/FW motion
controller:
FlexMotion 5.1 Release Notes
1.
Shut down your computer.
2.
If you are installing a PCI or PXI controller, install the controller in an
available slot in your computer. If you are installing the FW-7344,
connect the controller to the IEEE-1394 port on your computer.
3.
Restart your computer.
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4.
Click on the Start button on your Windows 2000/NT/Me/9x taskbar
and select Programs»National Instruments»Measurement &
Automation to launch MAX. You can also launch MAX by double
clicking the MAX shortcut on your desktop.
5.
Expand the Devices and Interfaces category in the configuration tree
and select your installed FlexMotion controller. MAX automatically
assigns the first available board ID to your controller.
6.
Press F1 or select Help»Help Topics»NI-Motion to view the online
help for MAX. The online help contains complete information on
verifying your configuration, testing the installed FlexMotion
controller, and downloading new firmware.
Your PCI/PXI/FW motion controller is successfully installed.
Using the Online Manuals
The FlexMotion software documentation is installed as a Windows online
help file. The software documentation is also shipped with your software
as Adobe Acrobat portable document format (PDF) files.
Online Help
To view the online help, click on the Start button on the Windows taskbar
and select Programs»National Instruments»Motion»FlexMotion
Software 5.1 and then the document you wish to view.
PDF Documents
You must have Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view
PDF files.
If you do not already have Acrobat Reader version 4.0 or later installed on your
system, you can install it from the FlexMotion Software CD. Run the rs40eng.exe file
found in the CD’s Other/Adobe Acrobat/Win32 directory.
Note
To view the installed PDF documents, click on the Start button on the
Windows taskbar and select Programs»National Instruments»Motion»
FlexMotion and then the document you wish to view. This automatically
launches the Acrobat Reader and opens the selected PDF file. You can
assemble your own printed manuals, printing either the entire
documentation set or just the sections relevant to your application.
Click on any entry in the table of contents to jump directly to the
corresponding manual page. You can jump to major sections within each
document quickly and easily by clicking on the bookmarks.
© National Instruments Corporation
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FlexMotion 5.1 Release Notes
When you choose the View»Go To Page option or are printing pages, you
must use the page numbers in the lower left corner of the Acrobat window,
not the number displayed in the bottom center of each manual page or listed
in the contents and index. Acrobat assigns consecutive numbers to each
page throughout the document and displays the page number. The numbers
may not match those shown at the bottom center of each manual page.
Using MAX Help
Information on how to use MAX is available in three places: embedded
help in the form of a task list, a pop-up “What’s This?” option that appears
when you right-click a motion parameter, and the Help menu in the toolbar.
Embedded Help
When you click on a motion device under Devices and Interfaces in the
configuration tree, a task list appears on the right side of the MAX window.
Click on the device in the configuration tree to display a task list containing
the help information for the selected device. This task menu contains
detailed step-by-step instructions for using the device.
Note You can display and hide the task menu help by clicking the Show/Hide button on
the menu bar.
Pop-Up Help
In the configuration view, which is the panel to the right of the
configuration tree, you can view the help for each motion parameter by
right-clicking the parameter and selecting “What’s This?” You can also
view the help for each motion parameter by left-clicking the parameter and
hitting the F1 key.
Additional Help
For additional help, select Help»Help Topics»NI-Motion»Motion
Configuration Help.
FlexMotion 5.1 Release Notes
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