command. Parking allows the device to be turned off and then used at a later time without first having to
home the axes.
Using the Device
Several commonly used ASCII commands, and their Binary equivalents, are shown below. For a full list of
available commands, please refer to the Command Reference section below.
Command
Description
/1 1 get pos↵ (T:60)
Query the current position of Device #1 Axis #1.
/1 1 move abs 10000↵ (T:20:10000) Move Device #1, Axis #1 to position 10000 microsteps.
/2 1 move
rel -12800↵ (T:21:-12800)
Move Device #2, Axis #1 in the negative direction by 12800 microsteps.
/1 stop↵ (T:23)
Decelerate and stop ALL axes on Device 1.
An axis number of 0 or no axis number implies all axes on the device, or
the device itself.
/move vel 153600↵ (T:22:153600)
Move ALL devices and ALL axes in the positive direction at the speed
153600.
A device address of 0 or no device address implies all devices in the
chain.
Modifying Device Settings
Here are some examples if you would like to customize particular device settings. Refer to the ASCII Settings
or Command Reference section for detailed descriptions of each setting.
Command
Description
/1 set maxspeed 100000↵ (T:42:100000)
Set the speed of all axes on the device.
/1 get maxspeed↵ (T:53:42)
Query the axes' speed.
/1 system restore↵ (T:36)
Restore all the settings of Device 1 to the default.
Built-In Help
Zaber X-Series devices feature a built-in help guide, providing a quick and easy reference for all Commands
and Settings that the device has. To access the help, send:
/1 help↵
(for help with Device 1). The device
number must be specified in the help command. This feature is only available in the ASCII protocol.
The device will respond with a detailed description on how to access specific information about commands
and replies, as shown below:
@01 0 OK IDLE WR 0
#01 0 COMMAND USAGE:
#01 0 '/stop' stop all devices
#01 0 '/1 stop' stop device number 1
#01 0 '/1 2 stop' stop device number 1 axis number 2
#01 0
#01 0 Type '/help commands' for a list of all top-level commands.
#01 0 Type '/help reply' for a quick reference on reply messages.
#01 0 Visit www.zaber.com/support for complete instruction manuals.
To access help for a specific command, for example the move command, send:
Initialization
5