Hilscher has released a video explaining our new Integrated Communications and Motion Control solution, called netMOTION. Presented by Niels Trapp, the VP Business Development at Hilscher HQ in Germany, the video outlines the netMOTION starter kit that includes a development board with netX 90 chip, our netX Studio development software, and software-based application examples and math modules. netMOTION is a deterministic, low-latency, network-synchronized solution for FOC-based motor control system designs with either halls, encoder, or resolver position feedback for 3-phase PMSM and BLDC motors. WATCH VIDEO
Development Kit for netMOTION Prototyping
The development kit, with hardware, software, and tool components, enables the design of a speed controlled closed-loop motor control application profile synchronized over a Real-Time Ethernet industrial communication protocol. The NXHX 90-MC software development board works out-of-the-box with Hilscher's netX Studio CDT, a free Eclipse-based IDE that includes everything needed to configure, develop, and debug embedded netMOTION applications, including code examples. It is intended for rapid prototyping and evaluation purposes. Hilscher offers a range of plug-in modules as add-on accessories, including adaptors for: digital Halls and quadrature encoders; BiSS/EnDat/SSI encoders; PROFIBUS-DP and CANopen network interfaces. Further information about the development environment can be found HERE.
The NXHX-DH adaptor piggy-board plug-in module for the NXHX 90-MC board provides analog filter circuits for digital Hall inputs. As well, it enables converting RS-422 (5V differential) and TTL (5V single-ended) quadrature encoder signals to 3.3V inputs for the netX 90 and provides a 5V supply for the encoder. Push-in connectors for up to two quadrature encoders and three digital Hall sensors facilitate the interconnection of industrial motors with position feedback. Board schematics and layout files of both NXHX-DH and NXHX 90-MC, including the BOM components list, will be available for download as PCB reference design for KiCad EDA.
netX Studio CDT example projects offer different entry points depending on project needs and serve as starting points for application developments.
- A generic motor control application demonstrating a field-oriented control (FOC) algorithm with position feedback for 3-phase Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors (PMSM) using a software-defined MCL API for the higher application layer.
Hilscher has partnered with Eonas, a consultancy specializing in the design and development of components for motor control.
- One example brings together Eonas' MCL API for the speed control of a 3-phase PMSM and Hilscher's cifX API for a cyclic data exchange with the protocol stack interface using the iDPM. It "explains by use" the initialization and configuration of the underlying communication protocol stack over the iDPM to connect the device to a Real Time Ethernet network, intended to be used as starting point for the development of a custom-specific vendor application profile.
- A PROFIdrive application class: The software example brings together Eonas' MCL API for the speed control of a 3-phase PMSM, Hilscher's cifX API for a cyclic data exchange with the protocol stack interface using the iDPM and Siemen's publicly available open source code for PROFIdrive device as a vendor-neutral application class 1 (AC1) for PROFINET. It "explains by use" the network setup and configuration of the device with a PROFIdrive PLC, intended to be used as starting point for the development and as basis for application class 4 (AC4).