Breakpoints

A motion controller can be configured to generate a trigger signal or toggle the state of an I/O port when the motor reaches a specified position. This specified position is called a breakpoint and is similar to a switch that is triggered after the motor passes a certain position.

To use breakpoints, you must have a board with closed-loop encoder feedback, since the controller needs the encoder position to determine where the breakpoint occurs. You can specify breakpoints for both servo motors and stepper motors.

You can use breakpoints as a trigger for another piece of hardware, since it sends a signal to an I/O line. For example, when a motor reaches a certain position, you can use a breakpoint signal to initiate an image capture or a data acquisition operation.

Positions breakpoints are available when encoders are operating as axis feedback or independent encoder resources. Breakpoint functionality is available on servo and closed-loop stepper axes that use encoder feedback resources 0x21 through 0x24.

Related Links:
Breakpoint Settings

Reader Comments | Submit a comment »