-3-
Getting Started
The SiNet™ Hub 8 can be used two different ways. You must choose based on your
application.
Stored Program Mode
Stored Program Mode
Stored Program Mode
Stored Program Mode
Stored Program Mode is easy. Just install our
SiNet Hub Programmer™
software
on your PC, and point and click your way to a completed program. Once you’re done
preparing and testing your program, it stays inside the hub and runs without the PC.
Your program not only controls up to 8 motion control axes, it can also interact with
an operator using our Man Machine Interface (MMI). The MMI lets the operator
make decisions, choose operations from a menu, visually position your load, and
enter part counts, move distances and speeds.
The
SiNet Hub Programmer™
software not only saves you time because it’s easy to
learn and easy to use, it also eliminates most of the things that can go wrong during
the set up and programming of a system.
We highly recommend that you try the
SiNet Hub Programmer™
software before
considering router mode.
TTTTTo use your SiNet™ Hub 8 in Stored Program Mode, you will need:
o use your SiNet™ Hub 8 in Stored Program Mode, you will need:
o use your SiNet™ Hub 8 in Stored Program Mode, you will need:
o use your SiNet™ Hub 8 in Stored Program Mode, you will need:
o use your SiNet™ Hub 8 in Stored Program Mode, you will need:
✔
at least one Si™ indexer or indexer drive, firmware version 1.75 or later, con-
nected to port 1.
✔
a step motor for your drive.
✔
a Pentium or better PC running Windows 95, 98 or NT with 10MB free disk space
and an unused 9 pin serial port. The
SiNet Hub Programmer™
software does not run
with Windows 3.1.
✔
a PC serial interface cable (it comes with your Si™ indexer/drive)
✔
a modular telephone line cord for each indexer/drive (the hub comes with one 7
foot cable, and each drive includes a 7 foot cord. You can get longer cords anywhere
telephone cords are sold, such as your local supermarket, discount store or Radio
Shack)
Router Mode
Router Mode
Router Mode
Router Mode
Router Mode is for systems where you will be using your own software to control
multiple indexer-drives. The Hub 8 routes commands to individual drives based on
address characters that your software sends along with the commands. It also routes
messages from the drives back to the host PC or PLC. In Router Mode, the indexer-
drives are commanded and queried using SiNet Command Language (SCL).
Router
-6-
Programming - Router Mode
When operated in router mode, the Hub-8 is a motion control network router. It transfers
commands from your PC’s serial port to individual Si™ drives (up to 8) , and processes
responses from the drives.
In router mode, the drives and hub are commanded using Si Command Language (SCL).
The
Si Command Language
is explained in the latest copy of the
SCL Manual
, which is
included on the CD that ships with the hub. You can also get it from our web site at
www.applied-motion.com.
You can use one of the cables that comes with the drives to connect the Hub-8 to your PC.
Ordinary telephone cables are used to connect the hub to the drives. At power up, the hub
operates at 9600 baud, 8 data bits, one stop bit, no parity. There is no hardware
handshaking. The BR (bit rate) command can be used to increase the communication speed.
The Hub-8 requires no power supply. It gets the power it needs from drive #1, so make sure
make sure
make sure
make sure
make sure
you have a drive connected to port #1
you have a drive connected to port #1
you have a drive connected to port #1
you have a drive connected to port #1
you have a drive connected to port #1.
You can apply power to all the drives at the same
time. However, you may want to power up the drives “sequentially” to balance the load on
your power circuit. If you do not power up all the drives together
If you do not power up all the drives together
If you do not power up all the drives together
If you do not power up all the drives together
If you do not power up all the drives together, make sure you apply
, make sure you apply
, make sure you apply
, make sure you apply
, make sure you apply
power to drive #1 first. The remaining drives must receive power within 1/2 second.
power to drive #1 first. The remaining drives must receive power within 1/2 second.
power to drive #1 first. The remaining drives must receive power within 1/2 second.
power to drive #1 first. The remaining drives must receive power within 1/2 second.
power to drive #1 first. The remaining drives must receive power within 1/2 second.
The Hub-8 has two status LEDs marked COMM and POWER. If you have a drive connected
to port #1 and that drive has power, then the POWER LED on the Hub-8 should light up.
The COMM LED will flash each time a command is sent from the PC to the Hub-8. You can
use our
SCL Setup Utility
to test the Hub-8, and to get familiar with SCL commands. The
SCL Setup Utility
is shipped with the hub.
To use the hub in router mode, you’ll
need to set the “power up mode” to “router only.”
The
SCL Setup Utility
allows
you to control the power up mode. Simply connect the hub to your PC, open the
SCL Setup
Utility
, then apply power to the hub. A “Hub Power Up Mode...” button will appear. Click on
it.
The addressing scheme is simple. If you want to send a Feed to Length command to the
drive connected to port #1, send the hub the ascii string “1FL” followed by a carriage return
(ascii 13). If you omit the address character, the command is “global” and will be sent to all
eight drives. That is useful is you want to send the same parameter (accel rate, for example)
to all the drives.
If you ask a drive for status information, the hub will append an address character to the
drive’s response. For example, sending “4RS” to the hub will result in the hub sending the