National Instruments NI 9503 C Getting Started

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

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)

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 NI 9924 25-pin D-SUB connector kit for connecting the NI 9401

Ethernet

Cable

Motor Connections

NI RT Controller
(NI cRIO-9014 shown)
with NI 9503 modules

+24 V Power Supply

(NI PS-15 Shown)

9 to 30 V Power Supply

(NI PS-16 Shown)

Stepper Motor

(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

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module | © National Instruments | 3

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

Non Real-Time LabVIEW Real-Time Module

Host HMI and
Axis Settings:

LabVIEW Project

User VI

NI SoftMotion

APIs

User VI

NI SoftMotion

APIs

NI SoftMotion

NI SoftMotion Engine

Supervisory

Control

Tr ajectory
Generator

User-Defined Variable

Communication

Axis

Interface

Module

LabVIEW FPGA with
NI Scan Engine Supported Platform

User VI

Motor Control,
Drive Interface,

and Sync VIs

cRIO

Chassis

cRIO

Chassis

C Series

Module(s)

NI 950x

C Series

Module(s)

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.

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Hardware and Software Installation

Ph

ase A+
(Black)

Phase A–

(Orange)

Phase B+

(Red)

Phase B–
(Yellow)

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

Phase A+
Phase A–
Phase B+
Phase B–

Phase A+
Phase A–
Phase B+
Phase B–
Reserved
Reserved
Reserved
COM
Vsup

0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

NEMA 17 and NEMA 23 stepper motors from NI use the following wire color scheme.

Figure 4. Stepper Motor Wiring

NI 9503 C Series Stepper Drive Modules and SoftMotion Module | © National Instruments | 5

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.

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