SoftMotion Compatibility with LabVIEW Real Time Controllers

Overview

The LabVIEW SoftMotion Modules uses virtual axes to program motion control applications. These axes are used to bind SoftMotion with several different types of interfaces to drives on a variety of LabVIEW Real Time controllers. This document gives an overview of the axis types supported on each controller type.

Note: This list only applies to the latest released version of SoftMotion. This list is not complete, as only Linux-based RT targets and PXI controllers are listed. Older targets may still be supported.

Contents

CompactRIO

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
cRIO-9030XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9031XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9032XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9033XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9034XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9035XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9036XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9037XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9038XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9039XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9040XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9041XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9042XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9043XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9045XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9046XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9047XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9048XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9049XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9063XXX   XX
cRIO-9064XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9065XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9066XXX   XX
cRIO-9067XXXXXXXX
cRIO-9068XXXXXXXX

 

Real Time CompactDAQ

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
cDAQ-9132   XXXXX
cDAQ-9133   XXXXX
cDAQ-9134   XXXXX
cDAQ-9135   XXXXX
cDAQ-9136   XXXXX
cDAQ-9137   XXXXX

 

Real Time Industrial Controller

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
IC-3120   XXXXX
IC-3121      XX
IC-3171   XXXXX
IC-3172   XXXXX
IC-3173   XXXXX

 

Real Time Compact Vision System

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
CVS-1457   XXXXX
CVS-1458RT   XXXXX
CVS-1459RT      XX

 

CompactRIO Single Board Controller

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
sbRIO-9607X     XX
sbRIO-9627X     XX
sbRIO-9637X     XX
sbRIO-9651X     XX

 

Real Time PXI Controller

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
Any RT PXI Controller with 2x Ethernet Ports   XXXXX
Any RT PXI Controller with 1x Ethernet Port      XX

 

myRIO

ControllerGeneric User- Defined VariableNI 951x Drive Interface ModuleNI 950x Drive ModuleEtherCAT Kollmorgen AKDEtherCAT SoftMotion Drive InterfaceNI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion ChassisNI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion ChassisEthernet Stepper Drive or ISM
myRIO-1900      XX
myRIO-1950      XX

 

Axis Type Definitions

This section gives a brief description and an overview of the use case for each SoftMotion Virtual Axis type. For more information, see the SoftMotion help accessible from LabVIEW.

Generic User-Defined Variable

User-defined variable axes use UDVs to transfer motion control data between the RT controller and FPGA. This allows for FPGA customization of control loops, feedback mechanisms, I/O routing, etc. NI 950x Drive Modules use UDV axes for communication with SoftMotion, while the SISU-1004 stepper drive interface module uses generic UDV axes as an example of custom drive interface logic.

NI 951x Drive Interface Module

NI 951x Drive Interface Modules use the NI RIO Scan Engine to interface between SoftMotion and motor drives. Control loops, encoder settings, and drive signals are configured in the LabVIEW project, and FPGA programming is not required.

NI 950x Drive Module

NI 950x Drive Modules are complete motor drives for the C Series platform. Utilizing UDV axes, SoftMotion sends motion control data to the FPGA, where the entire drive firmware is available for customization based on LabVIEW Sample Projects.

EtherCAT Kollmorgen AKD

SoftMotion has native compatibility with Kollmorgen's AKD Brushless Servo Drive. Using NI's Industrial Communication for EtherCAT driver on a real-time target, EtherCAT provides a deterministic Ethernet-based communication bus which SoftMotion uses to send and receive data from the drive.

EtherCAT SoftMotion Drive Interface

Similar to the Kollmorgen AKD, SoftMotion now supports many third-party EtherCAT drives based on the DS402 motion control state standard. Using SoftMotion Drive Interface (SDI) Plug-ins, users can add SoftMotion compatibility to a wide variety of servo and stepper motor drives.

NI 9144/9145 EtherCAT Expansion Chassis

The NI 9144 and 9145 EtherCAT Expansion Chassis give EtherCAT-compatible real-time controllers expanded I/O capabilities synchronized by the Scan Engine. These chassis support the NI 951x Drive Interface Modules, allowing the host controller to interface with stepper and servo motors.

NI 9146/7/8/9 Ethernet Expansion Chassis

The NI 9146, 9147, 9148, and 9149 Ethernet Expansion Chassis give all NI controllers and Windows PCs access to the C Series platform. These chassis support NI 951x Drive Interface Modules, NI 950x Drive Modules, and User-Defined Variable axis types. Although communication to the host controller or PC is non-deterministic, SoftMotion axes on the same 9146/7/8/9 chassis are synchronized to the Scan Engine.

Ethernet Stepper Drive or ISM

NI's line of Ethernet Stepper Drives and Integrated Stepper Motors (ISMs) are compatible with all controllers. Using non-deterministic Ethernet communication allows users to add simple, non-synchronized stepper motor control to a variety of applications.

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