Instruction Manual
Form 5656
October 2000
VC1000 Programming Manual
Design VC1000 Programming Manual
Contents
Introduction 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Scope of Manual 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Drive Overview 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
User Interface 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Loading and Saving Programs 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Basic Programming Principles 3. . . . . . . . . .
System Variables, User Variables,
and Constants 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
System Variables 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
User Variables 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Constants 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Integer Math 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More About States 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Labels 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Actions 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Transitions 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
More Specifics About Working
With The Drive System
Selecting, Editing, and Adding a State 6. . . . . . . . . .
Selecting, Editing, and Adding an Action 6. . . . . . . .
Selecting, Editing, and Adding a Transition 7. . . . . .
Programming Standards 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Saving and Retrieving Program
Files to Disk
Retrieve and Upload a Program Into a Drive 9. . . . .
Download and Save a Program From a Drive 9. . . .
Example—Entering an Application
Program
Appendix A—The Start Screen 12. . . . . . . . .
Appendix B—Table of
Possible Actions
Appendix C—Table of Transitions 15. . . . .
W7988/IL
6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Figure 1. Design VC1000 Servo Drive
Appendix D—Table of
System Variables
Appendix E—Useful Formulas for
the Design VC1000
8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Derivative Gain 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Proportional Gain 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Integral Gain 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Low Pass Filter 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Current 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Velocity 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Position Counts 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendix F—Example Program 21. . . . . . . .
13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Introduction
The Design VC1000 servo drive is preprogrammed at
the factory. Normally,you will not need to reprogram
17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
D102760X012
VC1000 Programming Manual
the servo drive. If you wish to reprogram the servo
drive, however, this manual provides the necessary
information.
Scope of Manual
This programming manual provides information for
setting up and programming the Design VC1000 servo
drive (figure 1). You should be familiar with basic
programming principles, and understand the desired
end result. The Design VC1000 servo drive is a “state
machine”, with some unique programming
requirements. You do not need to be familiar with
“state machine” programming to use this manual.
Refer to separate instruction manuals for information
about wiring and installation information.
Only personnel qualified through training or experience
should install, operate, and maintain a Design VC1000
servo drive. If you have any questions about these
instructions, contact your Fisher Controls sales office
before proceeding.
Drive Overview
The Design VC1000 servo drive is a digital drive
designed to run Type 330SA servo actuators. The
actuator contains a brushless DC servo motor, which
means there are no motor brushes to wear out. The
motor commutation is done electronically by the servo
drive, using the resolver inside the actuator housing to
provide position feedback to the drive.
The servo drive is microprocessor-based, and
therefore programmable. There are two programs
running in the drive. The first is the operating system
which provides for all the input and output functions,
calculates the pulse width modulation to the actuator,
and performs all the internal operations of the servo
drive. This program is stored in ROM chips inside the
drive, and is generally known as firmware. When the
drive powers up, the firmware is transferred into RAM
and executed from there to improve execution speed.
This programming manual focuses on the second
program, which is the application, or user
programming. This programming enables the drive to
perform the unique functions that you require. The
program is stored in nonvolatile “flash” memory, which
does not require any battery to maintain the program.
On power up, this program is transferred into RAM and
executed from there to improve speed.
User Interface
This programming manual applies to the drive and
user interface in Design VC1000 servo drives
delivered since the beginning of December 1999.
To access the drive interface, connect a PC to the
drive’s serial interface. A cable with a null modem, or a
null modem cable is required to make the connection.
The PC must be running a terminal program, such as
MicroSoft’s HyperTerminal, which is bundled and
distributed with Windows95. The communications
protocol is 9600 baud, 8 bits, 1 start bit, no parity.
When power is applied, one of three things will
happen, depending on the servo drive’s state when it
was shut down.
1. The PC will display the “start screen” shown in
figure 2. This must be displayed to access and modify
the drive programming, so this is the desired screen
display. A copy of this screen is also found in
Appendix A.
2. If the drive was set to run in the “auto” mode, the
drive application program is running and must be
stopped. Press the <Tab> key to stop the drive
program and the “start screen” in step 1 should be
displayed.
3. If the drive was left in the “Expert” prompt mode
there may be nothing displayed except a flashing
cursor. Press the <Tab> key to stop the drive program
(just in case it was running) and type sy pr no
<enter> to put the drive into the “Novice” prompt
mode. This turns full prompting on, and the “start
screen” in step 1 should be displayed.
The “start screen,” should now be displayed. This is
called the start screen because everything is accessed
through this screen. For example, typing program
display states <enter> will cause the drive to
display the machine states programmed into the drive.
Actually, only the first two letters of the command are
required. In the previous example, pr di st <enter>
will also cause the drive to display the machine states
programmed into the drive. The command sy pr ex
<enter> puts the drive into the “expert prompt” mode,
which turns off the above menu and limits the prompts
displayed. The command sy pr no <enter> puts
the drive into the “novice prompt” mode, turning the
2
VC1000 Programming Manual
help (topic)
program select|add|edit| (state|action|transition) #index
program delete|display (state|action|transition) #index
program upload|download|save|load|new|run
variable name|#index|?
system comm|prompt|axis|screen|echo (value)
system io|mu|line|carriage|target|auto (value)
system save|load|clear
drive #n (flimit|rlimit) (value)
drive #n (current|velocity|position)
drive #n (external|internal|reference|stop reference)
drive #n (master|slaved|user|emulate stepper)
drive #n (enable|disable|upload|download|save|load|clear)
quit
Figure 2. The Start Screen
above menu and full prompting on. From this point
forward, this manual will refer only to two letter
commands in the text and examples.
It is important to know that any time you make an error
in typing, use the <escape> key to back out and then
retype the line. Using the <backspace> key appears
to work, but actually the line is being built with
backspace characters embedded in it, which will
create errors.
Also, several of the menu items refer to a drive #n.
The Design VC1000 is a single axis controller, so the
drive will always be drive #1. The multi-axis capability
was kept in the firmware, anticipating future
development possibilities.
Loading and Saving Programs
The memory management feature requires some
instruction to use properly. As mentioned previously,
the application program is stored in flash memory, but
executed in RAM. A program is loaded into RAM by
typing pr lo <enter>. Typing pr sa <enter> will
save it back into the flash memory. If you edit the
program, it is changed only in RAM. If you cycle power
to the drive off and on again, the program changes will
be lost. If you want the changes saved, you must
type pr sa <enter> to write the program into the
flash memory before turning the power off.
Similarly, if you make changes in the drive or the
system set up, the dr #1 sa <enter>, and the sy
sa <enter> commands must be executed to save
the changes.
If the drive is in the “auto” mode, it will automatically
load the program out of the flash memory and begin
executing it. The auto mode is set by typing sy au on
<enter>, and it is turned off by typing sy au of
<enter>. Typing sy au ? <enter> will cause the
drive to display whether the auto mode is turned on or
off. If the auto mode is on and the application program
is running, pressing the TAB key will stop the running
program.
Loading and saving application files to disk will be
addressed later in this manual.
Basic Programming Principles
The servo drive is a “state” machine. The program
flows from one state to another, as directed by the
states as they are executed. Each state has a series of
actions, which define the function of the state. Each
state has at least one transition statement, which
directs the program flow. The states are like a series of
subroutines which start with a LABEL: and end with a
GOTO statement.
The action statements are executed only once, so
loops internal to the state are not permitted. The
transition can do conditional branching, so the
program flow can be directed into one of several
paths. Execution loops external to a state can be
formed by having a state’s transition section direct flow
to a second state, which then directs flow back to the
prior state. Useless infinite loops can be formed this
way, so care must be used to provide a proper exit
from the loop.
Also, it is possible for the transition section of a state
to loop upon itself. This allows the program to execute
the actions of a state, but not proceed until the
transition is met. For example, the valve program
3
VC1000 Programming Manual
initializes the drive and then disables it. The program
then loops on the transition of the state “disable” until
the enable drive command is true. Again, endless
loops can be formed this way, so caution must be
exercised.
System Variables, User Variables and
Constants
The servo drive programming uses two types of
variables; system variables and user variables. All
variables are global in scope, that is, any variable can
be used anywhere, and if it is changed in one state, it
is changed for all states.
System Variables
The system variables are used to send data to the
hardware and to monitor what is happening in the
drive. For example, the variable requested
pos.(#1) holds the position the drive is following.
Changing this variable causes the drive to move the
valve plug to a different position. Similarly, the variable
actual pos.(#1) holds the value representing the
actual, or current, valve position. The value can be
monitored by the application programming to
determine if the valve plug is out of position, and by
how much.
The function and definition of the system variables are
predetermined by the drive hardware and firmware.
Although they are accessible to the application
program, their meaning cannot be changed. Following
is a brief list of several of the system variables. (A
complete list of the system variables is found in
Appendix D.)
requested pos.(#1) The target position for the
valve when the drive is in position mode. The value is
the number of encoder counts from the reference
(zero) position.
actual vel.(#1) The actual valve plug velocity,
which will be different than the requested velocity if the
plug is accelerating or decelerating.
Drive Current Command The actual current
command to the actuator. This is useful during the
valve plug homing and calibration procedure. The
valve is closed in velocity mode. If the drive current
command suddenly increases, it can be assumed the
valve plug is on the valve seat.
prop. gain(#1) This is the proportional gain, a
tuning parameter. See Appendix E for details on its
use.
deriv. gain(#1) This is the derivative gain, a
tuning parameter. See Appendix E for details on its
use.
int. gain(#1) This is the integral gain, a tuning
parameter. See Appendix E for details on its use.
feed fwd. gain(#1) This is the feed forward gain,
a tuning parameter. See Appendix E for details on its
use.
gain scale(#1) This is gain scale, a tuning
parameter. See Appendix E for details on its use.
integral limit(#1) This is the low pass filter, a
tuning parameter. See Appendix E for details on its
use.
Analog Position Input This is the input for the 4
to 20 mA command signal from the control room.
Auxiliary Analog Input This is a secondary
analog input. Its use is not specifically defined, but it
can be used as a position feedback to eliminate the
homing after a loss of power incident.
A complete list of the system variables is found in
Appendix D.
requested vel.(#1) The target velocity for the
valve plug when the drive is in velocity mode. The
value is in encoder counts per time period. Currently
the time period is one millisecond.
requested cur(#1) The target current when the drive is
in the current mode. The current determines the
torque, which determines the force. The value is a
number with 0 representing no current and 32678
representing the maximum continous current the drive
can produce.
actual pos.(#1) The actual plug position, which
will be different than he requested position if the drive
is moving the plug to a new position.
4
User Variables
User variables are defined by the programmer when
writing application, or user programs. When entering
the actions for a state, the drive system prompts for
the variable to use. The variable can be selected by
either entering its index number or by typing its name.
Whenever a new variable name is entered, the drive’s
user interface prompts:
The variable does not exist
Press <ESC> if you do NOT want to add it
to the list
Press <ENTER> to add it to the list
Pressing <ENTER> adds the variable to the list of
variables and assigns an index number. Typing va ?
VC1000 Programming Manual
from the start menu displays the variables in the list
one screen full at a time. The new variable will have
been added to the end of the list.
Constants
Constants used in the program are entered and
handled by the user interface as if they were user
variables. Whenever a constant is entered, the drive’s
user interface prompts:
The variable does not exist
Press <ESC> if you do NOT want to add it
to the list
Press <ENTER> to add it to the list
Pressing <ENTER> adds the constant to the list of
variables and assigns an index number. Typing va ?
from the start menu displays the variables in the list
one screen full at a time. The new constant will have
been added to the end of the list.
Integer Math
All variables are 32-bit integers. The range of numbers
that can be expressed are ±2,147,483,648. All math is
fixed decimal; there are no floating point math
routines. When a division operation is performed the
result is truncated, so all the values to the right of the
decimal point are lost. For example, 10/6 = 1, not
1.66667 and not 2. For this reason, some numbers are
prescaled by multiplying by 32 or 64. When the integer
math is done, a number that is 32 or 64 times too big
is obtained. That number is compensated for in the
hardware and firmware, with an effective gain in some
decimal points worth of precision.
Also, for this same reason, when math operations are
performed, all the multiplication operations possible
should be done before the division operations. This
reduces the truncation error. For example, refer to the
current formula below.
NJ
Current +
If the desired torque is 60%, and the division is
performed before the multiplication, the result is zero
(60 / 100 =0; 0 * 32,768 =0) instead of 19,660 (60 *
32,768 =1,966,080; 1,966,080 / 100 = 19,660.8; which
truncates to 19,660). This may be an extreme
example, but it is a worthy example of what may
happen if the order of math operations is not done
carefully.
PercentĂTorque 32768
100
Nj
More About States
A state consists of three parts: label, actions, and
transitions.
Labels
Every state must have a label. The label may be mixed
upper and lower case and it may contain spaces.
Examples of some typical state labels are: Init0, Set
Position Mode, or Not in Foldback. Generally, the label
should express in some way what the state does; it
makes troubleshooting easier.
Actions
A state does not require any action in the action
section. A state may be used solely to perform logical
branching. If it does have actions, only one action can
be performed per line of the program. For example,
two variables can be multiplied together, or one
subtracted from another, but subtracting and
multiplying operations are not permitted in the same
line.
The maximum number of actions in one state is 25
actions.
As mentioned previously, the action statements are
executed only once, and then the program execution
moves on to the transition portion of the state.
Transitions
At least one transition statement is required for a state.
The transition statements allow conditional, or logical,
tests and directs the program flow from one state to
another, dependant upon the result of the test. For
example, the transition of a state to another may
depend on the magnitude of a variable, or whether or
not an input line is high or low.
Unlike actions, the transition portion of a state may
loop upon itself. For example, if a drive fault condition
is detected, the program flow may be directed to a
state that disables the drive and then loops upon itself
until the fault is cleared.
Also, a transition may direct program flow back to the
beginning of the state it is in. For example, a state
labeled Disable Drive could have a transition
statement GOTO STATE Disable Drive NEXT. Of
course there must also be at least one other transition
statement to provide an exit from this loop.
Also, the order of the transition statements is
important. The program evaluates the transition
statements in the order given. The first statement that
evaluates as “True” will determine the next state
5
VC1000 Programming Manual
executed. For example, if the state Disable Drive has
the transitions, GOTO STATE Disable Drive NEXT;
and then the statement GOTO STATE Enable Drive
NEXT, IF Faults Flag = 0; the program will never leave
the state Disable Drive, even if the variable Faults Flag
= 0.
The maximum number of transitions in one state is 25
transitions.
Another unique feature of the hardware and firmware
is the sense of the digital inputs is inverted. The inputs
are optically isolated and when current is flowing
through the isolator’s LED, the input is considered a
logical low. For example, the transition statement
GOTO STATE Enable NEXT, IF INPUT Number2
ON GROUP 0 IS LOW will not test true until there is
current flowing in the opto-isolator’s LED for digital
input DI2.
More Specifics About Working With
The Drive System
This portion of the VC1000 programming manual
focuses on some of the specifics required to
successfully enter, examine or edit an application
program.
The section entitled Selecting, Editing, and Adding a
State, lists the requirements to access the drive. It is
assumed the monitor is displaying the “start screen”.
Disable the Auto Run until the program has been fully
tested and known to be stable and error free. The Auto
Run can be turned ON again by typing sy au 1.
Selecting, Editing, and Adding a State
If the statement pr di st <enter> is typed into the
terminal keyboard, the drive will display a table
showing the states that have been programmed into
the drive. Every state is identified by an index number
which is displayed to the left of the states. When the
program is executed, the program begins with state #1
and the flow from there depends on the transition
statements.
One of the indices has an asterisk (*) beside it, which
marks the “selected” state. If any keyboard instructions
are executed to display or edit state content, the
selected state will be displayed or edited. For example,
if the asterisk is beside state #5, typing pr di ac
<enter> will cause the actions of state number 5 to
be displayed on the terminal monitor. Typing pr di
tr <enter> will cause the transitions of state
number 5 to be displayed.
The state is selected by typing pr se st #n
<enter>, where n represents the index of the desired
state. Note that the # must be typed. For example,
typing pr se st #5 <enter> will select state
number 5.
Once selected, the state remains the selected state
until another state is specifically selected. Running an
application program resets the selected state to index
#1.
CAUTION
Before entering or editing an application
program, turn the Auto Run feature off to
avoid creating a possible infinite loop.
A word of caution needs to be added here. Before
entering or editing an application program, turn the
Auto Run feature off. Typing sy au <enter> will
cause the drive to display if the Auto Run feature is
ON or OFF. The auto run is turned OFF by typing
sy au 0.
The reason for doing this is that it is possible to put the
drive into an infinite loop where the only way to exit the
loop is to turn off the power, wait a few seconds and
then turn the power back on. If the Auto Run feature is
ON, and if the program had been saved, the defective
program will reload and begin execution again. If the
program goes into an infinite loop again, you will not
be able to edit the program to fix the program problem.
6
A state can be deleted by typing pr de st #n
<enter>, where n is the index for the state to be
deleted. For example, pr de st #5 <enter> will
delete state number 5.
A state can be added by typing pr ad st #n, where
n is the index of the state to be added. You will be
prompted to type in the name of the state being added.
If n is less than the total number of states already
defined, the new state will be inserted at the point
indicated by the new state number. For example, pr
ad st #4 <enter> will add a state number 4. If
there were already 5 states defined, the old state
number 4 will become state number 5 and the old
state number 5 will become state number 6.
Selecting, Editing, and Adding an Action
If the statement pr di ac <enter> is typed into the
terminal keyboard, the drive will display a table
showing the actions that have been programmed into
the drive for the selected
state. Every action is
VC1000 Programming Manual
identified by an index number which is displayed to the
left of the actions. When the state is executed, the
program begins with action #1 and executes the
remaining actions in the order displayed.
An action can be deleted by typing pr de ac #n
<enter>, where n is the index for the action to be
deleted. For example, pr de ac #5 <enter> will
delete action number 5 of the selected state.
An action can be added by typing pr ad ac #n
<enter>, where n is the index of the action to be
added. If n is less than the total number of actions
already defined, the new action will be inserted at the
point indicated by the new action index number. For
example, pr ad ac #4 <enter> will add an action
number 4. If there were already 5 actions defined, the
old action number 4 will become action number 5 and
the old action number 5 will become action number 6.
After typing pr ad ac #n <enter>, a list of all
possible actions will be listed, one screen at a time,
with each possible action identified by a numerical
index. You will be prompted to type in the index of the
action on that list, which is being added to the selected
state. For example, typing pr ad ac #n <enter>
and when prompted typing #3 <enter>, you would
then be prompted for the variable name you want the
result in and then for the two variables you want to add
together. Thus an action statement is built up by the
drive operating system.
As you work with the program you will notice that the
variables are also identified by a index number. Once
the variable has been defined, the index number can
be typed in its place to use the variable. The actual
variable name will show in the program listing.
When prompted for the second variable or constant,
type #49 <enter>
At this point the system returns to the start screen. If
the command pr di ac <enter> is typed in, you
will see that action number 4 is displayed as:
MULTIPLY: requested pos.(#1) = temp *
32768.
Editing an action works the same way. Type pr ed
ac #n <enter>, where n is the index of the action
you wish to edit. You will be prompted to enter the
definition of the action just as when adding an action.
Remember, when altering the program actions, only
the program in active RAM is being altered. If you wish
to save the changes, type pr sa <enter>, to
transfer the program into the flash memory, before
shutting down the drive.
Selecting, Editing, and Adding a
Transition
Working with transitions is similar to working with
actions. If the statement pr di tr <enter> is typed
into the terminal keyboard, the drive will display a table
showing the transitions that have been programmed
into the drive for the selected
identified by an index number which is displayed to the
left of the transitions. When the state is executed, the
program begins with transition #1 and executes the
remaining transitions in the order displayed. If the
conditions of the test in a line tests true, the transition
action is taken. If no transition condition tests true, the
last transition in the list will be taken.
state. Every transition is
For an example of how a typical statement is entered,
multiply the variable temp by 32768 and store the
results in variable requested pos.(#1).
Furthermore, the action is being added as action # 8 in
state #4. The index of the multiply action is #5. Also
assume variable temp is variable index #66, constant
32768 is variable index #49 and requested pos.(#1) is
variable index #1. The sequence of commands typed
into the terminal keyboard is:
pr se st #4 <enter>
pr ad ac #8 <enter>
When prompted for the action, type #5 <enter>
When prompted for the result variable, type #1
<enter>
When prompted for the first variable or constant, type
#66 <enter>
A transition can be deleted by typing pr de tr #n
<enter>, where n is the index for the transition to be
deleted. For example, pr de tr #5 <enter> will
delete transition number 5 of the selected state.
An transition can be added by typing pr ad tr #n
<enter>, where n is the index of the transition to be
added. If n is less than the total number of transitions
already defined, the new transition will be inserted at
the point indicated by the new transition index number.
For example, pr ad tr #4 <enter> will add a
transition number 4. If there were already 5 transitions
defined, the old transition number 4 will become
transition number 5 and the old transition number 5 will
become transition number 6.
After typing pr ad tr #n <enter>, a list of all
possible transitions will be listed, one screen at a time,
with each possible transition identified by a numerical
index. You will be prompted to type in the index of the
transition on that list which is being added to the
7
VC1000 Programming Manual
selected state. For example, typing pr ad tr #n
<enter> and when prompted typing #3 <enter>,
you would then be prompted for the state name you
want the program to go to. Thus a transition statement
is built up by the drive operating system.
For an example of how a typical statement is entered,
go to state Seat Found if the commanded current
exceeds the seat current limit value. The index number
for the transition IS GREATER is #31. The index
number for Seat Found is #10. The commanded seat
current is the variable Drive Current Command
and its variable index is #46. The seat current limit is
variable DAC Seat Current and its variable index is
#81. Furthermore, the transition is being added as
transition # 8 in state #9. The sequence of commands
typed into the terminal keyboard is:
pr se st #9 <enter>
pr ad tr #8 <enter>
When prompted for the transition, type #31 <enter>
When prompted for the variable to test, type #46
<enter>
define are the application specific information such as
tuning parameters, stroke length, resolver counts per
revolution, actuator lead-screw pitch, maximum
actuator speed, and so forth. If the number of action
statements required exceeds 25 statements, the last
statement should be a comment indicating there are
more user parameters in the next state. The concept
here is to put all the variables and parameters that
might be altered or adjusted in the field in one place.
All the user variables (variables with an index number
greater than 45) must be defined or initialized at the
beginning of the program. Use states labeled Init1,
Init2, etc., to perform the initializations not done in
Init0. Typically these will be system flags, and
converting the user input variables from Init0 into
numbers the servo drive uses. Some of the useful
conversion formulas are found in Appendix D.
The first line of Init0 must be a comment line with
the program name. The second line must be a
comment with the name or initials of the person who
wrote the program and the date it was written. The
third line, must be a comment showing the Revision
level, the initials of the person who revised it, and the
date of the revision.
When prompted for the test variable or constant, type
#81 <enter>
At this point the system returns to the start screen. If
the command pr di tr <enter> is typed in, you
will see that transition number 8 is displayed as:
GOTO STATE Seat Found IF Drive Current
Command > DAC Seat Current
Editing a transition works the same way. Type pr ed
tr #n <enter>, where n is the index of the
transition you wish to edit. You will be prompted to
enter the definition of the transition just as when
adding a transition.
Remember, when altering the program transitions,
only the program in active RAM is being altered. If you
wish to save the changes, type pr sa <enter>, to
transfer the program into the flash memory, before
shutting down the drive.
Programming Standards
There are very few programming standards that need
to be adopted to improve readability and
troubleshooting.
All the user variable parameters should be defined in
the first state to be executed (state index #1), and the
state should be labeled Init0. The parameters to
The fourth line must be a printed text line displaying
the Fisher part number for the application program and
revision level. It is also recommended a fifth line be
added which will display a brief description of the
program function.
For example, the first five lines of Init0 might look
like:
/* ACME Fuel Valve
/* DJW 12/15/99
/* Rev C, DJW 6/26/00
PRINT: 14B4002X012 Rev C
PRINT: ACME Fuel PN2201-38 Rev A
Saving and Retrieving Program
Files to Disk
Application programs can be saved to disk or recalled
from disk and loaded into the drive. The drive
operating system does not have the capability to do
this directly. An IBM compatible PC must be
connected to the servo drive via a serial cable with a
null modem, or a null modem cable. Most likely this
can be the same computer used to program the drive
8
VC1000 Programming Manual
because the interconnection requirements are the
same.
Retrieve and Upload a Program Into a
Drive
Connect a PC to the drive’s serial interface. Using a
terminal program, get the drive running so the start
screen is displayed. Quit the terminal program by
closing the terminal program. Do Not type qu
<enter> as this will stop the drive, and the drive
must be running to perform the rest of this procedure.
Execute the program VC1000a.exe on the PC. This
causes the PC to display a screen that looks like the
start screen. At this point the PC is emulating many of
the servo drive functions.
Set serial communication to port COM1: by typing sy
co #1 <enter>.
Retrieve an application program from disk and load it
into the PC by executing the commands pr lo
<enter>. You will then be prompted:
Do you want to load the program?
Press <ESC> to cancel or
<Return>to begin loading:
Press <enter> and you will be prompted:
At this point, all the data uploaded is in the servo
drive’s RAM memory, but has not been permanently
stored. To save the data, quit the program
VC1000.exe. Restart the terminal program and the
familiar start screen will be displayed. Save the
program by typing pr sa <enter>. Save the system
parameters by typing sy sa <enter>. Save the
drive parameters by typing dr #1 sa <enter>.
You may wish to have both the terminal program and
the VC1000.exe programs running on the PC at the
same time, but it cannot be done. If both are running,
they get confused with each other during the data
transfers and either the transfer will not occur, or the
data is corrupted during the transfer. Have only one
program running at a time, as mentioned above.
Download and Save a Program From a
Drive
Connect a PC to the drive’s serial interface. Using a
terminal program, get the drive running so the start
screen is displayed. If the program to be saved onto
disk is still in the flash memory, type pr lo <enter>
to transfer the program into RAM. Type sy lo
<enter> to transfer the system parameters into RAM,
and type dr #1 lo <enter> to load the drive
parameters into RAM.
Quit the terminal program by closing the terminal
program. Do Not type qu <enter> as this will stop
the drive, and the drive must be running to perform the
rest of this procedure.
- Recalling program from a file
What file do you wish to read?:
Type in the file name, including the path if required.
For example, to read a file called FISHER01 from drive
A, type A:FISHER01 <enter> The program file is
recalled from disk and loaded into the PC memory.
Execute the upload command by typing pr up
<enter> and the program data is transferred to the
servo drive.
Similarly, drive setup parameters can be recalled from
disk and uploaded to the servo drive. Assuming the
program VC1000a.exe is still running on the PC and
the communications port is still COM1:, execute the
command dr #1 lo <enter> to load the drive
parameters into the PC’s RAM. Execute the command
dr #1 up <enter> to transfer the drive parameters
into the servo drive. Notice that this command never
asks for a file name or path. The file transferred is
named Drive1.sys and is located in the same
directory as the VC1000.exe program.
Execute the program VC1000.exe on the PC. This
causes the PC to display a screen that looks like the
start screen. At this point the PC is emulating many of
the servo drive functions.
Set serial communication to port COM1: by typing sy
co #1 <enter>.
Execute the program download command by typing pr
do <enter> and the program data is transferred from
the servo drive to the PC. Type dr #1 do <enter>
to transfer the drive parameters from the drive to the
PC.
The application program can now be saved to a disk
by executing the commands pr sa <enter>. You
will then be prompted:
Do you want to save the program?
Press <ESC> to cancel or
<Return>to begin saving:
Press <enter> and you will be prompted:
9
VC1000 Programming Manual
- saving program to a file
What file do you wish to use?:
Type in the file name, including the path if required.
For example, to save a file called FISHER01 to drive
A, type A:FISHER01 <enter> The program file is
transferred from the PC memory onto the disk.
Similarly, drive setup parameters can be stored on
disk. Execute the command dr #1 do <enter> to
transfer the drive parameters into a disk file. Notice
that this command never asks for a file name or path.
The file transferred is named Drive1.sys and is
located in the same directory as the Simacon.exe
program.
Again, you may wish to have both the terminal
program and the VC1000.exe programs running on the
PC at the same time, but it cannot be done. If both are
running, they get confused with each other during the
data transfers and either the transfer will not occur, or
the data is corrupted during the transfer. Have only
one program running at a time, as mentioned above.
must be possible to temporarily disconnect the second
jumper, so some type of switch could be a part of this
connection. In normal usage, the connection is closed
to enable the drive. If the drive becomes disabled for
any reason, the jumper connection must be broken
and re-established to re-enable the drive.
Power up the PC and get the terminal program
running. (See the section entitled The User Interface)
Apply power to the servo drive. At this point the start
screen should be seen on the PC’s display. Turn off
the auto run feature if it is on. Type sy au 0
<enter> to turn the auto run feature off. (See the
section entitled More Specifics About Working With the
Drive System.)
The program is entered by typing commands into the
PC keyboard. The first step is to declare the states for
the program. The states must be established first by
adding a state and then naming it. Later, the actions
and transitions are added to the state. For example, to
add the state Init0, the command pr ad st
#1<enter> is typed. The drive prompts:
State is ** New State **.
Press <ESC> to cancel or Enter the name of the state:
Example—Entering an Application
Program
Following is an example of how to enter a drive
program. The example program is found in Appendix
F. Included is a state diagram to show the program
flow and a description of the function of each program
state. The program’s function is to control a valve
where the valve plug is pushed down to close the
valve, which means the actuator extends to close the
valve.
If starting with a new drive, without any programming
loaded in it, hook up the personal computer that will be
used to enter the program to the serial port of the
computer and the serial port of the drive. Remember
that the cable must be a null-modem type that
switches pins 2 and 3 at one end of the cable, or a null
modem must be used as part of the interconnection.
(See the section entitled The User Interface). Connect
a power cable to the “L1/DC+”, “L2/DC–“, and “ground”
terminals, as appropriate for the power being used. An
actuator does not need to be connected to the drive to
program it, but a valve and actuator must be
connected to the drive to test the programming.
The name Init0 <enter> is typed in. The state is
now declared and named, and ready for the actions
and transitions to be defined. States can be added and
edited in almost any order. A new state can be
inserted between two existing states. Note that the
program execution always begins with state number 1.
To add actions, select the desired state and then type
the add actions command and the action index
number. The drive will prompt you, depending on the
action being added. For example, using the example
program, let’s say we want to add action #8 of state
Init0. It is assumed actions 1 through 7 have already
been added. The state is selected by typing pr se
st #1 <enter>. Add action #8 by typing pr ad ac
#8. The drive will display a list of actions (See
Appendix B). The SET action is index #2 so following
the servo drive prompting type #2 <enter>. The
drive will display a list of variables and prompt for the
index of the variable to assign the valve to. The
variable has not been defined yet so type Stroke
<enter>. The drive prompts:
The variable does not exist.
Press <ESC> if you do NOT want to add it to the list
Press <ENTER> to add it to the list:
A jumper must be placed between the “I/O Common”
and the “24V Common” on the input connector.
Another jumper must be connected between the
“Isolated +24VDC” and “DI2” of the input connector. It
10
Type <enter> again to establish the new variable
name. The drive then prompts for the value to assign
to the variable. The value to enter is the constant
–1125 because the stroke length is 1.125 inches, and
Loading...