Troubleshooting
Moog Animatics Class 5 SmartMotor™ DMX Guide, Rev. C
Page 44 of 46
Issue
Cause
Solution
Erratic/no
communication over
RS-485.
RS-485 biasing is
incorrect.
See EIA-485-A standards. Verify that
shunt is used (see System Cable Diagram
on page 18).
Incorrect signal cable
wiring.
See System Cable Diagram on page 18.
Cable lengths are too
long or incorrect
topology.
See EIA-485-A standards. See DMX
Network Topology on page 17.
Common Faults
Bus voltage fault.
Bus voltage is either too
high or too low for
operation.
Check servo bus voltage. If motor uses
the DE power option, ensure that both
drive and control power are connected.
Overcurrent
occurred.
Motor intermittently
drew more than its
rated level of current.
Does not cease motion.
Consider making motion less abrupt with
softer tuning parameters or acceleration
profiles.
Excessive
temperature fault.
Motor has exceeded
temperature limit of
85°C. Motor will remain
unresponsive until it
cools down below 80°C.
Motor may be undersized or ambient
temperature is too high. Consider adding
heat sinks or forced air cooling to the
system.
Excessive position
error.
The motor's
commanded position
and actual position
differ by more than the
user-supplied error
limit.
Increase error limit, decrease load or
make movement less aggressive.
Historical
positive/negative
hardware limit faults.
A limit switch was
tripped in the past.
Clear errors with the ZS command.
Motor does not have
limit switches attached.
Configure the motor to be used without
limit switches by setting their inputs as
general use.
Programming and SMI Issues
Several commands
not recognized during
compiling.
Compiler default
firmware version set
incorrectly.
Use the Compiler default firmware
version option in the SMI software
Compile menu to select a default
firmware version closest to the motor's
firmware version. In the SMI software,
view the motor's firmware version by
right-clicking the motor and selecting
Properties.
SmartMotor not
positioning object at
expected location.
Motor not homed before
executing DMX code.
See Home Against a Hard Stop Example
on page 30.
SmartMotor not
responding to DMX
commands.
Varies.
Check status bits (see Status Bits on page
25). Use Packet Test program (see DMX
Packet Test Example on page 38).
