First attempt - 6DOF and learn to TIG weld at the same time.

The axis set-up I copied from @Thanos' post mentioned above. I'm not sure about the "Axis Type" as I couldn't find a reference to that in the game engine documentation. Right now, there are two options in that drop down - Generic 2D Basic and Standard.

Right. I took those screen captures when the Thanos controller was not attached. When attached, it uses Com port 6, and I've saved that configuration.

Hi

You can connect the Sabetooth analog signal to either 8bit or 12bit outputs.



But make sure to cut the traces on the bottom of the board:



Then make sure you choose the correct resolution and output mode:







For detection issues on simtools, make sure to set the AMC1280USB in "motion only" setting

Thanks
Thanos

Forgot to add, update to latest firmware, you might have Rev1 loaded.

latest firmware:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ukzaj0qdul5epwp/enc_6dof_AMC1280USB_v2.4_rev3.hex?dl=0

Instructions to update the firmware can be seen here:


Thanks
Thanos

The Motion Only option is in the second menu option under the USO Data parameter:



Enter that menu option and enter second time and select:




Did you try to move the position sensor manually to see if you can adjust the motor speed and direction?

What kind of analog sensor you are using? If its a simple potentiometer you may just reverse the positive-negative connection to reverse the way it reads the position. Maybe this is why the motor keeps running 360 degrees. Try swaping the motor connection so the motor runs the other way around.

If you are using the Magnetic Hall effect sensors you might not be able to just reverse the positive-negative (it will damage the sensor). In that case you will have to reverse the sensor reading using:



to this (for 6DOF with motors placed in facing pairs):


Thanks
Thanos

Thanks again, @Thanos. I have configured the board (by cutting traces) and controller (via menu settings and updating the firmware) as you directed above. I am getting the same behavior when I apply power to the rig, so I thought I would upload these videos to see if that gives anyone a clue as to what I might be doing wrong. I am having trouble understanding how to get the motors to be parked at power up so that I can test and set them up properly. Right now, they all just spin continuously. Do I need to set power on and power off behaviors for the motors? I recall seeing settings for that somewhere in game engine, but I could not find them tonight. Do I need limit switches? I'm not sure how I'd set those up, given the torque and inertia of the motors. I could see them breaking very easily. Anyway, here are some brief videos...

The platform as soon as power is applied:


The LCD display of the controller at the same time:

I'm away for a couple of days, but, thinking about this, I wonder if it could be as simple as a grounding/ground loop problem. I was testing with my laptop, which was connected to the Thanos via USB, but running on battery. The 0 (zero)V terminals on the Sabertooths are connected together and then to a ground connection on the Thanos controller.

Since the B- terminals on the Sabertooths are connected to ground through the battery cable and LED power supplies, I wonder if the wires connecting the 0V terminals to the Thanos controller are causing a ground loop and acting as a voltage divider. Could that cause spurious signals at the S1 & S2 inputs to the Sabertooths?

Its hard tell if you are reading correctly the position sensors. In the video they look as if they are either High or Low, not voltage. Are you sure the sensors are set to 10-bit?

Also set the max motor speed to 10 or 15%, the motors turn too fast to see the sensor indication bars.
If you click enter while showing the bars on the lcd, it will display numeric values.

Also set PID to 10,0,0

Thanks
Thanos

Thanks for watching the videos, @Thanos. I will check again when I get home, but I am pretty sure I set the sensors to 10-bit. I also did reduce the max motor speed, figuring that would make it easier to see what was going on, but the speed you see in the video (after the max speed was reduced) is the same as it was before I reduced the max speed. I'll double check everything again when I get home next week.

Good project, look forward to see more

Well... it was a good project until I hit the wall. Back at it after a few days away. While I was gone, I talked myself into hoping the problem was as simple as a ground loop. I made some adjustments to the signal ground today so that the ground for the AMC1280 and those for the Sabertooths come together at a common point, but I get exactly the same behavior, so that clearly wasn't the problem. I'm going to post some photos here in the hopes that someone will see something that I've done wrong. (I'm also having a problem with one of the Sabertooths - its fan doesn't spin, though it drives the motors. That problem follows the Sabertooth, no matter where I have it wired in, so the unit is being sent back. I doubt it's my main problem, anyway).

The photos are as follows: First the display screens of my Thanos controller. Some of the setting have been adjusted per @Thanos's suggestions above, but most are the "factory presets." Second, photos of the Thanos controller and the Sabertooths. Third a crude wiring diagram. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. It occurs to me that this thread should not have a "Showroom" classification...

Have you tried to reverse the + and - phases of your engines? I know that on my 350w engines some are constantly looping the solution is to reverse the + and - phases on the sabertooth.

Originally, I had each facing pair (e.g., #1 and #2) wired to the Sabertooths identically - that is, both M1A and M2A were positive and M1B and M2B were negative. I then switched things around so that each facing pair was wired oppositely - that is, M1A and M1B were positive and negative for one motor, while M2A and M2B were negative and positive for the other motor. Is that what you mean?

What I mean is, if currently M1A is positive and M1B is negative, we have to try to reverse so that M1A is negative and M1B is positive. If it works, do the same with other engines. For my part it worked but I do not have the same engines as you, do you have potentiometers? If yes, are they all connected in the same way?

So, reverse the polarity to all motors. No, I hadn't tried that, but I will. I'm using Hall effect sensors instead of potentiometers. I do recall another thread in which someone mentioned reversing the polarity of his motors when used with these.

Okay, just try on one engine and you'll see if it works is that the worries come from the

Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it, but got the same results I've been getting. To take things to the simplest level, I disconnected the rod from the motor #1 and disconnected power to all motors except #1. Regardless of the polarity at the Sabertooth, when I applied power, the motor just spun continuously (though obviously in a different direction depending on polarity).

@Thanos, you mentioned that you couldn't tell from my video if the sensors were being read correctly ("Its hard tell if you are reading correctly the position sensors. In the video they look as if they are either High or Low, not voltage. Are you sure the sensors are set to 10-bit?"). I took the Hall effect sensor off the motor shaft and tried turning it by hand. When turning clockwise, and watching the controller display, I saw the values increment from 3 to 95. Then there was a dead spot for a quarter turn and then the display went back to 3 began to increment again. I don't know if that is what it should be reading, but it's definitely not just High and Low as it appeared in the video above.

Mine works perfectly with my 2 x 60 sabertooths, but I am using the barebones board. Your obviously missing something simple, one thing I noted is convention would have you take a earth wire from a signal Earth on the 1280 to each of the sabertooths 0V analog inputs and get rid of the wire directly from the battery. Not saying it will fix your issue, but it just looks wrong..to me. What are your switch settings on the Sabertooth?