Simplex Motion SimplexMotionHub User manual

SimplexMotionHub manual

www.simplexmotion.com version 2014-01-10 Page 1 of 14

The SimplexMotionHub is an accessory to

the SimplexMotion line of integrated

motors.

It facilitates easy connection of 1-4 motors

to a PC computer for motion control.

It includes a power supply to feed 24V to

the motors, as well as control connections

for USB, RS485 and PC parallel port

(common for CNC applications).

Description:

The SimplexMotion line of integrated motors simplify

the use of servo motors by including the motor control

electronics within the motor enclosure. The necessary

connections to the motor unit includes only power and

some means of control.

The SimplexMotionHub, or SmHub for short,

implements the power supply and simplifies the control

connections to operate 1-4 motors.

The unit is built to allow customer modifications to suit

the application requirements. This is done by using

connections on screw terminals inside the unit. This

document includes specification and details for the unit

internals.

Control of the motors can be through a USB

connection, an RS485 connection or using the PC

parallel port. The latter port is uncommon on PC

computers today, but is still a viable and cost effective

way of implementing control of CNC machines.

Beside the 4 pcs motor connectors on the front panel

there is an extra connector for custom use. Screw

terminals on the inside is available to define the use of

this connector.

The internal electronics implements what in CNC

applications is called a ‘breakout board’ with common

functionality for CNC machine control. This includes

relays, a security chargepump circuit and a PWM to

10V analog output converter.

o24V/350W power supply.

o230VAC mains socket connector on rear panel for

on/off control.

o4 motor connectors on front panel.

o1 extra connector for application specific use.

oButton and indicators on front panel.

oUSB to RS485 converter built in for USB control

of motors in a RS485 network.

oRS485 connector for direct control by RS485

connection.

oParallel port for CNC applications.

oCharge pump circuit for security in CNC

applications.

o2 relays for general purpose on/off control .

oA PWM to 0-10V analog converter.

SimplexMotionHub manual

www.simplexmotion.com version 2014-01-10 Page 2 of 14

1Table of contents

1Table of contents .......................................................................................................................................................2

2Technical data............................................................................................................................................................3

2.1 Overview ...........................................................................................................................................................3

2.2 Electrical connections........................................................................................................................................4

2.3 Recommended cabling ......................................................................................................................................5

3Control by parallel port - CNC applications..............................................................................................................6

3.1 Parallel port setup..............................................................................................................................................7

3.2 Motor setup........................................................................................................................................................7

3.3 Home/limit switches..........................................................................................................................................8

3.4 Customizing.....................................................................................................................................................10

3.4.1 The internal circuit board........................................................................................................................10

3.4.2 Internal screw terminal connections .......................................................................................................10

3.4.3Relay control...........................................................................................................................................11

3.4.4 Spindle speed control..............................................................................................................................11

4Control by USB and RS485.....................................................................................................................................12

4.1 Using the USB port .........................................................................................................................................12

4.2 Using the RS485 port ......................................................................................................................................12

4.3 Motor setup......................................................................................................................................................12

4.3.1 Enable and Stop......................................................................................................................................12

5Schematics...............................................................................................................................................................13

SimplexMotionHub manual

www.simplexmotion.com version 2014-01-10 Page 3 of 14

2Technical data

The following table specifies important characteristics and limits for the SimplexMotionHub product.

Electrical specifications

Supply voltage

230VAC mains / max 4A

Output voltage

24 VDC, max 15A

Grounding

24 VDC ground is connected to protective earth

Relays

250VAC/5A

Mechanical specifications

Dimensions

Enclosure body (LxWxH)

290 x 137 x 71 mm

Overall dimension

310 x 137 x 76 mm

Weight

1930 g

Ambient specifications

Protection class

IP40

Temperature Operating 0..+40ºC

Storage

-40..+85 ºC

2.1 Overview

The front panel of the SimplexMotionHub looks like this:

The yellow LED indicator is lit when the system has been switched on. The green indicator shows that the system is

enabled.

The following picture shows the rear panel of the unit:

There is a power inlet with a fuse holder. The fuse should be rated 250VAC/5A slow.

And there is also a power outlet that can be connected internally to a relay for on/off control.

SimplexMotionHub manual

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This picture shows a test setup for a typical CNC application where the unit is controlled by a parallel port on a PC

computer.

2.2 Electrical connections

The front panel connectors are all of the same type, referred to as aviation type GX16 8 polarity connectors. These are

available from several Asian distributors and also on www.ebay.com. Included with the unit are 5 pcs connectors for

cable assembly.

The connections on the 4 pcs motor connectors are according to the following table:

SmHub

Motor

Description

Name

EN/*STOP

IN1/OUT1

Digital input/output or analog input to the motor unit.

For CNC applications this signal is used as a combined ENABLE to the motor and *STOP from

the motor.

HOME

IN2/OUT2

Digital input/output or analog input to the motor unit.

For CNC applications this signal is used as a HOME or LIMIT input signal to the PC for limiting

the motion travel and referencing the motor coordinate system.

STEP

IN5/ENCA

Digital input to the motor unit.

For CNC applications this signal is the STEP signal for motion input.

DIR

IN6/ENCB

Digital input to the motor unit.

For CNC applications this signal is the DIRECTION signal for motion input.

RS485A

RS485 communication signals. This allows direct control of the motor unit. All motors are

connected to the same RS485 network.

For CNC applications the RS485 network is not necessary, but provides a means for monitoring

and error checking the motors while they are controlled by the STEP/DIR interface.

RS485B

+24VDC

+24VDC supply to the motor unit

GND

Ground connection to the motor unit.

Note that this ground is also connected to the mains protective earth ground.

Chassis GND Enables use of shielded cables

There is also an extra connector for custom application use. It has the following connections, and is described further in

the customization part.

Name

Description

All X1-X7 connections are available on screw terminals on the

inside for custom connections to other signals.

GND

Ground connection.

The RS485 connector has the following connections:

Name

RS485A

2 RS485B

GND

SimplexMotionHub manual

www.simplexmotion.com version 2014-01-10 Page 5 of 14

2.3 Recommended cabling

Cables are not included with the unit, but is fairly straight forward to assemble.

The following layout is recommended:

GX16 8 pol connector

Motor screw terminal connector

Wire

Name

Color

Gauge

EN/*STOP

IN1/OUT1

Green

AWG20-24/0.2-0.5mm2

HOME

IN2/OUT2

Brown

STEP

IN5/ENCA

Yellow

DIR

IN6/ENCB

Blue

RS485A

Orange

RS485B

Grey

+24VDC

Red

AWG16-20/0.5-1.3mm2

GND

Black

Maximum cable outer diameter for the GX16 connectors is 7mm.

Shielded cables are not needed if there is no other disturbing equipment in the vicinity, as the typical connections to the

SimplexMotion units does not contain any signal or power lines with high emissions.

In case of mixing the SimplexMotion units with step motor systems or VFD inverters, shielded cables are

recommended. The connector chassis is grounded and the cable clamp on the connector housing should clamp the cable

shield directly.

Recommended cable sizes for the +24VDC and GND is at least AWG20/0.5mm2. For long cables it is recommended to

use higher gauge wire. Other signals can use anything from AWG24/0.2mm2.

The following picture shows a typical cable setup (non-shielded cables).

Cables according to this setup are available to purchase from SimplexMotion.

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3Control by parallel port - CNC applications

The main target with the SmHub was to create an easy to use and cost effective CNC application kit. In a basic setup for

a CNC Mill machine application all that is needed is:

•SimplexMotionHub

•3pcs SimplexMotion100A motor units

•Motor cables (According to the specification above)

•Limit switches to connect to the motor units

•A PC computer with a parallel port (low cost plugin cards are available)

•A CNC control software (for example the Mach3 software)

In this part of the manual we look a bit closer at the CNC application.

The rapid growth of PC controlled CNC machines can in large be attributed to the availability of software that

implements the machine control and real time task of producing ‘step’ and ‘direction’ pulses directly on the PC

hardware. This is done by utilizing the PC computer parallel port for input and output of the digital signals needed.

Today some applications choose to use external hardware to produce the time critical ‘step’ and ‘direction’ pulses to

increase performance. These types of hardware products are usually connected by USB or Ethernet to the PC computer

and provides parallel port like interfaces to the motors control systems.

The SmHub can be used with the standard PC parallel port or with external motion control hardware.

This picture shows the SmHub with an external motion control board UC100 from www.cncdrive.com which facilitates

a direct USB connection to the motion control setup. This device is sold by www.jbcnc.se in Sweden.

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3.1 Parallel port setup

Using a standard PC parallel port requires a straight DSUB25 extension cable (male type connector in one end and

female in the other end) to connect to the SmHub unit. The CNC control software should be configured according to the

following pin usage:

Pin nr

Signal direction

Use

Description

Out

X axis step pulse

The Step & direction signals are directly connected to

the motor connectors.

Out

X axis direction

3 Out Y axis step pulse

Out

Y axis direction

Out

Z axis step pulse

Out

Z axis direction

Out

A axis step pulse

Out

A axis direction

Out

Chargepump

This is a signal that needs to be continuously pulsed to

enable the motors. This is to increase safety and make

sure the motors are disabled when intended.

Both active low/high signal will work.

X axis limit/home switch

Limit/home signals use active high level.

Y axis limit/home switch

12 In Z axis limit/home switch

A axis limit/home switch

Typically a spare input that for example can be used for

spindle speed measurement.

Out

PWM

Connected to a PWM to 0-10V circuit. Can for example

be used for spindle speed control. Can also be used as a

general purpose output.

Should use an active low signal.

Quickstop

Active low signal.

Out

Relay1

Connected to a relay for on/off control.

Active high signal.

Out

Relay2

Connected to a relay for on/off control.

By default connected to switch mains on/off for the

outlet on the SmHub rear panel.

Active high signal.

18-25

GND

It should be noted that the parallel port is not optically isolated on this system, as it is in many other CNC breakout

boards. This requires the PC ground to be the same as ground level for the motor units. This is ensured by connecting

all grounds to the protective earth of the mains supply.

Low cost optically isolated systems typically have an upper limit on the step pulse rate that can be used. By omitting the

isolation the SmHub can handle step pulse rates up to the maximum rate the motor units can use, about 400kHz.

To still maintain some protection for the PC parallel port all signals have at least 100Ohm series resistance in the

SmHub unit.

3.2 Motor setup

It is necessary to configure the SimplexMotion motor units for CNC operation. There is an application note that covers

this in more detail on the website. But for most applications it is sufficient to use the supplied configuration files to

setup the motor.

Note that there are general CNC application parameter files available as well, but the SmHub requires special parameter

files. The reason is that on SmHub the ENABLE and STOP functions share the same signal.

Motor setup is done by a PC software called ‘SimplexMotionTool’. It is available at the website:

www.simplexmotion.com. The parameter files are there as well. To make it easy to do the application trade-off between

precision and speed the parameter file is available with a number of different resolutions (number of steps per

revolution). Typical file names are ‘Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_4096.csv’.

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Basically the motor is controlled and configured by a large set of registers. These registers can be monitored and

changed in the ‘register’ tab of the software. The register contents are continuously updated once the communication

has been established using the ‘start’ tab. Please consult the software manual for further information on how to use the

software.

When the registers are updated by editing the numeric values they are immediately updated in the working registers in

the motor unit. But make sure to select ‘Write to memory’ when finished as the register contents will be lost when the

power is turned off otherwise. There are also buttons to read the register contents from a file, or to write all parameters

to a file for backup.

The ‘run’ tab in the software is useful for general motor testing, but please note that this will change the registers and

the motor settings, which will require reconfiguration for CNC use with step/direction input etc. The same goes for the

‘position’ tab.

Using the standard parameter files requires the following workflow with the software:

1. Get the parameter file to use from www.simplexmotion.com.

2. Start the SimplexMotionTool software.

3. Connect the motor unit to the PC with a USB cable.

4. On the ‘Start’ tab, select ‘Connect USB’. The text in the bottom status field should show the connection in

green text.

5. On the ‘Register’ tab, select ‘Read from File’. Select the parameter file to download to the motor unit.

6. Select ‘Write to memory’ to permanently store the new parameters.

The following standard parameter files are available:

File

Description

Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_4096.csv

With highest possible resolution, 4096 steps/revolution.

Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_2048.csv

With 2048 steps/revolution

Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_1024.csv

With 1024 steps/revolution

Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_800.csv

With 800 steps/revolution

The only difference between the files is the actual resolution, or number of step pulses per motor revolution. The reason

for choosing a lower resolution would be to increase motor speed for the same step pulse rate. In many cases the usable

step pulse rate is limited due to hardware and/or software constraints.

3.3 Home/limit switches

Each motor usually requires a limit or home switch. This switch has dual uses; it tells the PC software that the axis has

reached the end of travel and must stop to avoid machine damage, and it is used for referencing the axis at startup. The

latter is needed to establish the machine coordinate by resetting the coordinate system at the switch position.

SimplexMotionHub manual

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The HOME connection on the motor cable is intended for connection of this switch. The easiest way is to connect the

switch to the screw terminals on the motor unit, especially since the limit home switch is often located near the motor

itself. The standard cable as described above supports this.

NPN type of sensors that closes the circuit to GND is recommended. The SmHub includes pull up resistors to +5VDC

that allows simple connections of a closing switch to GND. The input circuitry allows voltages up to 30VDC, which

allows using of 24VDC sensors.

To use PNP type of sensors the pull up resistors on the circuit board has to be removed.

Also note that the input circuit of the SmHub inverts the signal. This means that the recommended NPN type of sensor

that typically has a low signal level when activated causes a positive signal to the corresponding PC parallel port pin.

Switch type

Description

Mechanical closing switch

This is the simplest implementation and a typical microswitch can be used. It should be connected so that it

closes the switch when activated.

Signal

Motor pin

Motor connection

Switch one side

GND

Switch other side

IN2 / HOME

Inductive sensor

Inductive sensors are available at a low costs, and is a good solution with precise and stable operation over

time, as well as providing easy mounting.

This sensor usually requires 24V supply, which is available at the motor. NPN type sensor outputs are

recommended. These will close the circuit to GND when activated.

Signal

Wire color

Motor pin

Signal

24V supply

Brown

+24VDC

GND

Blue

GND

Output

Black

IN2 / HOME

Note: In some cases the internal pull up resistor to +5V in the SmHub can make the LED indicator of the

inductive switch to be constantly on, when it should only be on when the sensor is activated. This can be

solved by removing the pull up resistor in the SmHub.

SimplexMotionHub manual

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3.4 Customizing

The basic setup of SmHub allows control of up to 4 motors. But there are more features that will require customization

by internal connections in the unit. A lot of signals are available on screw terminals on the internal circuit board, and by

using wires these signals can be connected to for example the extra connector on the front panel.

3.4.1 The internal circuit board

The circuit board is mounted directly to the front panel. It is accessed by removing the 4 screws located at the corners of

the panel.

WARNING:

The unit contains accessible points of mains supply which is dangerous and even lethal. Make sure that all connections to mains supply are

removed before opening the unit. The internal power supply may have capacitors holding dangerously high voltages even after

disconnection from the mains supply, wait for at least 1 minute for this to discharge.

The following picture shows the electronics on the inside of the front panel.

For applications that require considerable more space for additional equipment, or in cases where the control system

needs to be located in a control cabinet, it is possible to use the panel of the SmHub unit mounted on a custom

enclosure. The necessary power to the SmHub control board mounted on the back of the front panel is 24VDC.

3.4.2 Internal screw terminal connections

The following table explains the connection points on the circuit board.

Pin (schematic) Name Description

J1-1

AN+

10V supply for PWM to Analog 0-10V converter

J1-2

ANOUT

PWM to Analog 0-10V converter output

J1-3

AN-

Ground reference for PWM to Analog 0-10V converter

J1-4

PWM

PWM signal used for PWM to Analog 0-10V output. Can also be used

for general purpose output.

Connected to parallel port pin 14.

J2-1

Realy1A

Connection to Relay1 closing switch

J2-2

Relay1B

J2-3

Realy2A

Connection to Relay2 closing switch

By default connected to the rear mains outlet

J2-4 Relay2B

J3-1

+24V

Input 24VDC supply, from power supply

J3-2

+24V

J3-4 GND

GND from power supply

J3-5

GND

J4-1

+5V

+5VDC supply, max 100mA

J4-2

CHARGEPUMP

Usually used in CNC applications as an enable signal. This signal has to

be pulsed continuously to enable the system, thus stopping the motors if

the PC or the software malfunctions.

Connected to parallel port pin 9.

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