Archived: LabVIEW NI SoftMotion Module 2011 f1 Known Issues

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Overview

This document has been archived and is no longer updated by National Instruments.

This document contains the LabVIEW NI SoftMotion Module 2011 f1 known issues that were discovered before and since the release of the LabVIEW NI SoftMotion Module 2011 f1. Not every issue known to NI will appear on this list; it is intended to only show the severe and more common issues that can be encountered.

Each Issue appears as a row in the table and includes these fields:

Issue ID—Contains the number in at the top of each of the cells in the first column. When you report an issue to NI, you may be given this ID, you can also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in Knowledge Base articles.

Legacy ID (optional)—Contains the legacy CAR ID, if an issue has a legacy ID from NI's legacy/deprecated bug reporting database. This ID appears on a separate line directly below the Issue ID in the table, or to the right of the Issue ID in the table of contents (separated by a space).

Issue Title (in italics)—Describes the issue in one sentence or less.

Problem Description—Describes the problem in further detail. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail, and it is expected that you might want more information on an issue. If you would like more information on an issue feel free to contact NI (contact information below) and reference the ID number given in the document.

Workaround—Provides possible ways to work around the problem. The workarounds that appear in the document are not always tested by NI and are not guaranteed to resolve the issue. If a workaround refers you to the NI KnowledgeBase, please visit www.ni.com/kb/ and enter that KB number in the search field to locate the specific document.

Reported Version—Contains the earliest version of the NI SoftMotion Module the issue was reported in. If you discover the issue appears in an earlier version of the NI SoftMotion Module than is reported in this field, you can report that to NI (contact information below) to have the field updated.

Resolved Version—Contains the version the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. If an issue has not been resolved "N/A" will be reported.

Date Added—Contains the date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).

Contacting NI

Feel free to contact NI regarding this document or issues in the document. If you are contacting NI in regards to a specific issue, be sure to reference the ID number given in the document to the NI representative. The ID number contains the current issue ID number as well as the legacy ID number (use the current ID number when contacting National Instruments). You can contact us through any of the normal support channels including phone, email, or the discussion forums. Visit the NI Website to contact us. Also consider contacting us if you find a workaround for an issue that is not listed in the document so that we can add the workaround to the document.

Known Issues by Category

The following items are known issues in NI SoftMotion 2011 f1 sorted by Category.

AKD Servo Drive
300628Disconnecting the EtherCAT cable on an AKD EtherCAT servo drive requires a reinitialize or reboot to recover.
328711Turning a motor by hand while the AKD EtherCAT drive is disabled can cause an axis jump upon re-enable.
332581AKD drive faults get returned with the wrong prefix.
343677Deleting then re-adding an AKD EtherCAT axis with the same name causes the target to crash on deploy.
350236Using the slider tuning panel with high gains can cause LabVIEW to crash
Configuration
201612A torque offset of 10 V results in -10 V when you deploy.
205936NI SoftMotion Stepper Generator VI does not work in a LabVIEW FPGA Module single-cycle Timed Loop at loop rates slower than 40 MHz.
298886Encoder velocity filter distances greater than 1 do not work.
301005You cannot configure anti-resonance filter settings for most AR filters using the NI SoftMotion Axis property node.
304133Drive Command configuration properties do not work correctly.
304621Switching the NI Scan Engine mode after receiving error -77055 (Axis Communication Watchdog Error) does not always restore communication to the module.
305115Setting the closed-loop stepper correction profile velocity to 0 returns error -77037 (NIMCDM_invalidDataError).
309917The "Start Scan Engine On Deploy" checkbox is enabled when you open a project containing motion resources.
349494After a system reboot or system re-initialization, the position error limit is not properly scaled using user units.
352516Rebinding an axis to a different hardware resource can cause parameters to be outside of the valid range.
360277When the NI Scan Engine is set to boot into Configuration Mode and you try to deploy changes to an axis, you will get error -70235 (NIMC_resourceNotSet)
318386LabVIEW will crash if you delete an axis in a coordinate space and then re-add it
370476Velocity Feedforward (Vff) and Acceleration Feedforward (Aff) do not get scaled by the Encoder Counts Per Unit setting.
EtherCAT
296911Axis properties cannot be set while in configuration mode for NI 951x modules in a 9144 chassis.
300628Disconnecting the EtherCAT cable on an AKD EtherCAT servo drive requires a reinitialize or reboot to recover.
332899Powering an AKD EtherCAT slave when the master is already powered can put NI SoftMotion into a bad state.
343677Deleting then re-adding an AKD EtherCAT axis with the same name causes the target to crash on deploy.
Express VIs
304109Trying to use NI SoftMotion Express VIs that are not supported in NI SoftMotion Module Lite returns an ambiguous error.
321164Stopping a blended move causes the axis to jump to the next position.
343813Using the Points[ ][ ] input when doing a contour move returns an error on any subsequent move.
349912A function block and express VI with the same caption can cause the function block to break.
Function Blocks
349912A function block and express VI with the same caption can cause the function block to break.
Interactive and Tuning
333374On an unbound axis, gains are not properly set from the Gain Tuning Panel.
349432Resetting an axis position on an RT target to +/- 1x10^68 or greater causes the target to lock up.
Motor Control VIs
315855Some of the NI SoftMotion Module Motor Control FPGA VIs are not reentrant.
316298The NI 9502 shipping examples sometimes fail to move the motor.
323429The Spline Interpolation FPGA VI does not work with the Catmull-Rom spline type.
338791The Pulse Width Modulation FPGA VI does not consistently produce a 100% duty cycle.
326778A position error of -32768 doesn't indicate that the position error has been exceeded
356516Resetting the PI or PID FPGA VIs does not reset the accumulated position error
356740The enable input of the periodic position compare VI is not level sensitive
371917The Current Limit Algorithm FPGA VI only clamps positive currents and can clamp the current at the wrong value
376990The Spline Engine and Step Generator FPGA VIs in the Motion » NI SoftMotion » Advanced palette don't work when dropped from the palette.
381344The Pulse Width Modulation FPGA VI does not behave as expected while in a reset state.
NI SoftMotion Engine
221697Contour Move Update Points returns error -77104 (NIMCDM_bufferCanNotWriteError) when used with a Finite contour move.
227752Using a contour table configured for one axis with a multi-axis contour move does not immediately return an error.
231035You can preempt a coordinate move with an axis move.
231425Profile Complete and Move Complete are True when the drive is disabled during a move.
235309Relative to Capture moves on a coordinate resource function as regular relative moves.
236390NI 951x Module Cannot Clear Position Error When Performing Coordinate and Single Axis Moves on the Same Axis.
251637Distributing an NI SoftMotion application to a Windows machine results in a missing DLL.
252820Starting an Index reference move with an active limit causes the axis to move until the opposite limit is reached.
279080Function Blocks do not execute when called faster than the scan rate.
286804The Periodic Position Compare function ignores user units.
298886Encoder velocity filter distances greater than 1 do not work.
304621Switching the NI Scan Engine mode after receiving error -77055 (Axis Communication Watchdog Error) does not always restore communication to the module.
309433The find index function does not work on an open loop stepper axis with encoder feedback.
325655Starting a move that has a final position larger than 1E16 will produce error -77109 (NIMCDM_parametersDefineOutOfRange).
327032Disabling a drive or performing an immediate stop could cause the reported commanded velocity to be incorrect.
329767The Reported Velocity is incorrect for certain axis types.
356333Starting a new move while another move is in progress can cause a hang
356790Clearing a fault on an axis in a coordinate space causes the axis to re-enable
Other
299335Unable to connect to a Phar Lap target for a short time after reboot.
342652Disabling or Enabling one axis in a coordinate space will disable or enable all axes.
342896Disabling an axis in a coordinate space can cause a timeout error.
Properties and Methods
300004The Contour Move Spline Type Property is only used when generating motion profiles, not during actual moves.
301005You cannot configure anti-resonance filter settings for most AR filters using the NI SoftMotion Axis property node.
304133Drive Command configuration properties do not work correctly.
312573Executing the Solve Profile method after the Start method reutrns error -77037 (NIMCDM_invalidDataError).
319192Certain axis properties cannot be read or written programmatically.
335246A Velocity-Time contour move must have a velocity change between move segments.
338057The Solve Profile method does not generate a complete profile for velocity-time contour moves.
341045Some Method and Property Inputs do not Have Range Checking
343813Using the Points[ ][ ] input when doing a contour move returns an error on any subsequent move.
SolidWorks Interface
297066Moving an NI SoftMotion Module project using SolidWorks axes from Windows XP to Windows 7 does not update the log file path.
315959SolidWorks proximity sensors are not working correctly with the NI SoftMotion Module.
382922NI SoftMotion for SolidWorks only works with the most recent installed version of the NI SoftMotion Module.
Trajectory Generator
221638Preempting a move in the opposite direction can return error -77070 (NIMCDM_startPendingError).
296142Blending a Spherical or a Helical arc to a Circular arc causes velocity spikes when used with the "At Decelerate" blend mode.
312567Stepper axes return error -70219 (NIMC_moveStoppedBecauseMaxPosErrorExceededError) when they reach 2147483647 steps.
330144The Solve Profile method can fail on moves that have an acceleration greater than the deceleration.
349617When blending a single axis straight line move after a coordinate arc move, the arc move does not execute
349659Blending coordinate moves using the At Deceleration blend mode can cause velocity spikes
374856Large position error values can cause position oscillations when in closed-loop stepper mode.



IDKnown Issue
AKD Servo Drive
300628

Return
Disconnecting the EtherCAT cable on an AKD EtherCAT servo drive requires a reinitialize or reboot to recover.

Workaround: Reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module or reboot the controller. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
328711

Return
Turning a motor by hand while the AKD EtherCAT drive is disabled can cause an axis jump upon re-enable.
The axis jump occurs when the AKD EtherCAT drive is hardware disabled (controlled by pin X8/4) and software enabled. If the motor is moved by hand and then the drive is hardware enabled, the axis will jump back to its original position. This only happens when the AKD is being used in EtherCAT mode.

Workaround: Reboot the EtherCAT master. Prior to NI SoftMotion 2011, you can switch the NI Scan Engine from Active to Configuration mode, then back to Active mode to prevent this issue. For NI SoftMotion 2011 and later, you can reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module to prevent this issue. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module. If you are using the enable pin on the AKD (X8/4) as an emergency stop button, you can also wire the emergency stop to pin X8/6. Then in the Axis Configuration menu under the Digital I/O tab, map DI4 to E-Stop. This will force you to reset the EtherCAT master in an emergency stop situation.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/01/2012
332581

Return
AKD drive faults get returned with the wrong prefix.
AKD drive faults are returned to SoftMotion in the form 0106xxxx. However, in the SoftMotion help, the faults are in the form 0101xxxx.

Workaround: If you receive a 0106xxxx fault, you can find the description in the LabVIEW help at NI SoftMotion Module » NI SoftMotion Module How-To » NI SoftMotion Faults by looking up the corresponding 0101xxxx fault.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/01/2012
343677

Return
Deleting then re-adding an AKD EtherCAT axis with the same name causes the target to crash on deploy.

Workaround: If you delete an AKD EtherCAT axis, use a different name when you re-add the axis.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1 f1  Added: 03/19/2012
350236

Return
Using the slider tuning panel with high gains can cause LabVIEW to crash
The gains needed to crash LabVIEW are usually so high that it causes the system to become unstable. The slider tuning panel is only available for AKD EtherCAT drives.

Workaround: None

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 08/17/2012
Configuration
201612

Return
A torque offset of 10 V results in -10 V when you deploy.
In the Drive Command tab of the axis properties page, setting a torque offset of 10 V results in -10 V when you deploy.

Workaround: Do not use a 10 V torque offset. Realistic values for torque offset are between +5 V and -5 V.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 07/30/2010
205936

Return
NI SoftMotion Stepper Generator VI does not work in a LabVIEW FPGA Module single-cycle Timed Loop at loop rates slower than 40 MHz.
When the NI SoftMotion Stepper Generator VI is compiled in a single-cycle Timed Loop at rates slower than 40 MHz there is drift between the setpoint and the output steps from the VI.

Workaround: Only use a 40 MHz single-cycle Timed Loop clock with the Stepper Generator VI.

Reported Version: 2009 SP1  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 07/30/2010
298886

Return
Encoder velocity filter distances greater than 1 do not work.
Setting the Encoder Velocity Filter Distance to a value greater than 1 causes the velocity returned to never update. This is only apparent if you are using the Encoder Velocity Filter Distance only (setting the Velocity Filter Time to 0 to disable it).

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
301005

Return
You cannot configure anti-resonance filter settings for most AR filters using the NI SoftMotion Axis property node.
There are currently no NI SoftMotion Axis properties for the following anti-resonance filter parameters: * Low Pass Corner Frequency and Q * Notch Frequency, Depth, and Q * Lead Lag Center Frequency and Gain

Workaround: Use the Axis Configuration dialog box to configure these filter parameters.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
304133

Return
Drive Command configuration properties do not work correctly.
The value returned for the Drive Command Positive Torque Limit, Drive Command Negative Torque Limit, and Drive Command Torque Offset properties is always 0. In addition, the value you configure for these properties is not used but no error is returned.

Workaround: Use the Axis Configuration dialog box to read and set these properties.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 07/29/2011
304621

Return
Switching the NI Scan Engine mode after receiving error -77055 (Axis Communication Watchdog Error) does not always restore communication to the module.
When you remove the module from the chassis when the NI Scan Engine is in Active mode, the NI SoftMotion Module returns error -77055 on the next move. This error states "Communication with the device has timed out. Verify your connections, then switch the NI Scan Engine to Configuration mode and back to Active mode to restore communication with the device." However, simply switching the NI Scan Engine mode does not restore communication to the module.

Workaround: Reinitialize or reboot the controller to restore communication to the axis. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
305115

Return
Setting the closed-loop stepper correction profile velocity to 0 returns error -77037 (NIMCDM_invalidDataError).
When configuring a closed-loop stepper axis using the instructions found in the "Configuring a Closed-Loop Stepper Axis (NI SoftMotion Module)" topic in the NI SoftMotion Help, error -77037 is returned when the correction profile velocity is set to 0 when you attempt to enable the drive.

Workaround: Set the correction profile velocity to 0.01 instead of 0.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
309917

Return
The "Start Scan Engine On Deploy" checkbox is enabled when you open a project containing motion resources.
The saved state of the "Start Scan Engine On Deploy" checkbox is not retained when opening a new project.

Workaround: Disable the checkbox after opening the project.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
349494

Return
After a system reboot or system re-initialization, the position error limit is not properly scaled using user units.
After rebooting, the position error limit uses the default scaling, and does not take into account any user-specified unit scaling.

Workaround: Redeploy the axis after reboot. The deploy must be a meaningful deploy, meaning that at least one axis parameter must have been changed.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 08/03/2012
352516

Return
Rebinding an axis to a different hardware resource can cause parameters to be outside of the valid range.
When you bind an axis to a different hardware type than what it was originally configured with, it can cause parameters to fall outside the valid range for the new hardware type.

Workaround: When you are rebinding axes, make sure to check that the axis configuration parameters are still valid.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
360277

Return
When the NI Scan Engine is set to boot into Configuration Mode and you try to deploy changes to an axis, you will get error -70235 (NIMC_resourceNotSet)
This error only occurs when you set the RT target to boot into Configuration Mode and you try to deploy new settings to an axis while still in Configuration Mode.

Workaround: If you have already received error -70235, you must reboot the target to clear it. To avoid getting this error, either have the NI Scan Engine boot into Active Mode or switch the NI Scan Engine from Active Mode and then back to Configuration Mode before deploying changes to an axis.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
318386

Return
LabVIEW will crash if you delete an axis in a coordinate space and then re-add it
If you have a coordinate space and you remove one of the coordinate axes from the project and then re-add it to the project, upon running any VIs that use the coordinate space, LabVIEW will crash.

Workaround: Before running a VI that uses the coordinate space, deploy the coordinate space from the project.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 08/17/2012
370476

Return
Velocity Feedforward (Vff) and Acceleration Feedforward (Aff) do not get scaled by the Encoder Counts Per Unit setting.
When tuning a servo system, the values of Vff and Aff are higher or lower than you expect if the Encoder Counts Per Unit setting is anything other than 1. Also, if you have a tuned system and change the Encoder Counts Per Unit Setting, the tuning changes if you do not also scale Vff and Aff by the same scale factor.

Workaround: If you change Encoder Counts Per Unit, make sure to also change Vff and Aff by the same scale factor. For example, if you tuned your motor with Encoder Counts Per Unit set to 2 and then change it to 100, you would have to scale your Vff and Aff values by 50.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/28/2013
EtherCAT
296911

Return
Axis properties cannot be set while in configuration mode for NI 951x modules in a 9144 chassis.
Any axis properties configured using property nodes when the NI Scan Engine is in Configuration mode are reset to the values configured in the Axis Configuration dialog box when the NI Scan Engine switches to Active mode.

Workaround: Any axis properties that cannot be set in Active mode must be configured using the Axis Configuration dialog box rather than the NI SoftMotion axis property node.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
300628

Return
Disconnecting the EtherCAT cable on an AKD EtherCAT servo drive requires a reinitialize or reboot to recover.

Workaround: Reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module or reboot the controller. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
332899

Return
Powering an AKD EtherCAT slave when the master is already powered can put NI SoftMotion into a bad state.
If you power up an AKD EtherCAT slave when the master is already powered, you may get error -77055 (NIMCDM_axisCommunicationWatchdogError) when trying to enable the drive.

Workaround: Reboot the EtherCAT master. Prior to NI SoftMotion 2011, you can switch the NI Scan Engine from Active to Configuration mode, then back to Active mode to clear the error. For NI SoftMotion 2011 and later, you can reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module to clear the error. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/01/2012
343677

Return
Deleting then re-adding an AKD EtherCAT axis with the same name causes the target to crash on deploy.

Workaround: If you delete an AKD EtherCAT axis, use a different name when you re-add the axis.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1 f1  Added: 03/19/2012
Express VIs
304109

Return
Trying to use NI SoftMotion Express VIs that are not supported in NI SoftMotion Module Lite returns an ambiguous error.
The error returned is "This node is not executable because an unexpected error occurred during code generation." This is because the selected Express VI is only supported in NI SoftMotion Module Standard or NI SoftMotion Module Premium. Go to ni.com/info and enter nismpkg for more information about the NI SoftMotion Module options.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
321164

Return
Stopping a blended move causes the axis to jump to the next position.
Stopping a blended move in progress causes the axis to jump to the blended position. This only occurs when using Express VIs.

Workaround: Use function blocks or properties and methods to perform blended moves.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/01/2012
343813

Return
Using the Points[ ][ ] input when doing a contour move returns an error on any subsequent move.
When doing a contour move while using the Points[ ][ ] input instead of using a contour Table, any subsequent move returns error -77028: The buffer handle specified for the contouring move is invalid. Verify that the table contains the correct data for the operation and is of the correct type.

Workaround: Use a contour Table instead of the Points[ ][ ] input.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/19/2012
349912

Return
A function block and express VI with the same caption can cause the function block to break.
If you have a function block and express VI on your block diagram with the same caption and you change the timing model of the express VI, the function block will break. When you double-click the function block, you receive error 56004: Cannot configure function block properties.

Workaround: Make sure that function blocks and express VIs do not have the same caption. If you encounter this error, replace the function block with a new function block of the same type and then change the caption.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
Function Blocks
349912

Return
A function block and express VI with the same caption can cause the function block to break.
If you have a function block and express VI on your block diagram with the same caption and you change the timing model of the express VI, the function block will break. When you double-click the function block, you receive error 56004: Cannot configure function block properties.

Workaround: Make sure that function blocks and express VIs do not have the same caption. If you encounter this error, replace the function block with a new function block of the same type and then change the caption.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
Interactive and Tuning
333374

Return
On an unbound axis, gains are not properly set from the Gain Tuning Panel.
When changing the Control Loop Gains of an unbound axis in the Gain Tuning Panel, you have the option of tuning Gain Set 1 or Gain Set 2. If you change the Gain Set 1 gains and then try to read them from property nodes in a VI, the Gain Set 2 gains are returned instead.

Workaround: When using the Gain Tuning Panel, make sure both Gain Set 1 and Gain Set 2 have the same gains.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/01/2012
349432

Return
Resetting an axis position on an RT target to +/- 1x10^68 or greater causes the target to lock up.
When you reset the axis position past +/- 1x10^68 the target locks up until it is rebooted. This occurs for all axis types.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
Motor Control VIs
315855

Return
Some of the NI SoftMotion Module Motor Control FPGA VIs are not reentrant.
The impacted VIs are: Signal Changed, Spline Interpolation, and Current Limit Algorithm (I2T).

Workaround: Complete the following steps to manually update the VI properties to allow reentrant execution if you will use more than one instance of the VI: 1. Open the VI that you need to modify. 2. Open the VI Properties dialog box by selecting "File>>VI Properties". 2. Select "Execution" from the pull-down menu. 3. Enable the "Reentrant execution" checkbox. 4. Click OK and save the VI.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 09/26/2011
316298

Return
The NI 9502 shipping examples sometimes fail to move the motor.
The Hall Angle Calculator VI does not always return the correct rotor position. This can cause the wrong motor coils to be energized, which can cause the motor to not rotate.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1 f1  Added: 03/01/2012
323429

Return
The Spline Interpolation FPGA VI does not work with the Catmull-Rom spline type.

Workaround: Use the cubic B spline type.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1 f1  Added: 03/01/2012
338791

Return
The Pulse Width Modulation FPGA VI does not consistently produce a 100% duty cycle.
When the Alignment input of the Pulse Width Modulation VI is set to Center Aligned, the maximum possible duty cycle is less than 100%. The maximum possible duty cycle depends on the PWM frequency. A PWM frequency of 20 kHz allows for a maximum duty cycle of greater than 99.95%.

Workaround: When you require 100% duty cycle, ignore the PWM output of the Pulse Width Modulation VI and instead use a True constant.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1 f1  Added: 03/01/2012
326778

Return
A position error of -32768 doesn't indicate that the position error has been exceeded
The FPGA PI and PID VIs will not return a position error if the difference between the position setpoint and position feedback is -32768.

Workaround: At the output of any of the PI or PID VIs, check if the position error is -32768. If it is, make sure the pos. error exceeded boolean is set to true and either the velocity or current output is set to 0.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 08/17/2012
356516

Return
Resetting the PI or PID FPGA VIs does not reset the accumulated position error
The PI and PID FPGA VIs keep a memory of the last error so that they can apply an integral gain. When resetting these VIs, the last error does not get reset.

Workaround: None

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 08/17/2012
356740

Return
The enable input of the periodic position compare VI is not level sensitive
On a rising edge of the enable input, the position compare will enable. On a falling edge, the position compare will not disable. It will only disable by asserting the reset input.

Workaround: Toggle the reset input. On the falling edge of the reset, the position compare will disable.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 08/17/2012
371917

Return
The Current Limit Algorithm FPGA VI only clamps positive currents and can clamp the current at the wrong value

Workaround: If possible, upgrade to SoftMotion 2012SP1. If you can't upgrade, please contact National Instruments for a workaround.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 02/28/2013
376990

Return
The Spline Engine and Step Generator FPGA VIs in the Motion » NI SoftMotion » Advanced palette don't work when dropped from the palette.
You can drop these VIs on your block diagram and compile a bitfile, but they do not give you the correct outputs.

Workaround: Open a shipping example that uses one of these VIs and drag the VI from the shipping example block diagram to your block diagram.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 02/28/2013
381344

Return
The Pulse Width Modulation FPGA VI does not behave as expected while in a reset state.
The PWM output of both the center aligned and left aligned versions is TRUE only if the duty cycle input is nonzero when the reset input goes TRUE. If the duty cycle is zero when reset input goes TRUE, the PWM output is FALSE.

Workaround: The best workaround is to not use the reset input if it isn't necessary. If you need to use the reset input, then you must ignore the PWM output during a reset state. When the reset input goes FALSE, the Pulse Width Modulation VI operates properly again.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/28/2013
NI SoftMotion Engine
221697

Return
Contour Move Update Points returns error -77104 (NIMCDM_bufferCanNotWriteError) when used with a Finite contour move.
Calling the Update Points method when running a Finite contour move returns error -77104. This error is misleading as the buffer cannot be updated when executing a Finite contour move.

Workaround: To update points when executing a contour move use the Continuous Contour method instead.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
227752

Return
Using a contour table configured for one axis with a multi-axis contour move does not immediately return an error.
The move will start on the single axis, but as the buffer points are consumed NI SoftMotion eventually returns error -77032 (NIMCDM_bufferNotUpdatedError).

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
231035

Return
You can preempt a coordinate move with an axis move.
NI SoftMotion currently allows you to preempt a coordinate move with an axis move. This is unsupported and can lead to undesired effects on the motion system.

Workaround: Stop the coordinate move before executing a move on an axis resource.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
231425

Return
Profile Complete and Move Complete are True when the drive is disabled during a move.
The Profile Complete status is incorrectly set to TRUE when the drive is disabled during a move. Because the Profile Complete status is always included in the Move Complete Criteria, Move Complete is also true when the drive is disabled even when it is not included in the Move Complete Criteria.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
235309

Return
Relative to Capture moves on a coordinate resource function as regular relative moves.
Coordinate resources do not support the Relative to Capture straight-line move mode. Using this move mode on a coordinate move is the same as executing a straight-line move using the Relative mode.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
236390

Return
NI 951x Module Cannot Clear Position Error When Performing Coordinate and Single Axis Moves on the Same Axis.
When performing both coordinate and single axis moves in the same VI it is possible to have a position error occur that cannot be cleared even by switching the NI Scan Engine to Configuration mode and back to Active mode. The error typically occurs after writing a setpoint greater than the maximum step length specified on the module.

Workaround: Perform individual axis moves by using a coordinate move that only moves a single axis.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/14/2011
251637

Return
Distributing an NI SoftMotion application to a Windows machine results in a missing DLL.
Creating a LabVIEW executable and installer for an application using the LabVIEW NI SoftMotion Module and running it on a computer without NI LabVIEW installed results in nimclv.dll being reported missing.

Workaround: Copy dm*, nism*, nimc* from [labview]\resource to the same directory as the executable.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/14/2011
252820

Return
Starting an Index reference move with an active limit causes the axis to move until the opposite limit is reached.
Starting a Find Index reference move on an active forward or reverse limit correctly returns error –77025 (NIMCDM_limitSwitchActiveError ), but the axis continues moving until the opposite limit switch is encountered.

Workaround: Move off of the active limit before executing a Find Index reference move.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/14/2011
279080

Return
Function Blocks do not execute when called faster than the scan rate.
If Function Blocks are used in a loop that is set to run faster than the NI Scan Engine scan rate, the Function Blocks do not update in a synchronized manner and may be skipped.

Workaround: Do not place any Function Blocks in loops that execute faster than the NI Scan Engine scan rate. Either place Function Blocks in Timed loops that are synchronized to the NI Scan Engine, or use the Wait Until Next ms Multiple function to ensure that your loop runs slower than the scan rate.

Reported Version: 2009 SP1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 02/14/2011
286804

Return
The Periodic Position Compare function ignores user units.
The Periodic Position Compare period input does not use the specified counts per unit value to convert the value. Instead, it interprets the input as encoder counts in all cases.

Workaround: Convert the period input to encoder counts from counts per unit.

Reported Version: 2010 SP1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
298886

Return
Encoder velocity filter distances greater than 1 do not work.
Setting the Encoder Velocity Filter Distance to a value greater than 1 causes the velocity returned to never update. This is only apparent if you are using the Encoder Velocity Filter Distance only (setting the Velocity Filter Time to 0 to disable it).

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
304621

Return
Switching the NI Scan Engine mode after receiving error -77055 (Axis Communication Watchdog Error) does not always restore communication to the module.
When you remove the module from the chassis when the NI Scan Engine is in Active mode, the NI SoftMotion Module returns error -77055 on the next move. This error states "Communication with the device has timed out. Verify your connections, then switch the NI Scan Engine to Configuration mode and back to Active mode to restore communication with the device." However, simply switching the NI Scan Engine mode does not restore communication to the module.

Workaround: Reinitialize or reboot the controller to restore communication to the axis. Refer to the Reinitialize example in the <labview>\examples\Motion\ConfigurationAPI\Reinitialize directory for an example showing how to programmatically reinitialize the NI SoftMotion Module.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
309433

Return
The find index function does not work on an open loop stepper axis with encoder feedback.

Workaround: Use the axis in closed-loop mode. Refer to "Configuring a Closed-Loop Stepper Axis" in the "NI SoftMotion Module" book of the "LabVIEW Help" for information about setting up a closed-loop stepper axis.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
325655

Return
Starting a move that has a final position larger than 1E16 will produce error -77109 (NIMCDM_parametersDefineOutOfRange).

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/01/2012
327032

Return
Disabling a drive or performing an immediate stop could cause the reported commanded velocity to be incorrect.
If you disable the drive or perform an immediate stop during a move, the reported commanded velocity does not change from the last reported value. The actual commanded velocity to the drive is still correct.

Workaround: None

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/01/2012
329767

Return
The Reported Velocity is incorrect for certain axis types.
If you are using an NI 951x axis, an AKD EtherCAT axis, or an unbound axis, the reported velocity does not correctly use the Steps Per Unit setting in the Axis Configuration menu.

Workaround: In your code, multiply the returned velocity by the value of Steps Per Unit to get the actual velocity.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 03/01/2012
356333

Return
Starting a new move while another move is in progress can cause a hang
The hang occurs when a move is in progress and you start another move in the same direction. If the move parameters would not allow the motion to stop at the specified position without moving in the opposite direction, the move does not start and the VI hangs.

Workaround: Abort the VI.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
356790

Return
Clearing a fault on an axis in a coordinate space causes the axis to re-enable
If you perform a coordinate space enable and an axis in the coordinate space gets a fault, upon clearing the fault, the axis automatically re-enables.

Workaround: Disable the coordinate space before clearing the fault.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 08/03/2012
Other
299335

Return
Unable to connect to a Phar Lap target for a short time after reboot.
After rebooting a real-time target that uses Phar Lap, you cannot connect to the target for several seconds. In addition, the CPU usage spikes during the time that the target is unavailable.

Workaround: Wait for a minute, or until the CPU load decreases, before attempting to connect to the target from LabVIEW.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 09/26/2011
342652

Return
Disabling or Enabling one axis in a coordinate space will disable or enable all axes.
If you perform a move on a coordinate space and then enable or disable an individual axis, all other axes in the coordinate space will enable or disable.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/19/2012
342896

Return
Disabling an axis in a coordinate space can cause a timeout error.
If you have two or more axes in a coordinate space and you use the Power function block, express VI, or method to enable the coordinate space, you will get error -70027 when trying to disable any individual axis. You will still be able to disable all of the axes together.

Workaround: Enable/Disable the individual axes instead of enabling/disabling the coordinate space.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/19/2012
Properties and Methods
300004

Return
The Contour Move Spline Type Property is only used when generating motion profiles, not during actual moves.
The NI SoftMotion Module spline type contour property setting is ignored when you perform a contour move. Instead, the Spline Type property in the Axis Configuration dialog box is used for contour points and interpolated setpoints.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
301005

Return
You cannot configure anti-resonance filter settings for most AR filters using the NI SoftMotion Axis property node.
There are currently no NI SoftMotion Axis properties for the following anti-resonance filter parameters: * Low Pass Corner Frequency and Q * Notch Frequency, Depth, and Q * Lead Lag Center Frequency and Gain

Workaround: Use the Axis Configuration dialog box to configure these filter parameters.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 07/29/2011
304133

Return
Drive Command configuration properties do not work correctly.
The value returned for the Drive Command Positive Torque Limit, Drive Command Negative Torque Limit, and Drive Command Torque Offset properties is always 0. In addition, the value you configure for these properties is not used but no error is returned.

Workaround: Use the Axis Configuration dialog box to read and set these properties.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 07/29/2011
312573

Return
Executing the Solve Profile method after the Start method reutrns error -77037 (NIMCDM_invalidDataError).

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011 f1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 09/26/2011
319192

Return
Certain axis properties cannot be read or written programmatically.
The following axis properties can be set in the Axis Configuration page, but not programmatically from LabVIEW: Brake, Use Multiple Gain Sets, AR Filter Type, Digital Output Mapping, DAC Scaling Coeff, Analog Input Scaling units, Encoder Units, and Stepper Units. If you try to read or write these properties from LabVIEW, you will either get error -77037 (NIMCDM_invalidDataError) or -77004 (NIMCDM_invalidAttributeError).

Workaround: Set these properties using the Axis Configuration dialog box.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/01/2012
335246

Return
A Velocity-Time contour move must have a velocity change between move segments.
When doing a Velocity-Time contour move with the Solve Profile method, you will get error -77108 (NIMCDM_parametersDefineImpossibleMove) if you have two consecutive move segments with the same velocity.

Workaround: Making the velocities differ by even a small amount allows you to meet the timing constraints.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 03/01/2012
338057

Return
The Solve Profile method does not generate a complete profile for velocity-time contour moves.
When using a velocity-time contour move with the Solve Profile method, the array of profile points does not reach the final position.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/01/2012
341045

Return
Some Method and Property Inputs do not Have Range Checking
The following SoftMotion methods and properties only support certain values, but NI SoftMotion does not return an error if you use an unsupported value: 1) The Line input of Read Analog Line, Write Analog Line, Read Digital Line, and Write Digital line should not have inputs less than 0 or greater than the number of valid lines. 2) Any method or property with an enum or ring input may not work correctly when using an unsupported value. Refer to the NI SoftMotion Module Help for supported values. 3) The Position Compare Period property should not be set to a value less than 0 (the minimum value depends on your hardware). Function Block and Express VIs also fail to return an error when using these unsupported values. This Known Issue replaces previous Known Issues 117781 and 207784.

Workaround: Only use valid values for all properties and methods.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 03/19/2012
343813

Return
Using the Points[ ][ ] input when doing a contour move returns an error on any subsequent move.
When doing a contour move while using the Points[ ][ ] input instead of using a contour Table, any subsequent move returns error -77028: The buffer handle specified for the contouring move is invalid. Verify that the table contains the correct data for the operation and is of the correct type.

Workaround: Use a contour Table instead of the Points[ ][ ] input.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 03/19/2012
SolidWorks Interface
297066

Return
Moving an NI SoftMotion Module project using SolidWorks axes from Windows XP to Windows 7 does not update the log file path.
By default, a LabVIEW project containing a SolidWorks axis on Windows XP saves log files to "C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\...". If you move this project to a computer running Windows 7, the log file path does not change and the selected path does not exist.

Workaround: Manually change the log file path in the Assembly Properties dialog box. Right-click the SolidWorks assembly in the Project Explorer window and select Properties from the shortcut menu to display the Assembly Properties dialog box.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
315959

Return
SolidWorks proximity sensors are not working correctly with the NI SoftMotion Module.

Workaround: Use a different sensor type in your SolidWorks assembly, if possible.

Reported Version: 2010 SP1  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 09/26/2011
382922

Return
NI SoftMotion for SolidWorks only works with the most recent installed version of the NI SoftMotion Module.
If you have multiple versions of the NI SoftMotion Module installed on the same computer and try to use NI SoftMotion for SolidWorks in one of the earlier versions, the simulation will not start. Everything will work normally in the most recent installed version.

Workaround: Use the most recent installed version of NI SoftMotion for all SolidWorks simulations. For example, if you have SoftMotion 2011 and SoftMotion 2012 installed on your computer, you will have to do all SolidWorks simulations using NI SoftMotion 2012.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/28/2013
Trajectory Generator
221638

Return
Preempting a move in the opposite direction can return error -77070 (NIMCDM_startPendingError).
NI SoftMotion automatically performs a decelerate stop move when commanding a move in the opposite direction. If you command a second move before the stop has completed, error -77070 is returned.

Workaround: Wait for the direction to change before starting a new move.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/30/2010
296142

Return
Blending a Spherical or a Helical arc to a Circular arc causes velocity spikes when used with the "At Decelerate" blend mode.
This is an error in reporting only and does not have an adverse affect on the motion system.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 07/29/2011
312567

Return
Stepper axes return error -70219 (NIMC_moveStoppedBecauseMaxPosErrorExceededError) when they reach 2147483647 steps.

Workaround: None.

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2011 SP1  Added: 09/26/2011
330144

Return
The Solve Profile method can fail on moves that have an acceleration greater than the deceleration.
The Solve Profile method may fail on a move with a much faster acceleration than deceleration. On a real-time target, NI SoftMotion returns error -77108 (NIMCDM_parametersDefineImpossibleMove). On Windows, LabVIEW may crash.

Workaround: None

Reported Version: 2011  Resolved Version: 2012 SP1  Added: 03/01/2012
349617

Return
When blending a single axis straight line move after a coordinate arc move, the arc move does not execute

Workaround: Do not use both axis and coordinate moves in the same application. If you have to do a single axis move, do a coordinate move that only moves one axis.

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 08/17/2012
349659

Return
Blending coordinate moves using the At Deceleration blend mode can cause velocity spikes
The velocity spikes are not very noticeable on servo motors but can cause stepper motors to stall. At high velocities, motion may be halted without any errors or warnings.

Workaround: None

Reported Version: 2009  Resolved Version: 2012  Added: 08/17/2012
374856

Return
Large position error values can cause position oscillations when in closed-loop stepper mode.
These oscillations only occur when travelling in one direction and only if the position error is greater than ~0.25 revolutions.

Workaround: Use a motor that is properly sized for your application to eliminate the need for large position error corrections.

Reported Version: 2010  Resolved Version: N/A  Added: 02/28/2013

Document last updated on 3/5/2013

Glossary of Terms

 

  • Bug ID - When an issue is reported to NI, you may be given this ID or find it on ni.com.  You may also find IDs posted by NI on the discussion forums or in KnowledgeBase articles.
  • Legacy ID – An older issue ID that refers to the same issue.  You may instead find this issue ID in older known issues documents.
  • Description - A few sentences which describe the problem. The brief description given does not necessarily describe the problem in full detail.
  • Workaround - Possible ways to work around the problem.
  • Reported Version - The earliest version in which the issue was reported.
  • Resolved Version - Version in which the issue was resolved or was no longer applicable. "N/A" indicates that the issue has not been resolved.
  • Date Added - The date the issue was added to the document (not the reported date).