Installation and Quick Start

Software Installation

1. On the host PC, install the Planar Motor Tool program by running “setup.exe” in the provided package.

2. A shortcut called “Planar Motor Tool” will be created on the desktop and start menu. Run this program after installation has finished.

3. Wait for the Planar Motor Tool to connect to the PMC.

4. From the factory, the PMC is configured to be in Emulation Mode. This means what you see on the screen does not match the physical set up, but rather, you see the configured setup in emulation.

5. The successful startup of the Planar Motor Tool verifies that the PMC is powered and connected to the host PC. 

Moving an XBot for the First Time in Emulation Mode

First, verify that the system is in Emulation Mode. The current mode is displayed in the System Mode Indicator in the top-right corner of the main window (see Interface Overview). If your PMC happens to be in Real Mode, see Changing Planar Motor System Configuration for instructions on switching it to Emulation Mode.

Activating XBots

Open

① Select the “Activation” tab.

② Click the “Activate” button.

③ Once the XBots have finished activating (this takes approximately one second), the status of the PMC will change from “PMC Inactive” to “PMC Operational”.

You will see all XBots switch from the “Disabled” state to the “Idle” state in the Monitoring Window. Here “Idle” means that that system is actively controlling the position (X, Y, Z) and orientation (RX, RY, RZ) of the XBot: The XBot will now resist external forces attempting to move it.

Linear Motion

Open

① Select the “Basic Motion” tab and the “Linear Motion” sub-tab.

② Enter an XBot's ID.

③ Enter the motion parameters, including the target position, speed, and acceleration.

④ If you would like to preview the target position before sending the command, check “Preview”.

⑤ Click “Send” when ready.

In the motion parameters, X = 0mm refers to the leftmost (in this view) edge of the system, and Y = 0mm refers to the bottommost edge of the system. The XY position of an XBot is the position of its center point.

Moving an XBot for the First Time in Real Mode

Turning off Emulation Mode

Follow the steps outlined in Mechanical Setup and Electrical Setup to set up the connection between the PMC and Flyways.

The default configuration of the system is a single Flyway in Emulation Mode. The first step is to change it to Real Mode (still for a single flyway).

Open

① Open the Configurator.

② Click the “System” tab.

③ Select “Off” in the “Emulation Mode” dropdown menu.

④ Write the new configuration to the PMC.

⑤ Wait for the Planar Motor Tool to report that programming has finished.

⑥ Turn off the power to the Flyway and PMC, wait for 10 seconds, and then turn on the power to the PMC and Flyway.

⑦ Wait for PMC's Status LED to turn green.

Controlling a Real XBot

1. Place a single XBot (M3-06) onto the surface of the Flyways.

2. Confirm that an image of the XBot has appeared in the correct position on the Flyways in the Planar Motor Tool.

3. Try moving the XBot by hand to different areas on the Flyway while monitoring the Planar Motor Tool.

4. Activate the XBot, and use the Linear Motion controls to move it around the Flyway.

Next Steps

• See Planar Motor Tool for more information about the tool and the available commands

• See Usage Examples for some useful and basic commands of the Planar Motor Controller through the Planar Motor Tool