SCN5 / SCN6 Hardware Thread

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I also tried with this switch in all three positions. In each attempt, I tried the 'Invert RTS' checkbox of the SCN5 Plugin in both positions.



Next I am going to try with a 150Ohm 1/2 watt resistor. I was able to obtain 220Ohm, 150Ohm and 100Ohm resistors. My local store does not carry 120Ohm resistors However, in the first page of this post, it says for beginner to try a short cable with a 220Ohm resistor so I tried this first.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Aside from the resistor that I installed between the T+ and T-, do I need additional resistors?

Thank you for all of your guidance.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Yes, I am using Vista. I have read this entire post many times, but do not see a post from Thanos refering to a cross? I assume that you are refering to jumper wires to Connect R- to T- and R+ to T+? I thought based on this schematic, that the adapter was jumping these internally based on the switch setting, but maybe not.



I will re-run all of the test scenarios with the receive delay set to 1.

I will also make up the jumpers and re-run my tests in each scenario.

Thanks!!!

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Thank you for pointing out my mistake. Here is what I have done. I have also attached a picture of my COM Port Settings. I thought that I had checked this before, but one of them was set to 38400 instead of 115200. I just changed it to 115200.





Thank you for your feedback. I will begin testing again.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I'm out of ideas.

It would appear that my adapter meets the 5 criteria?

• 
  1. external powered by 9V power supply -> save
  2. cleared with the shown wiring -> save
  3. cleared, RTS switching / unknown: is RTS normal or inverted? (Tried invert RTS switch in both modes)
  4. 220Ohm 1/2 Watt resistor between T+ and T- on the adapter
  5. cleared, switch set to DTE -> save

Here is exactly how everything is connected showing the jumpers and resistor.



EDIT: Could this be in some way Vista related?

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I searched for the word cross. There are no posts from Thanos containing the word cross? Am I missing something important.

Also, I will re-test each scenario for the FIFO buffers at maximum.

Thanks for your time!!

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I re-tested each scenario with the FIFO buffers at maximum. Still no success. I will take your suggestion and try making a loopback. I will have to wait until Tuesday though. Do to an error by the company that I order my serial cables from, I only have 1 serial cable even though I ordered two!

Could the Flow Control Setting of the COM port or other COM port settings be able to affect the SCN5 plugin from detecting the actuator?

Also, I ordered two of these http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/ ... ed=Froogle which should be arriving Tuesday as well.

Once all of these parts arrive, I will loopback test both sets of adapters and report the results here.

@SirNoName - : Thank you for your time and patience. I would not be able to get this far without your help.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Questions about the SCN5 Plugin:

1.) Does the SCN5 Plugin expect that it is in transmitting mode when the RTS Signal is high and in receiving mode when the RTS signal is low? Or Does the SCN5 Plugin expect that receiving mode is always on and that transmitting mode only occurs when RTS is high?

2.) How does the SCN5 plugin attempt to determine that a SCN5 is connected. Is it possiblt that the serial number detection methos would vary from the US to European models? I know that the US models have a different part number schema than the European models.

3.) Has anyone ever successfully connected an SCN5 to the SCN5 Plugin in Windows Vista?

I have checked and re-checked everything on my end. Again, I will run a loopback test as soon as my other cable arrives, but I suspect that it will be successful.

Thanks again for your time and efforts.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I sent the adapters to sirnoname on friday, the post office guy said it takes 5-7 days to get there, then he should be able to figure out what the problem is. I assume it is the same kind of problem, but if he gets it working you can return the expensive ones and just get the cheap stuff.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

By no coincidence, we both have the same cheapy PCI COM port card also, but it has a MosPort chip, which has worked for me on other systems in the past. I think that it is the only common denominator between our scenarios unless you also are running Vista?

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

To those of you following along. Please take this suggestion from SirNoName to verify the communications with your SCN5 and enable debug mode. I posted a video at the end of the SCN5 software thread about this.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

How do you reprogram them? Is this a setting in the SCN5 Plugin? The image there depics all known SCN5 models.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

I guess that was meant most likely ironic

regards
Christian

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Theoretically, but why should somebody buy a 150mm one, and load a 50mm profile

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

Not using Vista, but that should have nothing to do with it. The serial card is not the problem as I tried via usb-serial as well. There should be something common to the problem , when he figures it out you can probably apply it to yours.

Re: SCN5 Software Thread

My actuator does NOT release when 24V are cut off from the ilk pin. They continue to hold position regardless of whether or not there is 24v on the ilk pin. These seems like a foolish design for my purposes, but may have some purpose in an industrial application.

For my purposes, suppose someone was being pinched and I hit the kill switch. It would stop moving, but they would remain pinched until I pulled the power. I would rather that they stopped moving and the actuator was released / moveable by hand.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

You are right, it is not Vista. I learned several things if you were following the posts.

1.) ilk kill switch pin MUST be connected to 24V or actuators will not be detected by SCN5 Plugin

2.) It is possible to wire some types (maybe not all) of full duplex adapters to the half-duplex Termi-bus on the SCN5's, BUT it is not worth the headaches. SirNoNames originial suggestion of still purchasing an auto adapter with fast TXD switching remains the best advice in my opinion

3.)There is a simple tool that you can install to spy on the communications between the SCN5 and your PC to determine if they are talking correctly.

4.)The SCN5 plugin has a debug mode that can be used to find out why the SCN5 isnt being detected if the communications mentioned above are working correctly.

5.) WE FOUND THAT I HAD A DEAD ACTUATOR AFTER 2 DAYS OF TROUBLESHOOTING.

If I can help someone else with this troubleshooting now that I understand it, I would be glad to help. I would consider it returning the favor to SirNoName by saving him some time.

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

No, I think there may be applications where it is required to stop a process immediatly without further movement.

The SCN5 design provides both options:

stop and brake -> killswitch
stop and release ->power off (which could be realised with a killswitch as well)

It is not foolish, I guess.

For our application it is rather wise to implement the killswitch into the power wire, instead of the ilk circuit, and connect 24V to ilk constantly.

If I had my fingers between the seatframe and baseframe, I'd rather want a power off, which releases my fingers, than a hold position, that keeps them clamped

regards

Re: SCN5 Hardware Thread

You are correct. I am so tired now that I didnt even consider the possibility of connecting the kill switch to the power line....lol
I better go to bed soon.

Re: SCN5 Software Thread

In motion control, an emergency stop situation can be a disable all power or a disable movement, hold current. In most cases, I bet they like to hold the current such that if the actuator is moving something in which gravity can have an influence and the current is cut, this object may fall or drop onto something else. I would think that is configurable in their SCN5 software.