SimStep
Manual - 3400 Iss. D
7
th
June 2004
page 21
7.4 Joystick - JC Series
The JC Series Joysticks provide an alternative way to manually control motor speed.
The JC400 is a dual axis Joystick that can be used to control either one or two axes.
The JC400 is connected in a similar way to the JC100 and JC200 Jog Boxes shown in
figures 7.1 and 7.2.
7.5 Joystick Operation
In order to set the joystick parameters, the RS232 connection must be connected to a
PC.
The joystick option gives variable control of the motor speed – the further the joystick
is moved from the centre position, the faster the motor moves. Before the joystick
option can be used, the joystick centre and minimum/maximum positions must be
calibrated. Note that the
SimStep
is set up for
Jog Box
operation as standard.
The controller must then be told to accept the joystick input using the command
1JM01000000
(see PM600 manual page 7-27).
Assume that the controller is set as Axis 1 and that the joystick is in the “free” (i.e. mid
range) position. The command
1AI3
will interrogate the joystick position; the controller
will then display a value in the format
01:2126
, where 01: refers to Axis 1, and 2126 is
the joystick centre position.
Now hold the joystick at one extreme of its range and repeat the 1AI3 command; note
this number and then repeat at the other extreme of the joystick range. Let us assume
that the following data are given from the 1AI3 command:
Low
1688
Centre
2126
High
2568
This means that the
range
either side of centre is ~440 units (note that the “centre
position” may not be
exactly
in the middle of the upper and lower readings).
1JC2126
This sets the centre position. A value of JC=0 will use the value of a joystick
centre tap signal, connected to Analogue input 5, to set the centre position.
1JR340
This sets the +/- range of the joystick (JR =
range
– 2 x JT)
1JT50
This sets the joystick threshold – this is the “deadband” around the centre
position. If the joystick is moved by less than the deadband value, the
motor will not move.
Note:
You must use the
1BD
(backup digiloop) command in order to store these
parameters otherwise they will be lost when power to the controller is switched off.
For further information, refer to the Joystick Calibration section (2.19) of the PM600
manual.