GIMSON ROBOTICS GR-SYNC Motor Controller Instruction Manual

GIMSON ROBOTICS GR-SYNC Motor Controller

User Instructions

The GR-SYNC is a general purpose highly configurable DC motor and actuator control module, designed to operate one or two connected motors with encoders, tracking their positions and applying automatic accelerations, current limiting and synchronization (when in dual channel mode). In these instructions, we will describe the controller features and how to configure them for your application.

For frequently asked questions visit gimsonrobotics.co.uk/gr-sync- faq or scan the QR code

Device Specifications

Design Considerations & Safety

The GR-SYNC is a complex and highly configurable general-purpose motor control module whose characteristics can be modified significantly by changing its control settings and by connecting different power supplies, input controls, and loads. It is designed with features to enhance safety, including overtemperature detection (and automatic turn-off), overcurrent detection (and adjustable response to overcurrent), stop and limit switch control overrides, as well as a fuse on the input supply.
It is very important that the connected hardware and controller settings are configured, and tested thoroughly, to suit each application individually. Where this device forms part of a consumer product, it is the product manufacturer or installer who must ensure that the system as a whole meets the relevant regulatory requirements for its product.

• It is critical that all warnings on this document are adhered to, Gimson Robotics Ltd declines liability for damages caused by Lil not following these instructions.

• As this is a general-purpose electronic device (and not a product with a defined end application) ii is the user’s responsibility

• Lil to ensure that their usage of it, and any connected power sources and loads, meets all applicable regulatory requirements.

• The device is not designed or suitable for use in safety-critical applications. It should not be used in any system directly affecting
  Lil the control or operation of passenger vehicles (land, water or air).

• If using the device with the RF module accessory (GR-RX-868A, combined reference GR-MOT1-RX), you must read and follow the separate instructions provided for that device too, and of any connected remote controls. As explained on its instructions, extra precautions should be taken if the remote receiver module is incorporated.

• Components such as the heat sink may become hot during loaded operation, be aware that external physical protections may be Lil appropriate for your application.

Contact Details

Contact Page: gimsonrobotics.co.uk/pages/contact
Email Address: support@gimsonrobotics.com

Address

• Gimson Robotics Ltd, Unit 31 Filwood Green Business Park
• Bristol, B84 1 ET
• United Kingdom

Advanced Overview

Control Modes
By default, inputs to the GR-SYNC are ‘Momentary (MO)’, meaning that they need to be maintained for the output to keep moving (a button input needs to stay pressed). It is possible to instead change the control response to ‘Latching (LA)’, meaning that a single input starts an action and a second trigger of the same input (for example a button being pressed a second time) ends the action.

This mode selection, between
MO or LA, is applied separately to wired inputs at 01 and 02 (WIR
MODE= setting) and to remote inputs (REM MODE= setting) if an optional remote receiver is connected (see section C, alongside).
For applications with a latched operation set, additional care should be taken to ensure that the system remains safe when the output is latched on, in one direction or the other.

GR-RX-868A
The controller has an input terminal row for the optional connection of a GR- RX-868A 868MHz receiver module, so that the controller may be commanded via remote control(s). When a receiver is connected here, remote inputs are independent of wired inputs, and wired inputs are set to override remote commands.

Away & Return Operation Cycle

Home Orientations

Limit Switches

The multipurpose terminals 101 and 102 can be used as limit switch inputs, to stop travel in one direction or the other before the configured END LIM= or OFFSET: positions are reached, as illustrated below. The input 101 can be set as an Away limit, meaning that if this input is triggered while traveling towards the End Limit, the output will be stopped abruptly (not waiting for the DECEL time, applying motor braking), but a subsequent control input in the opposite direction (to Home) will still work. Meanwhile, 102 can be set as a Return limit, stopping travel back towards Home. The polarity direction that these limits operate in will depend upon the HOME DIR: setting. STOP inputs are similar to Limit Switch inputs in that they enact a sudden stop, with no deceleration period, however they differ in that they prevent subsequent travel in both directions (while active).

Homing –
Homing is a process whereby the controller records the ‘zero’ or Home position, for one or two connected actuators. When using two actuators together, this routine ensures that they begin from a level position relative to one another, before the controller actively tries to synchronize them away from this point. After first assembling your system, with an actuator(s) installed and loaded up, you ought to trigger a homing cycle to ensure that the reference position that the controller is using to measure travel away from, is up-to-date. There are some possible error states, including encoder detection errors, from which a fresh homing cycle is the only escape back to normal operation, this would be indicated on the display if so.
To begin homing, you can either

• Hold down the UP and DOWN menu buttons ( ~ V) simultaneously for at least 2 seconds, or
• Trigger the direction button inputs (D1 and D2) simultaneously for at least 10 seconds, or
• Trigger one of the other external homing inputs, for example by default IN1 is set to trigger homing, and 101 and 102 can be optionally set to trigger homing

When homing is underway, the status (Red LED on the controller, and out to STATUS output pin) will begin pulsing with a 1-second frequency, and the display will say ‘HOMING TO D1 ‘ or ‘HOMING TO D2’ depending upon which direction homing has been locked to. If you need to change the homing direction lock, hold the Select button ( Q ) to escape to the menus, and go to CTRL SETTINGS> HOME DIR (menu item 17), to change this setting.

Apply the stated input, either D1 or D2, and the actuators will travel in that direction for as long as the input is still triggered UNTIL the controller detects either; a) The encoder count for an actuator has stopped changing orb) An actuator has tripped its current limit (current has gone above the CUR RTN setting for at least CUR SEN, the sensitivity time); whereupon the display will either confirm completion (for single channel output mode) or display which Motor has already homed with a circle icon and which is yet to home (for 2CH output mode). In the default 2CH output mode, a filled circle display means that the motor has been homed via the encoder, a filled circle with an outer ring means it has been homed via current limit, and an un-filled circle means that homing is not yet complete. For each motor that completes homing, the STATUS will flash once. Once homing is complete, either hold UP ( ~ ), or trigger D1 and D2 simultaneously for >2s, to exit to normal operation, or hold Select ( Q ) to begin End Limit Calibration.

End Limit

• At the end of Homing, as shown above, you can either exit to normal operation (the display will briefly show the END LIM value stored before returning to the Live Display) OR you can pass through (by holding the Select button) to End Limit Calibration.
• This mode allows you to manually operate the connected actuators, traveling Away from the Home or ‘zero’ position, to your desired end stop position (you should initially trigger the opposite input, either D1 or D2, to your homing direction lock HOM DIR, to begin travel). The END VAL shown on the display will update in real-time as the actuator(s) travel , to show how far, as an encoder count, the actuator(s) have come from the Home point. If you have two actuators connected, the controller will actively synchronize them during this process. After you have traveled beyond the HOM SL (Home Slow offset distance), you can use both D1 and D2 to control movement both away from and returning back towards the Home position.

There are 2 possible escape routes from this mode. Either:

• Press the Select ( Q) menu button, when your desired end limit position is reached, or
• Encoder timeout (an actuator has not moved, despite the output being active, for> ENC T/0 milliseconds).
• El When exiting, the display will show the saved END LIM value, which you can also edit in the CTRL SETTINGS menu.

Live Display Information

Live Display Options

These descriptions provide more detail to the settings shown on the Menu Navigation page (2).

1. Maximum Speed
   The maximum PWM duty (percentage) provided to connected motor(s) during normal operation.

2. Home Speed
   A lower PWM duty (percentage) provided to connected actuators during Homing and End Limit
   Calibration processes, for slower movement. Maximum value 90%, minimum 10%.

3. Current Limit, Away
   The current limit threshold (in Amps) applied when travelling AWAY from the Home direction.

4. Current Limit, Return
   The current limit threshold (in Amps) applied when in the RETURN direction, back towards Home.

5. Acceleration Time
   Ramping time (in milliseconds), for linear ramp from 0% to MAX SPD% in normal operation.

6. Deceleration Time
   Deceleration ramp time (in milliseconds), applied unless a ‘Hard stop’ has been triggered.

7. End Limit
   Encoder count at which the controller will automatically trigger a ‘Hard stop’, during an AWAY movement (see transition graphs, page 1, section B).

8. Homing Offset
   Offset distance, from Home (0) at which the controller will trigger a ‘Hard stop’ during the RETURN movement, after having first travelled past this point after Homing (which sets the ‘0’ position).

9. End Slow Down
   The distance from the END LIM, at which the controller decelerates down to SLO SPD during AWAY.

10. Home Slow Down
    The distance from OFFSET position, at which the controller decelerates to SLO SPD during RETURN.

11. Slow Speed
    The lower PWM duty (percentage) supplied to the output during END SLO and HOM SLO phases.

12.  Current Sensitivity (Overcurrent debounce)

13. The minimum time, in milliseconds, for the detected current on one motor output to go beyond

14. CUR AWY or CUR RTN thresholds (depending on travel direction), to trigger an overcurrent event.

    • VOL r,Me Ho Adeaoced meoo, deSOOms)
    • Maximum Voltage Threshold
    • Maximum supply voltage allowed before automatically stopping output and triggering an error (no delay).

15. Encoder Timeout (Encoder Error Sensitivity)
    If the output is active (not Stopped), time in milliseconds for there to be no change in encoder count, before an encoder error is triggered.

16. Synchronising Modifier
    Variable to adjust the strength of synchronizing routine. 5 = default, which works well for most actuator systems. Increasing this value increases synchronizing strength (but may cause twitching, and so should only be used for lower encoder frequencies), decreasing this value decreases strength (only use for higher encoder frequencies).

17. Home Direction Lock
    Sets the output direction in which Homing is set, either in direction D1 or D2 (D2 is the default). See page 4 section D, for details.

18. Back to Main Menu

1/0 Modes

1. WIR MODE: Input control mode for D1 and D2 wired inputs. MO= Momentary (keep pressed), LA= Latching (single press). When in Latching mode, a single direction trigger starts movement and a second trigger of the same direction, or of the opposite direction, causes a deceleration (over DECEL time) to a stop.

2. REM MODE: Input control mode for the optional remote module, if connected (GR-RX-868A). MO= Momentary (keep pressed),
   LA= Latching (single press), and latching operates in the same way as described above.

3. STOP MODE: 1 = Normally-Open (closing contact), 2 = Normally-Closed (opening contact). Where possible, especially if incorporating a sensor input here, normally-closed is the preferred operating mode as it should then trigger a STOP command if there is a wiring fault causing a disconnect (‘normally-closed’ logic expects a current to keep flowing, a disconnect triggers the input).

4. CURR REV: Overcurrent Reverse. Optional mode to trigger a reverse movement away from an overcurrent event. 0 = OFF
   (default), 1-5 = time in seconds for the output to run in the opposite direction to the direction in which the overcurrent event occured (if
   current on one output has exceeded CUR AWY or CUR RTN, depending on travel direction, for >CUR SEN).

5. 7. Refer to page 2.

6. 2CH/1CH: Select which outputs are active, allows switch between single channel modes M1 or M2, or dual channel synchronised mode 2CH.

1/0 Logic
All of menu items 1 – 5 in the 1/0 logic menu configure whether an input (to the input terminal affected by each setting) is to be considered Active when it is connected to a HIGH (3-12V) OR when connected to a LOW (0-1V, GND) signal. The default for all of these items is Active HIGH (HI) and there is a pull-down resistor set (internal pull-down to ground), if toggled to Active LOW (LO) apull-up resistor is set (processor internal pull-up to 3.3V). DIR ACTIV affects the D1 and D2 wired inputs, STP ACTIV the STOP input, 101 ACTIV the 101 input, 102 ACTIV the 102 input, and IN1 ACTIV sets the IN1 input mode.

Display Settings

1. HOM DISP: Home Display Mode. 1 = Travel Bar, 2 = Live Current, 3 = Max Current (per cycle), 4 = Encoder Counts. Refer to page5, C and D, for examples of these.
2. LOCK: Toggle whether a code needs to be entered to access the setting menus. ON = Enabled, OFF = Disabled (default).
3. LOCK VAL: The lock code value which needs to be entered to access menus, when LOCK is ON.

Advanced

1. DUTY 3min: Maximum average current allowed before an automatic stop, across M1 and M2 combined, over 3 minutes.
2. DUTY 10min: Maximum average current allowed before an automatic stop, across M1 and M2 combined, over 10 minutes.
3. DUTY 30min: Maximum average current allowed before an automatic stop, across M1 and M2 combined, over 30 minutes.
4. REGEN: Regenerative motor braking, ON= Enabled (default) or OFF= Disabled. Be careful if turning this OFF, as this leaves theoutput to ‘freewheel’ to a stop.

VOL TIME: Time allowed, in milliseconds, for the input supply voltage to drop below MIN VLT before an error is triggered.

Error Codes

When an error occurs, the display will change to indicate (at the top left) what error number it is, and any further details relevant to the error. See error details below.

1. Error 1: Current limit exceeded. This message will include travel direction (Away or Return) and which motor (M1 or M2) triggered the error.

2. Error 2: Encoder error. This error occurs if, during a movement cycle, one of the encoder signals has not changed (no movement is detected). The motor which triggers the error (M 1 or M2) and the phase of travel will be described. The output must be re-homed (see
   page 5, A) after an encoder error.

3. Error 3: Opposite encoder signals. According to the encoder signals the motors are travelling in opposite directions. Swap encoder leads to one of the motors and then re-home.

4. Error 4: Low voltage. The detected input supply has dropped below MIN VLT for longer than VOL TIME. Check supply.

5. Error 5: High voltage. The detected input supply has exceeded MAX VLT. Check supply.

6. Error 6: Negative encoder count. The motor(s) have gone too far ‘backwards’ past Home, and so must be re-homed.

7. Error 7: Overtemperature. The temperature (of either the processor, or the H-Bridge sensor) has exceeded the limit, allow to cool.

8. Error 8: Overduty. Duty cycle limit (accessed through the ADVANCED menu) has been exceeded. This error will indicate the duty period setting (3min, 10min or 30min) that has been exceeded.

9. Error 9: Power failure. Error occurs if power drops out whilst motors are moving. The controller must therefore be re-homed to ensure that position tracking remains accurate.

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