Aerotech UNIDEX 600 Series, User Manual

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U600 User’s Guide Programming
Version 1.4
Aerotech, Inc.
3-1
CHAPTER 3: PROGRAMMING
In This Section:
•
Introduction .............................................................. 3-1
•
The Library Programming Interface ......................... 3-3
•
CNC G-code Programming ...................................... 3-5
3.1. Introduction
This chapter provides an overview of the two available programming interfaces and the
trade-offs between using one or the other to program the U600 Series controller. The
correct interface or combination of interfaces the programmer should use depends on the
target application. Therefore, the programmer must understand the fundamentals of both
in order to make the correct decision.
The UNIDEX 600 Series motion controllers can command or monitor motion through
two fundamentally different methods; see summary in Table 3-1.
Table 3-1. The Two Programming Interfaces Available
Programming Interface Language Syntax Processor Run On Manual
Library C++, C, or Visual Basic PC CPU x86 U600 Series Library Reference
Manual P/N EDU156
CNC RS-274 CNC Axis Processor U600 CNC Programming
Manual P/N EDU158
The majority of the functionality of the U600 controller is accessible under either
interface. In both interfaces the user generates motion by writing programs that contain
steps or lines that execute sequentially. In both cases the lines execute as a background
process to the actual motion controller (refer to Chapter 1: Introduction and Overview,
under system architecture). There are two major differences between the two interfaces:
the format of the programming language, and the processor that executes the program
steps.
In PC host controlled motion, the programs execute on the PC processor. The
programmer writes the program in C, C++, or Visual Basic, then compiles and executes it
from the PC. The programmer controls the motion by making library function calls that
invoke motion controller functions through a device driver running on the PC.
In G-code motion, the programs execute in the axis processor. The user writes the
programs in an extended RS-274 standard syntax, compiles them on the PC, and
downloads them to the axis processor via the device driver. In contrast to the library
controlled programs, they execute on the axis processor independently of the PC.