Teknic System Manual

SST SERVO SYSTEM

INCLUDES INFORMATION ON:
SST-1500 SERVO DRIVE;
SYSTEMS/MOTORS—
[1726, 2330, 2348, 3437, 3450, 3462, 3471, 4780];
SST-3PS12-75 AND SST-EMF75 POWER SUPPLIES.

V3.8/DECEMBER 19, 2008

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
OVERVIEW...................................................................1
Benefits:.......................................................................................... 1
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION ........................................5
Electrical Isolation & Grounding .................................................. 6
The Golden Rules of SSt Electrical Installation.............................7
Connecting your controller to the SSt-1500 ................................10
Connecting a Motor to the SSt-1500............................................14
Controller signalling details ......................................................... 15
Power Supply............................................................................... 24
MECHANICAL INSTALLATION.....................................32
Motor Outline Drawings: ............................................................ 33
ENCODER FEEDBACK IN YOUR APPLICATION ..........44
SST-QUICKSET™ CONFIGURATION AND
INTEGRATION SOFTWARE ........................................50
Required Hardware..................................................................... 50
SSt-QuickSet™ Installation ........................................................ 50
Using SSt-QuickSet™................................................................... 51
OPTIMIZING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE (TUNING) ......54
Servo Glossary ............................................................................. 54
The SSt servo drive Compensator (Control Algorithms)............55
SSt servo drive Built-In Instrumentation ................................... 56
Tuning for Performance.............................................................. 59
Tailoring the Response to Your Application................................67
TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR MACHINE.......................72
How to Use this Section ...............................................................72
Important Note on Power Cycling ...............................................72
Problem Table of Contents...........................................................73
DRIVE SHUTS DOWN (GREEN LED BLINKS SLOWLY)74
Tracking Error Shutdowns Occur ................................................74
RMS limit shutdowns occur and/or Motor Runs Hot.................76
I/V shutdowns occur ................................................................... 82
LACK (OR PARTIAL LACK) OF MOVEMENT ................85
Motor Will Not Move .................................................................. 85
MOVEMENT NOT SMOOTH ........................................89
Axis Jerks at End of Move........................................................... 89
Axis jerks at beginning of moves ................................................ 92
Motion erratic (“jerky”) while moving at constant velocity ....... 93
Large velocity/torque ripple or “cogging” is evident.................. 94
MOVE LENGTH INCORRECT/UNREPEATABLE ..........95
Motor shaft moves wrong, but repeatable, distance .................. 95
Motor shaft moves an unrepeatable distance............................. 96
Load moves an incorrect, unrepeatable distance ....................... 99
Motor “walks” when no step pulses are given .......................... 100
TORQUE SEEMS LOW .............................................101
Motor moves but does not have full torque ............................... 101
Motor loses torque (or performance degrades) after running ..103

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 MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS ................................. 105
Axis resonates or “whines” ........................................................ 105
Limit switches don't seem to work properly ............................. 107
Encoder error shutdowns occur ................................................108
Drive resets when motor attempts to move .............................. 110
Thermal protection Shutdowns occur ........................................ 111
APPENDIX A: SST-1500 SPECIFICATIONS ..............112
APPENDIX B: CONNECTORS ................................... 113
INDEX ...................................................................... 114

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OVERVIEW
Congratulations on your investment in the SSt-1500 servo drive: today's
way to get the easy digital control and low cost of a stepper motor system,
but with state-of-the-art DSP driven, sinewave-commutated brushless
servo performance.
Unlike most servo drives that control only torque or velocity, SSt
servo drives also control position by using digital step and direction
pulses as input. And it's the only high-performance servo on the market
that can compete on a price basis with open-loop stepper motor systems.
So where's the catch? How can a servo offer state-of-the-art features
and performance, yet cost so little? Well, it's the combination of several
factors working together to increase performance, while simultaneously
lowering product cost that explains this apparent contradiction:
1. To increase performance, the SSt servo drive leverages the
extraordinary processing power of Digital Signal Processors
(DSPs). With the number crunching ability of DSPs, Teknic has
implemented advanced control algorithms that have been
previously impractical. For example, SSt servo drive uses PIV
control with dual feedforward terms, instead of the more
common, but inferior, PID algorithms. We have also
implemented several innovative and proprietary algorithms using
fuzzy logic, among other techniques, to achieve superior
performance.
2. To reduce cost, we have replaced expensive hardware, wherever
possible, with DSP firmware. For example, even the SSt servo
drive’s current loops are fully digital; in this case, not just
reducing cost, but also enhancing performance and improving
reliability at the same time.
3. Teknic designed SSt servo drive exclusively for OEM users,
allowing us maximize product value specifically for them. And
because we don't sell to end-users, we don't need distributors,
thus eliminating the cost of middlemen who add at least thirty
percent to your cost. Our sales engineers are all factory-direct
specialists, assuring you the top-notch technical support and
applications advice for which Teknic has earned respect.
So now that you know how a brushless, positioning servo drive with
state-of-the-art features can cost as little as an open-loop microstepper,
how about some specifics? How do these features benefit you, and how
does the SSt servo drive’s performance compare with other servo
solutions?

BENEFITS:

EXPANDED TORQUE-SPEED LEADS TO HIGHER THROUGHPUT

The throughput of your machine is directly related to the power your
drive motors can produce. The efficiency and dynamic performance of
the SSt servo drive’s closed-loop vector torque control gives you higher
torque and speed for measurably greater power than most servos twice
its price, and typically four to eight times as much power as a stepper
motor of equivalent cost or size. This, coupled with the SSt servo drive’s

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2 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

fast settling performance, can more than double the throughput of your
machine in typical applications.
Best of all, if you now use steppers, you can, for the first time, get this
increased throughput with no increase in cost, and without rewriting
your software or retooling your mechanics.

HIGH BANDWIDTH, CLOSED-LOOP OPERATION FOR

CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE
For those of you familiar with the performance attainable with high-
bandwidth servos, you'll be excited that the SSt servo drive offers a
control bandwidth that is literally twice as wide as most other servos,
regardless of price. (It has an attainable velocity bandwidth of greater
than 420 Hz and a position bandwidth above 115 Hz!) This means that
the SSt servo drive’s dynamic performance, settling time, tracking
accuracy, and dynamic stiffness is superb. The exclusive IMT adaptive
control feature not only increases the robustness of control but also
allows you to increase the integral gain for even more stiffness.
To see what wide bandwidth means in the real world, picture one
OEM's new design: An SSt servo driven IC handler that moves chips at
240 inches/sec, decelerates at 11,680 in/sec2 (over 30 G's) while
maintaining a tracking accuracy of better than 18 mils, and settles to a
stop less than 2 milliseconds after receiving its last step input! Even if
your application is not this demanding, you can be comfortable that the
SSt servo drive’s wide bandwidth will provide you with enough headroom
to assure exceptional servo control under all conditions.
Stepper users will appreciate that the SSt servo drive’s closed loop
operation prevents it from ever losing a step. You can feed SSt servo
drive any number of steps, at virtually any rate or acceleration and, even
if the SSt servo drive falls behind, it will never lose a step. In contrast to
"closed loop" stepper motor systems (i.e. those with encoder position
verification), the SSt servo drive corrects for errors continuously, not just
at the end of a move. So there is never any waiting for a position "trim"
procedure to complete.
SSt servo drives are also "stiffer" than a stepper system - Twenty
times stiffer for small disturbances at rest - and up to 100x stiffer when
operating at speed.

FREEDOM FROM SERVO JITTER AND "HUNTING":

A common complaint of servo users is that if they increase their loop
gains to get the dynamic performance they want, their motor won't stay
still at its commanded position. It becomes very jittery and tends to hunt
back and forth between adjacent encoder counts. The SSt servo drive’s
Anti-Hunt™ feature employs a proprietary algorithm that uses fuzzy
logic and the advantage of DSP processing power to virtually eliminate
servo jitter.

ULTRA-SMOOTH MOTION WITHOUT TORQUE RIPPLE OR

"COGGING" EVEN AT LOW SPEED:
The SSt servo drive’s sinewave commutation allows the magnetic field
of a motor stator to be positioned within a few arc-minutes of its optimal
value, compared to the sixty degrees of stator field resolution in most
brushless drives. Since the optimal angle between the rotor and stator
fields can always be achieved, torque variations are greatly minimized.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 3

Moreover, the SSt servo drive’s DSP constantly calculates the proper
current-voltage phasing to maintain this optimal magnetic angle
regardless of motor speed or load. SSt servo drive also continually auto-
calibrates its current sensors to minimize inaccuracy and drift.
Combined, these techniques generate accurate and consistent torque
under all conditions, producing fluidly smooth motion. We have
customers with high-resolution imaging applications who have upgraded
to SSt servo drive just for this benefit alone.

SIMPLICITY AND EASE-OF-USE-FASTER TIME-TO-MARKET

AND EASIER, LOWER COST PRODUCTION:
Compared to most servo systems, the SSt servo drive’s fully digital
design means that you have no mysterious pots to tweak, or DIP switches
to set, or jumpers to configure. The SSt servo drive’s configuration is
stored in non-volatile EEPROM, and easily accessed with a Windows™-
based software utility. Configurations can be stored on disc for fast and
repeatable setups. SSt servo drive also has built-in stimulus/response
instrumentation for easy tuning and system optimization. An
oscilloscope is all you need to measure parameters such as velocity,
acceleration, tracking, settling time, torque, and more. The effects of
changing loads or gain settings are seen quantitatively in real-time
there's no guesswork.
Unlike stepper motor systems, no mechanical adjustments to the
system are required to get your system to work properly. The mechanical
tuning normally accomplished by adding dampers, couplings or by
finding "just the right belt" for your stepper motor system are eliminated.
What's more, you won't ever be faced with having to add just the right
amount of friction, juggling a trade-off between accuracy and resonance
suppression. Using SSt servo drive, your system response can be
optimized electronically to suit your machine's needs.
SSt servo drive Plus™ can also be used as a cost-effective, high-
bandwidth velocity or torque amplifier for use with traditional servo
controllers that have a ±10V analog command signal. As a servo
amplifier, SSt servo drive Plus™ has several features that allow you to
build high performance systems with minimum effort.

EFFICIENT, COOL-RUNNING OPERATION

SSt servo drive only uses current when necessary to move or correct
for a disturbance, unlike a stepper motor, which requires current at all
times to resist disturbances and hold its position. No "current cut-back"
mode is required, yet SSt servo drive has faster-responding, more
forceful holding torque than any stepper of equivalent size.
The SSt servo drive’s motor construction reduces losses at speed
caused by hysteresis currents, a major source of reduced output and
heating in stepper motors. All of this adds up to cool running and
efficient operation. Cooler operation also allows you to use SSt servo
drive in heat-sensitive applications.

ENHANCED RELIABILITY BY DESIGN

An SSt servo drive system is inherently reliable for the same reason
that it is cost-effective: Teknic's efforts to replace hardware with DSP
firmware have resulted in a dramatically lowered parts count. There are
fewer parts in SSt servo drive than in most microstepper drives and far

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4 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

fewer parts than in other comparable servo systems. This low parts
count, coupled with conservative thermal design and robotic assembly
techniques, makes SSt servo drive very reliable (as well as low-cost).
In addition, SSt servo drive has a host of self-protection features
including protection against the following: shorting the motor cable
(phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground), thermal overloads, exceeding
motor RMS capability, motor jams and others. And to back up all this
reliability talk, Teknic offers a standard three-year warranty on all drive
electronics.
Because SSt servo drive systems are consistent, reliable and smooth,
they enhance the operational reliability of your machine. SSt servo drive-
powered axes never lose steps, so jams, misfeeds and lost
synchronization are things of the past. In addition, your mechanisms are
not subjected to high frequency vibrations that can shake things apart.
All of this means that you can more confidently stand behind the
machines you build.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 5

ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
The electrical interface of the SSt-1500 servo drive has been designed to
minimize installation hassles, however, you will find it quite useful to
read through this section of the manual before beginning.

SSt-MC-X
Motor/Encoder
11 Motor-R
SSt-1500
12 Motor-S
13 Motor-T
1 Motor Shield
15 +5V Output
Encoder 2 Comm-R
3 Comm-S
Motor 4 Comm-T
14 N.O. Thermostat
5 GND
6 GND
19 A
9 A~
18 B
8 B~
17 I
Load 7 I~
16 +5V Output
20 EncTTL~
10 GND
SSt-LC
Limits
3 GND
2 -Limit
1 +5V Out
6 GND Internally connected
Connections 5 +Limit
shown in grey are 4 +5V Out
not required.
Controller
10 +Limit
1 -Limit
4 I~
Indexer or 13 I
Controller SSt-CC or eq. 3 B~
12 B
2 A~
11 A
8 Enable~
14 +5V Output
5 GND
15 Mode
17 Ready~
16 Analog+
7 MoveDone[Analog-]
6 GND
18 Step
9 Dir

Real Time Monitor Port

5 Reference
4 Monitor
3 GND Power
SSt-DC (required during 2 Tx (To PC Tx)
diagnostic procedures only) 1 Rx (To PC Rx)

SSt Servo System Conceptual Wiring Diagram

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6 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Every effort has been made in the design of the SSt servo drive to reduce
the complexity of the required harness. In most cases a single cable
connects to the motor, another connects the limit switches, and a third
connects to the indexer/controller without any need for tees or other
"spaghetti" wiring. Even the main DC power can be daisy chained.
Installing an SSt servo drive System is straightforward- every effort has
been made to reduce your harnessing requirements (only the connections
shown with solid wiring are absolutely required)

ELECTRICAL ISOLATION & GROUNDING

In order to eliminate the possibility of ground loops in SSt servo drive
systems, the isolated control ground (GND), power circuits and chassis
are each electrically isolated from each other as shown below.
Controller
Indexer/

DC-DC DC
Control Signal Interface Converter

Limit
Switches
Chassis
Motor
Power
Amplification
Motor
Isolation

Feedback
Sensors

Isolation Diagram

All of the control signals used by the indexer/controller are electrically

isolated from the SSt-1500's DC power input and motor output circuits as
well as from the SSt-1500's chassis (Case Ground). This feature insures
that currents will not be induced into your control wiring by motor
and/or power supply currents. You can even daisy chain the power
wiring to multiple SSt-1500s while using an indexer/controller without
isolated control signals. Not only does this make your wiring simple, it
reduces your cost while increasing your system's operational reliability.
To fully take advantage of the isolation you need to be careful to
maintain separation between the isolated control ground and power
ground. This can be accomplished easily as outlined in the “Golden
Rules” section below.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 7

THE GOLDEN RULES OF SST ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION

Teknic has developed the following set of 15 simple “Golden Rules” for
SSt servo system installation. Following these rules will prevent
potential electrical problems—The installation will be largely immune to
electrical noise, generate a minimum of electrical interference, meet
safety requirements and perform as expected. If you read only one thing
in this manual these rules should be it!
Rules 1, 3, 6, 8, 11, 13 &14 are especially important for proper operation
and have been highlighted in gray.

POWER
1. Drive power should be provided by a bulk, unregulated DC power
supply (transformer, rectifier & capacitor). Do not use a switching
power supply.
2. Daisy chaining power through SSt servo drive’s power connectors is
perfectly acceptable. Because of the full electrical isolation between
the SSt servo drive’s power and control signals, “star” power
distribution is not required.
3. Don’t run the drive power return through the machine’s frame or
chassis. Industry safety standards require that a connection be made
from the drive DC power supply secondary to Protective Earth. To
meet this requirement, connect the drive power return (negative
lead) to the machine frame or chassis only at the power supply.
4. Use heavy gauge wire for power cables as shown below:

# SST-1500S IN A WIRE GAUGE FUSE/BREAKER

POWER CHAIN REQUIRED REQUIRED
1-3 18 AWG 15A time delay (T)
4-5 16 AWG 20A time delay (T)
5-6 12 AWG 30A time delay (T)
5. The quiescent output voltage of the supply (when all of the SSt servo
drives are connected and disabled) should be no more than 81.0
VDC. If the output is higher than this, change the input (or output)
taps on the power supply’s transformer to lower the voltage. (The
SSt servo drives perform a safety I/V shutdown at a minimum of 86
VDC.)

GROUNDING & SHIELDING

6. Ground the SSt drive to the machine frame or chassis using unplated
8-32 threaded inserts in the SSt servo drive’s chassis. MAKE
CERTAIN THESE SCREWS DO NOT PROTRUDE INTO THE CASE
MORE THAN 0.3” (7.5mm).
7. Use shielded cable for all control signal connections: limit switches,
the motor’s encoder & commutation signals and the controller cable.
The shield should be connected to the SSt servo drive’s isolated
control ground (pins 5 and 6 on the controller connector, pins 3 and
6 on the limit switch connector and pins 5 and 6 on the motor
connector). The encoder and controller cables should have low
capacitance insulation. Low capacitance cable conductors are
typically made from polyethylene, foamed polyethylene, Teflon®,

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8 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

FEP, etc. The recommend cable stock shown in the table below has
excellent electrical properties and low cost (for non-flexing
applications).

APPLICATION MFG/PN CABLE DESCRIPTION

Encoder & comm. sensor Belden/9935 10 conductor 24AWG
cable for TTL encoders foamed polyethylene
conductors, foil + braid
shield. PVC jacket.
Controller to SSt cable Belden/9935 10 conductor 24AWG
without encoder signals foamed polyethylene
conductors, foil + braid
shield, PVC jacket.
Encoder & comm. sensor Belden/8108 8 pair 24AWG foamed
cable for balanced polyethylene conductors,
encoders foil + braid shield, PVC
jacket.
Controller to SSt cable Belden/8108 8 pair 24AWG foamed
(with encoder signals) polyethylene conductors,
foil + braid shield, PVC
jacket.
Limit switch cable Belden/9533 3 conductor 24AWG SR
PVC, foil shield, PVC
jacket.
Motor phase cable Belden/8618 3 conductor 16AWG
—Or— polyethylene, foil shield,
PVC jacket
Belden/8770 3 conductor 18AWG
polyethylene, foil shield,
PVC jacket
8. Connect the controller cable’s shield (isolated control ground) to the
machine frame of chassis only at the controller end of the cable (not
at the SSt servo drive end). DO NOT HOOK ISOLATED CONTROL
GROUND TO THE MACHINE FRAME OR CHASSIS AT ANY
OTHER LOCATION.
9. Don’t ground the limit switch circuit to the machine frame or chassis.

MOTOR CABLES
10. Use heavy gauge shielded cable for the motor phase wiring.
Connect the shield to pin 1 on the SSt servo drive’s motor connector
(case ground). Cable with 18AWG conductors can be used up to 12-
foot cable lengths. Longer cables should use cable with 16AWG
conductors. Cables in excess of 25 feet will begin to affect the torque
speed curve of the motors and should be avoided, if possible.
11. When constructing the motor cable, ensure that the shield from the
motor phase cable and the shield from the encoder & commutation
sensor cable do not touch.

CONTROLLER/INDEXER INTERFACING
12. Use pull-up resistors on the Ready and MoveDone output signals
from the SSt servo drive. These pull-up resistors can be connected to
a supply voltage of up to 24V.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 9

13. Be sure the step and direction outputs on the controller can sink
12mA or more (to pull-down a 470 ohm resistor connected to 5V)
14. If encoder feedback is desired at the controller set up the controller’s
encoder input to be consistent with the encoder type used on the
motor. The SSt servo drive simply passes the motor’s encoder
signals through to the controller connector, it does not buffer them.
So, for example, if the motor has a TTL single ended encoder your
controller must be configured to accept this (the A~, B~ and I~
signals will not be active).

STATIC PRECAUTIONS
15. When installing an SSt servo drive you should observe the same
static sensitive procedures as you would for any piece of sensitive
electronic equipment. Although the SSt-1500 inputs are protected
from small amounts of electrostatic discharge (ESD), SSt servo drives
should not be considered immune to ESD. The use of wrist straps is
recommended during installation. Note that both the isolated
control ground and the case ground should be used for grounding the
unit for ESD protection purposes during installation.

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 10

Do use heavy 8 3 Don't run

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gauge wire to power return
power drive(s) through
machine frame

AC Unregulated
7
filter DC Supply
O.K! Daisy
chain power to
other SSt servo
4
3 drives in
5 SSt-1500 Servo Drive machine
Do ground DC
return to 11 Don't allow motor phase
machine frame, and encoder shields to
but only at touch when constructing
12 supply! motor cable
13 Motor conn.
10
14
Electrical Isolation Boundary
7

Controller conn.
7
Controller/
7
Indexer

Limit conn.

The “Golden Rules” of Installation—Illustrated

CONNECTING YOUR CONTROLLER TO THE SST-1500

8 8 6 9 8

Recommended; Don't hook Do connect Don't ground Don't hook

hook isolated control isolated control the SSt-1500 limit switch isolated control
ground & shield to ground to drive's chassis signals to the ground to
frame (typically frame except to machine machine frame frame except
through control CPU at controller frame at controller

including: Digital command (step & direction), Analog command (+/-

chassis)

It’s easy to connect your control system to the SSt-1500. One connector

10V), Limit switch signals, Encoder signals, [drive] Ready~, MoveDone,

provides your system with all of the necessary control inputs and outputs

and [control] Mode. All of these signals can be connected to your control
SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 11

system using readily available, inexpensive shielded cable. The SSt-CC

cable provided with Teknic’s engineering kits routes all of these signals to
your controller. Shown below is a more common, simplified, all-digital
command interface using inexpensive yet high performance Belden 9935
cable.

470Ω
+5V ISO
BRN Direction
9 filter
18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
470Ω 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
+5V ISO
Controller cable connector
WHT Step digital (wire end view)
18 filter Molex P/N 39-01-2180
filter
BLK
6
Isolated i
Control
i
2KΩ
Ground
+5V ISO
BLU Enable~
8 filter
2KΩ
+5V ISO
ORN Mode
15 filter

Isolation Barrier
YEL Ready~ POWER IN
17
MoveDone
VIO (In-Range)
7 POWER OUT
GRN (optional)
5
Isolated
Control i i
Ground 2KΩ
Belden 9935 GRY +Limit~ Pass through
(recommended) 10 from limit
2KΩ
switch
RED +Limit~ connector
1 (not shown)

+5V ISO Output

14
A
11
A~
2
B
12 digital
B~ filter
3
I
13
I~
4

Interfacing to the SSt-1500 for an all-digital system.

Note on making reliable cables: Some of the diagrams in this section

show multiple wires connected to one crimp pin (generally the isolated
control ground, pin 5). When doing this, it is helpful to crimp only one
wire into the pin (or, at most, two wires) and then solder additional wires
to that. Don't attempt to crimp more than two wires to one pin-it will be
an unreliable connection.

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12 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

USING THE SST-CC CABLE

The SSt-1500 evaluation kit includes an SSt-CC cable, which makes it
easy to hook up your indexer/controller to SSt servo drive. This cable is
provided as a “universal donor”, i.e. it contains all signals for hooking up
an analog output servo controller or a digital stepping controller
(indexer). If many systems are to be duplicated a smaller, less expensive
cable with fewer signals and connections can be fabricated as shown
above at the beginning of this section.
All of the connections necessary to use the SSt-CC are detailed below.
The diagram also explains how to use the SSt servo drive’s isolated
grounds to their best advantage and is consistent with the preceding
“Golden Rules”. PLEASE FOLLOW THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.

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 SSt-1500
Your Indexer/Controller Servo Drive

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+5VDC
5V logic

Typical output circuits. OR SSt-CC cable

(Step & Direction
outputs must be able to STEP( ): GRN/WHT 470 470 2K 2K
sink 11mA minimum, 18
others 3mA minimum.) GND: WHT/GRN
twisted pairs 5
GND: WHT/BRN
DIR(CCW/CW): BRN/WHT 2K
Output 9
Ground
SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

ENABLE~: RED/BLU
8
Typical input circuits. Note: CW and CCW rotation defined when
facing the drive shaft end.
CCW Limit Switch
CCW LIMIT: GRN/RED
10 DON’T
OR (See note below.)
CW LIMIT: RED/GRN
1
CW Limit Switch
READY~: GRY/WHT
17

GND: BLU/RED
Limit Switch
5V-24V logic Connector
15 For minimum radiated noise DON’T run
11
the power supply return (-) lead through
Input your machine frame. If there is a need to
Ground 2
Isolated Control ground reference the supply, connect it to
12 your machine frame at a single point near
Ground
3 the supply.
13 SSt’s Isolated Control
Ground and input
4 power purposely
electrically isolated Machine Frame
7
MODE: WHT/GRY from each other to
16 minimize noise
ENCODER A: ORN/RED problems.
Controller
ENCODER A~: RED/ORN Connector Power
Connector

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ENCODER B: BRN/RED
ENCODER B~: RED/BRN
ENCODER I: WHT/ORN Machine Frame
ENCODER I~: ORN/WHT
-ANALOG/MoveDone: BLU/WHT
Motor
+ANALOG: WHT/BLU Connector DON’T connect the SSt control ground
to the SSt’s supply return (-) lead or to
These signals (encoder your machine’s frame. This ground
feedthrough, analog input and
auxiliary control) are not should ONLY be connected to your
normally required when step indexer/controller.
and direction are used to Shield connection at indexer/controller
control the SST servo drive. end connect to machine frame
Machine Frame SSt’s Isolated Control Ground

Using the SSt-CC Cable to hook the SSt-1500 to your controller.

(chassis) if this does not interfere with
signal ground (pin 5 on the Controller Connector
pins 3 and 6 on Limit Connector
pins 5, 6 and 10 on the Motor Connector)
13

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14 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

CONNECTING A MOTOR TO THE SST-1500

Important notes about connecting and disconnecting motors:
1. Before connecting or disconnecting any motor, always make sure
that is disabled (not necessarily powered down)
2. If the configuration of the drive is unknown, or if you connect a
different motor to the drive than that which was previously
connected, the proper configuration must be loaded before enabling
the drive.
3. After connecting a motor to your SSt servo drive, you must always
reset the drive using the Reset Drive command under the Setup
menu (cycling power off and on also resets the drive). You must do
this before you enable the drive.

DRIVE-MOTOR CABLE FOR TEKNIC M-1726, M-2330, M2348,

M3437 AND M3450 MOTORS
Teknic M-1726, M-2330, M2348, M-3437 and M-3450 motors come pre-
configured with a standard "pigtail" and 16-pin Molex Minifit type
connector. The Motor connector on the SSt-1500 is a 20 pin Molex
Minifit type. In order to connect any of these motors to the SSt-1500, the
cable shown below should be constructed.
Sources are specified for both the connectors and the raw cable
required in the diagram below. The Belden products are economical
flexible cable stocks with excellent electrical properties, but are not rated
as to their flex life. They are an excellent choice for applications which do
not require the drive-motor cable to flex. The Olflex cable product has
been specifically designed and tested to withstand millions of cycles of
flexing and should be used in cable track applications.
Each SSt servo drive evaluation kit contains a 10-foot cable wired as
shown below (P/N: SSt-MC).

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 15

Belden P/N: 8770 or eq.

Drive End For hi-flex duty: Olflex P/N: 891803CY Motor End
Blk
Motor-R 11 9 Motor-R
Red
Motor-S 12 10 Motor-S
Wht
Motor-T 13 11 Motor-T
Motor Shield 1 DO NOT ALLOW MOTOR AND 1 Motor Shield
GND 6 SIGNAL SHIELDS TO TOUCH!! 6 Signal Shield
Red
+5V Output 15 2 +5V
Wht
Comm-R 2 3 Comm-R
Grn
Comm-S 3 4 Comm-S
Brn
Comm-T 4 5 Comm-T
Blk
GND 5 7 GND
Orn(Pnk)
Encoder-A 19 15 Encoder-A
Yel
Encoder-B 18 14 Encoder-B
Vlt(Red/Blk)
Encoder-I 17 13 Encoder-I
Gry(Blu/Blk)
+5V Output 16 12 +5V
Blu
Thermostat 14 8 Thermostat
Encoder-A~ 9 n/c 16 Thermostat Return
Belden P/N: 9935.
Encoder-B~ 8 n/c For hi-flex duty: Olflex P/N: 27446
Encoder-I~ 7 n/c
GND 10
Shell Molex P/N: 39-01-3163
EncTTL~ 20 Crimp Pins Molex P/N: 39-00-0041
Crimp Pins (Reel) Molex P/N: 39-00-0040

Phone Numbers
Shell Molex P/N 39-01-2200 Belden: (765) 983-5200
Crimp Sockets Molex P/N: 39-00-0039 Olflex Cable: (800) 225-1336
Crimp Sockets (Reel) Molex P/N: 39-00-0038 Molex: (708) 969-4550

Constructing a motor-drive cable (such as

Teknic's SSt-MC cable) is a simple task which
requires only readily available "off-the-shelf" wire
and connectors.

Note: The cable used within the SSt-1726, 2330, 2348, 3437 and 3450
motor pigtails non rated for continuous flexing, so it is important to
strain relieve it such that it does not flex repeatedly in your application.

CONTROLLER SIGNALLING DETAILS

STEP & DIRECTION SIGNALS (PINS 18 & 9);

SSt servo drive can connect directly to any stepper motor indexer or
pulse source using industry-standard Step and Direction signals. The
Step and Direction signals from the indexer can be open-collector or
TTL-level driven signals. Shielded wiring should be used for these
signals with shielded twisted pair wiring being preferred for the Step
input.
Because SSt servo drive responds to Step and Direction signals as fast
as 2.0 MHz (2 Million steps/second) they will also respond to fast pulses
that can be generated by noise as well. The most common source of
spurious Step and Direction pulses is conducted noise due to several
digital signals sharing a ground path with the Step and Direction signals,
therefore:
Care should be taken to ground the twisted pair wiring for the Step and
Direction signals directly at the controller/indexer’s card output
connector, not a central system frame ground or other ground point.
Using a “Breakout Board” can also be problematic because the cable

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16 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

between the controller/indexer and the “Breakout Board” typically shares

the SSt’s isolated control ground with other digital signals which can
induce noise into the Step and Direction signals.

Step & Direction Input Wiring

If your system exhibits any "walking", drifting or repeatability problems

it is likely that the Step and Direction wiring is at fault.

STEP POLARITY & TIMING

SSt servo drives will be commanded to rotate one step when the Step line
makes a transition from a low level to a high level (known as "positive
edge triggered"). The required timing for both the Step and Direction
signals is shown below.

twl tcyc

Step

twh tsd th

Direction

Step and Direction Timing Wiring

The minimum time for twl, twh, tsd, and th is 400nS. The minimum time
for tcyc is 800nS. There is no maximum limit for any of these timing
variables.
If you wish, you can reduce twl, twh, tsd, and th to 200nS and tcyc to
500nS by turning off the command input digital filter. This will allow
you to operate with input signals as fast as 2MHz with some degradation
in noise immunity. (Contact Teknic for details on how to do this)

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DIRECTION POLARITY WIRING.

With a standard motor cable the Direction line will have the following
effect: With Direction at a high level, the motor will rotate clockwise
(when viewing the shaft while facing the drive end of the motor) for each
pulse of the Step line, and the internal position register (which is
displayed by SSt-QuickSet's™ Status window) will decrement for each
step pulse. When the Direction line is at a low level the motor will rotate
counter-clockwise and the SSt servo drive’s internal position register will
increment for each pulse of the Step line.
You can reverse the natural direction of SSt servo drive by clicking the
Reverse checkbox in SSt-QuickSet’s Inputs and Limits window.

INPUT CONTROL SIGNALS

All of the logic control inputs: Enable~, Mode, Limit+ and Limit- on SSt
servo drive have the identical input circuit shown below. This circuit can
be driven by TTL & 5V CMOS logic outputs, open collector outputs, opto-
isolator outputs from your indexer (controller), or a simple switch or
relay. Wiring for interfacing to each of these inputs is shown below.

Typical Interface SSt-1500 Logic

+5
5V Logic
Output:
74HC 2K
74LS
74HC14
-or-
10K

Open Logic Input Pins

CollectorTransistor Enable~: 8
Mode: 15

-or- Isolated Control Ground

Indexer/Controller

Switch
or
Relay

SSt logic input wiring

ENABLE~ (PIN 8)
The Enable~ input signal enables the SSt servo drive, allowing power to
be applied to the motor under control. A low TTL level (or open collector
output on) should be used to assert the Enable~ input. The function of
this signal is nearly identical to a stepper motor drive's enable signal
sometimes marked as "AWO" (All Windings Off) on popular stepper
drives.
If you're not using a Teknic-supplied SSt-CC controller cable which
has a switch on the Enable~ line, you should install a simple switch in
series with the Enable~ pin (pin 8 on the Controller connector) and your
indexer. This will allow for a fast and easy way to disable SSt servo drive,
without the intervention of software. The tuning process requires

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18 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

disabling the drive at times, and the switch can also be used as a "kill"
switch, if necessary. Toggling the switch will also clear any drive
protection shutdowns that might occur. (De-asserting the Enable~ line
clears the Ready condition. SSt servo drive will then be fully operational
when the Enable~ line is re-asserted. )

MODE (PIN 15)

The Mode signal toggles the drive between two operating modes.
On the SSt-1500-AXX (advanced positioning) setting the Mode line
low will put the drive into a torque/force limit mode that will limit
torque/force in the positive direction, negative direction or both. The
fold-back torque/force limit and direction is set using SSt-QuickSet’s
“Inputs and Limits” window. This mode is useful for clamping objects or
allowing the axis to become compliant.
On the SSt 1500-PXX (programmable analog) the Mode line switches
the drive between velocity control mode and torque control mode. When
this signal is grounded, SSt 1500-PXX will be in torque control mode;
when driven to a high level, or left open, the drive will be in velocity
mode. The state of the Mode signal can be changed at any time and the
SSt-1500-PXX will respond by changing the control mode within 120µS.
If you want to switch between velocity and torque modes "on the fly" you
should hook it to an I/O line from your indexer/controller and run it
under program control. Otherwise this input should be left disconnected
for velocity control or connected directly to ground for torque control.

LIMIT- AND LIMIT+ (PINS 1, 10)

Limit switch inputs are provided to safely shutdown of the motor in case
preset travel restrictions are exceeded. Inputs are provided to operate
with normally-closed switches only. Normally-closed switches are used
so the motor will not function if the limit switch connector is
inadvertently removed or the circuit is interrupted elsewhere in the
machine.
The limit switch inputs can operate in two distinct modes. The first
will limit torque in the direction of the limit switch. This is the
traditional torque limit switch mode used on most servo systems. The
second, more popular mode, is position limit switch mode that will use
the available power of the SSt-1500 to stop the axis at the limit switch
position. This mode can also be used for precise axis homing when used
with an optical switch.
The limit switch inputs are routed to the indexer/controller connector
so the limit information can be relayed to the indexer (controller), if
desired, without any need for a tee in the wiring harness.
For the purpose of testing, or if limit switches are not used it will be
necessary to fabricate a limit switch "cheater" plug as shown below to
defeat the limit inputs. Such a plug is provided with each SSt servo drive
evaluation kit (P/N: SSt-CP).

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 19

6 5 4

3 2 1

Limit Switch Cheater Plug

Courtesy power pins are provided on the SSt servo drive’s limit input
connector to run optical interrupter switches. These switches are
popular in OEM applications because they are inexpensive, ultra-reliable
and non-contact. They are fail-safe when used with the SSt servo drive—
the axis will be disabled if the illuminating LED fails or the sensor
becomes obscured by dirt or debris. Alternately, Hall-effect "vane"
sensor switches can be used in the same manner as the optical switches.
The Hall-effect switches are immune to dirt but have poorer position
repeatability than the optical interrupter switches.

Indexer/Controller
Connector
10

+5V

Optical Interruptor 2.0K

Isolated Control Ground

Limit Switch
4 +5V Connector

Using Optical Interrupter Limit Switches (+Limit

input pin numbers shown)

OUTPUT CONTROL SIGNALS

Both the MoveDone[InRange~] and Ready~ circuits are open collector
outputs without pull-up resistors, they are rated for switching non-
inductive loads up to 40V at a maximum of 100mA. These outputs are
compatible with TTL and CMOS logic inputs when a pull-up resistor is
used. They can also be used directly to switch non-inductive loads such
as lamps or LEDs. If you wish to use these outputs with an inductive load
such as a relay coil, a snubber diode across the winding must be
connected, as shown below, across the coil to prevent the inductive spike
from damaging the output transistor. Typical interconnection wiring for
these outputs is shown below.

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20 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Typical Interface Circuits SSt-1500 Logic Output

40V
MAX

Lamp Logic Output Pins-

Indicator Ready~ : 17
MoveDone[InRange] : 7

-or- V+
MPSA06

Logic
5

-or-

Indexer/Controller
40V Isolated Control Ground
MAX
Relay
Coil

-or-
14 +5V Output
500
Optoisolator Typical

SSt logic output wiring can be used to run a wide

variety of devices.

READY~ (PIN 17) [SHUTDOWN~ ON SST-1500-PXX]

The Ready~ signal is an open collector output which is asserted (turned
on) when the SSt servo drive is ready to respond. This signal is asserted
whether the SSt servo drive has been enabled or not. The Ready~ signal
when asserted, should be interpreted by the attached controller as “ready
to enable —or— enabled and ready to run”
The Ready~ line is de-asserted and the SSt servo drive is disabled
immediately upon the occurrence of any protection shutdown event. The
SSt’s protection shutdown events include: over current, over voltage, step
input overspeed, output-time alarm, tracking error alarm, RMS current
limit exceeded, motor thermal overload or drive thermal overload.
On the SSt-1500PXX servo drive pin 17 is interpreted as “Shutdown~”
and is asserted (pulled low) when drive safety shutdown has occurs. It is
not asserted during drive initializing after power-up (so your control
program should wait 4 seconds after the application of power and check
that Shutdown~ is not asserted before sending a command to the SSt-
servo drive.)

MOVEDONE[INRANGE~] (PIN 7)
The MoveDone[InRange~] signal is operative only when an SSt-1500 is
in positioning mode. It can be set in one of two operational modes:
MoveDone or In Range.
The Move Done mode is popular in point-to-point applications.
When this open collector output is configured to operate in MoveDone
mode it will transition to a low state upon the first pulse of a digital
command and then to a high state (de-asserted) when the move is

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 21

complete. The state of the MoveDone line is calculated every servo cycle
and is set true when the axis has settled within a pre-programmed
window for a pre-programmed amount of time. Fuzzy logic is also
employed to prevent false triggering of the MoveDone signal if an axis is
ringing at the end of a move.
The InRange~ mode is popular for a path following applications (e.g.
CNC cutting). In the InRange~ mode this signal acts as a positive-true,
open collector output signal which is pulled low when the following error
(the instantaneous difference between the commanded position and the
actual position) of the SSt is outside a pre-programmed window. It is
typically used as a following-error flag to alert your controller/indexer to
reduce the feed-rate (or change the cutting tool) in contouring
applications.
Because it is de-asserted when true, InRange~ signals from several
SSt servo drives can be connected together to form a "wired-OR"
indication that one or more of the axis are not “in range”. If any SSt
drive is out of range, this wired-OR line will be asserted (pulled low).
This wired-OR signal can then be used as a global “out of range” input to
your controller (using only one input on your controller for to monitor all
the axis involved in the contouring application.) Note: This can only be
done if you have connected the isolated control ground (GND) on each of
the drives to a central ground point at your controller/indexer.
The operation of the MoveDone[InRange~] signal is configured using
SSt-QuickSet’s Inputs and Limits window.

USING THE SST-1500-PXX WITH A SERVO CONTROLLER;

An analog input is provided on SSt-1500-PXXX models to facilitate its
use as an analog input servo drive (also sometimes referred to as a servo
amplifier). The analog input responds to ±10V full scale input signal
which can be used to control torque or velocity. When the analog signal
is used to control velocity the maximum speed which corresponds to a
full 10V input can be programmed using SSt-QuickSet™.
This analog input is a differential-type circuit to reduce the effect of
conducted or induced common-mode noise. For optimum noise
immunity shielded twisted pair cable wiring should be used as shown
below.

SSt-1500
Analog Output
Controller MPSAO6

10K
7
GND
Analog Out 10K
16

6
+2.5V Ref
Isolated Control
Ground

Analog Command Input Wiring

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22 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

ENCODER INTERFACE
Incremental encoders are available with one of two types of output drive
circuits: Single-ended or differential. Single-ended outputs are usually
TTL driven lines or open collector outputs. Differential output circuits
have two driven balanced output lines for each signal.

SINGLE-ENDED ENCODERS
The SSt-1726, 2330, 2348, 3437 and 3450 motors incorporate a single-
ended encoder for position/velocity feedback. The particular encoders
used on these Teknic motors have rugged Mylar® optical disks and fault-
tolerant read sensors for high reliability.
Encoders with single-ended outputs are the most common and least
expensive type of encoder. Properly terminated and shielded, this
signaling method provides excellent fidelity for cable runs up to 25 feet.
In some industrial circles, however, single-ended encoders have an
undeserved reputation as being noise susceptible. Yet they are no more
noise susceptible than any other TTL digital device. Most problems
occur with single-ended encoder signaling because of poor termination,
shielding or ground loops. If you follow the recommendations for cable
wiring shown in this manual, you will be very unlikely to encounter any
problems.
To configure the SSt servo drive for use with a single-ended encoder
connect pin 20 to GND (pin 10). (This has already been done in a Teknic
SSt-MC cable.) The circuit shown in the diagram below will then be used
to receive signals from the encoder. The diagram below also shows
typical encoder cabling. Take care to construct this cabling literally and
do not connect the cable shield or the encoder ground (isolated control
ground) to the motor or chassis, as this is likely to induce noise.

SSt-1500
+5V

1.0K Motor Connector

+5V 16
11 A 19
12 B 18 Encoder
13 I 17

Isolated Control GND 6

Indexer/Controller NOTE: Do not connect
Connector 20
encoder GND or cable
10 shield to motor case.

74HC14

Typical (X3)

Single-Ended Encoder Wiring. (Used on Teknic M-

1726, 2330, 2348, 3237 and 3450 motors.)

NOTE: Leave A~, B~ and I~ (pins 2, 3 and 4 on the SSt-1500’s controller

connector disconnected when using a motor with a single-ended encoder!

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DIFFERENTIAL ENCODERS
SSt-3462, 3471, 497P and 497T motors have encoders with differentially
driven output signals.
Differential encoders have balanced (symmetrical, inverted) driven
outputs intended to drive terminated, twisted pair transmission lines.
This type of signaling method has high noise immunity and will function
well when high common-mode noise would otherwise be a problem.
They are also well suited to signals in excess of 200kHz and long cable
runs.
To configure SSt servo drive for use with a differential encoder leave
pin 20 open (disconnected) on the Motor connector. The circuit shown
in the diagram below will then be used to receive signals from the
encoder. The diagram below also shows typical encoder cabling. Take
care to construct this cabling literally and do not connect the cable shield
or the encoder ground (isolated control ground).

SSt-1500

Typical (x3)

26LS32
Motor
Connector

11 A 19
A~ 9
2 18
470 B
B~ 8
12 Encoder
I 17
3 I~ 7
470

13
+5V 16
NOTE: Do not connect
4 Isolated Control 6
470 Ground encoder GND or shield
to motor case.
20

Leave Disconnected

Indexer/Controller
Connector

Differential Encoder Wiring)

ENCODER TERMINATION RESISTORS))

The SSt-1500 can accept encoder signals to 500kHz (2MHz count rate
after quadrature multiplication), if your application calls for using
encoder signals above 200kHz with long cable runs you should consider
using termination resistors for maximum noise immunity and signal
fidelity. Proper termination matches the termination resistor value with
the characteristic impedance of the wiring used. Typical twisted pair
cable has a characteristic impedance (Rc) of 100 ohms to 200 ohms.
(Your cable manufacturer should be able to tell you the characteristic
impedance of your twisted pair cable.)
The SSt-1500 Plus has 470 ohm termination resistors on each
balanced pair of encoder input lines. This is typically a slight mismatch
with popular twisted pair cables. Although in general this is not

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24 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

optimum, it was done specifically so that if the encoder lines continue on

to an indexer/controller, they can be terminated there as well without
overloading the encoder's drivers. If you are not routing the encoder
signal to your indexer/controller you can precisely match the termination
resistance to your cable by adding external termination resistors at the
SSt-1500 end of the motor-encoder cable. The value of these resistors
should be 470Rc/[470-Rc] ohms. Alternately, if you are routing the
encoder signals to your indexer/controller, then termination resistors
should be installed at the controller equal to Rc.

POWER SUPPLY
The SSt servo drive runs off unregulated DC voltages from 24 to 75 volts.
A bulk, linear supply (essentially a transformer, bridge rectifier and
capacitor) with a large output capacitance (for minimum droop at high
current draw) is best. Aside from being inexpensive, this kind of supply
can source large peak currents relative to its RMS rating. This is exactly
what you want for powering a high-performance servo system. Switching
power supplies have current limiting to protect themselves in case of an
overload. When high current is drawn from the supply, the voltage drops
until the current ceases. This also occurs when using a ferroresonant
supply beyond its rated current. This will cause reduced performance at
best, and, if the voltage drops below 24 volts, may cause SSt servo drive
to cycle off and on.
Each SSt-1500 has two identical bussed power connectors, and the
power circuitry is electrically isolated from both isolated control ground
(GND) and the chassis. This allows power to be daisy-chained from one
SSt-1500 to the next for a minimized wiring harness without fear of
creating ground loops in the system. The power connectors are rated at
15A RMS. If the RMS current for a group of the SSt servo drive’s is less
than 15A (see the next section on Power Supply Current Requirements),
they can safely be daisy-chained. Otherwise traditional "star" power
distribution is required. In typical incremental positioning applications,
at least five the SSt servo drive’s can be wired in a daisy-chained manner.

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+ -
Power
Supply

Daisy Chain Power Distribution

+ -
Power
Supply

Star Power Distribution

Power Wiring Options

The power wiring should be constructed with 18AWG wire or lower

gauge (larger) wire. See the table on page 7 for recommended wire
gauges. The AMP Universal Mate-N-Lock power connectors will accept
wire as large as 10AWG. The wire should be sized to limit the voltage
drop to less than 2V under peak current demand.
If you are using your own power supply (without an AMP Universal
Mate-N-Lock power connector), you can simply cut off one of the
connectors on an SSt-PC power cable and connect the white wire to the
positive output terminal of your supply and the black wire to the negative
terminal.
Caution: Use care when connecting to your power supply. Reversing
the supply polarity can damage your drive. Polarity is shown below for
use in making your own cables.
Power Connector on Drive (not cable connector)
AMP Universal Mate-N-Lock, mates with
P/N 1-480698-0
(view shown looking into connector at SSt drive)

In order to get the maximum utilization from an SSt servo drive, a

supply that can deliver high peak currents is required. This is best
provided by a "bulk" unregulated supply: essentially a transformer,
rectifier and a large capacitor. Most switching supplies are ill-suited to
servo applications for two reasons: (1) they usually have identical peak
and continuous current ratings, forcing you to purchase a large but
under-worked supply and (2) when motors are de-accelerated they pump

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26 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

current back into the supply. Most switchers are not built to accept this
and may cycle, shutdown or, in the worst case, fail.

POWER SUPPLY CURRENT REQUIREMENTS

To properly size a power supply to work with your SSt servo drive system
you will need to calculate the maximum peak current and RMS current
for each SSt servo drive in your system. The peak rating of your supply
should then be the sum of all of the individual the SSt servo drive’s
maximum peak currents. The continuous rating of your supply should be
the sum of all the individual the SSt servo drive’s maximum RMS
currents.
The peak and RMS current drawn by an SSt-1500 are less than the
peak and RMS current supplied to the motor. This is not magic. The SSt
servo drive’s output amplifier acts as a very efficient power switching
converter. The output amplifier ensures that the input power from the
supply is equivalent to the power supplied to the motor. Because the
power supply voltage is greater than the voltage supplied to the motor
windings, the current drawn from the supply is less than that supplied to
the motor. (This conserves power which is equal to Volts times
Amperes.)

SIZING A SUPPLY QUICKLY

The following procedures carefully calculate the supply requirements for
an SSt-1500 operating under various loading from an arbitrary supply
voltage with any motor. In actual practice these calculations may be
difficult to apply due to varying duty cycles, loads and machine
sequences. Often the best way to size a supply is to run your machine
while measuring the RMS current between the bridge rectifier and
transformer with the RMS filter in your amp meter set to 10 seconds or
more. The transformer is then sized so that its RMS limit is not exceeded.
If you want to avoid these calculations and measurements you are
operating the SSt-1500 from a 75V supply using Teknic supplied motors,
the worst case RMS current draw is 3A and the worst case peak current is
12A. This assumes that you are operating the motors within their rated
torque-speed curves, for an incremental positioning application. These
numbers are conservative. For most incremental positioning
applications, the RMS current will be substantially less than 3A and the
peak current can be less than 12A if the motor is operated below peak
speed. Typically the RMS current drawn by a point-to point axis is 1.5A.

CALCULATING PEAK CURRENT REQUIREMENT

To calculate peak supply current demand from any SSt servo drive you
need to know three things: [1] the supply voltage (Vs), [2] the phase to
phase resistance of the motor (Rt), and [3] the peak shaft power in Watts
available from the motor when the SSt-1500 is supplied by Vs (Spmax ).
The peak current demand, Ismax, for brushless motors is then:
Ismax = [0.75Ip2Rt + Spmax]/Vs,
where Ip for an SSt-1500 is 23 Amperes.
Peak shaft power of a vector driven brushless motor is highly dependent
upon the inductance of the motor, the number of motor poles, supply
voltage, drive peak current and the winding resistance. It cannot, in

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general, be easily calculated. Worst case peak shaft power values have
been pre-calculated and verified for Teknic standard motors when
operated with a 75V supply and you should use these in figures your
calculations. If you are using a custom motor or a different supply
voltage, contact Teknic for an estimate of the peak shaft power that will
be produced using an SSt-1500 drive.

PEAK CURRENT WHEN USING LESS THAN FULL

OUTPUT
If you are planning on using the motor at a peak speed below the speed at
which maximum power is produced and/or if you plan to limit the torque
to some value (Tp) less than the peak rated torque1 (Tr), then calculate
Spmax and Ip as follows for use in the Ismax formula above:
Spmax = TpVmax/1352, and
Ip = 23Tp/Tr
where Vmax is the maximum speed in RPM.

CALCULATING RMS CURRENT REQUIREMENT

The RMS current demand from the supply is dependent upon the
application type. Two sets of calculations are provided below. If the
application is for incremental positioning, as in a "pick and place"
machine, then calculation method (1) or (1a.) should be used. If the
application is a continuous velocity type, such as running a conveyor,
then calculation method (2.) should be used2.

1. INCREMENTAL POSITIONING APPLICATIONS

If the application is incremental positioning, then we assume that the
torque is being used primarily to accelerate the motor and load from zero
to a maximum speed and then to decelerate it back to zero speed again.
We can also assume that the current used to decelerate the load is not
drawn from the supply (part of it is actually pumped back into the supply
during deceleration). Given this assumption, the maximum RMS current
demand from an SSt-1500 is:

tdc ⎡⎛ ⎤
3 3
3 2 ⎞ ⎛3 2 ⎞
⎢⎜ S p max + I p Rt ⎟ − ⎜ I p Rt ⎟ ⎥
2 ⎢⎣⎝ 4 ⎠ ⎝4 ⎠ ⎥⎦
I RMS =
3Vs2 S p max
where tdc is the torque duty cycle defined as:
torque on time
tdc ≡
torque on time + torque off time

1
This can be accomplished explicitly by setting a torque limit parameter within the SSt-
1500 using SSt-QuickSet™ or by reducing the acceleration demand so less torque is
required.

2
CNC cutting type applications usually are a hybrid of both incremental positioning and
constant velocity applications so the higher of the two calculated RMS current figures
should be used to determine the worst case maximum RMS current.

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28 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Torque on time should not be confused with the running time of the
motor. It is the time that torque is being used to accelerate or decelerate
the motor and can be a small portion of the running time when
trapezoidal velocity move profiles are used. (It is equivalent to the motor
running time when only triangular velocity type move profiles are used.)
tdc can be a maximum of 0.15 for an SSt-1500 that uses full output
torque to accelerate and decelerate the load (at this duty cycle the output
current is 9A RMS which is the rated limit of the Motor connector). You
should attempt to estimate tdc for your application if possible, otherwise
use 0.15 as a conservative estimate if you plan to use the full output
torque capability for acceleration (although this will probably cause you
to over-specify your supply requirements).

1A. INCREMENTAL POSITIONING WITH REDUCED

OUTPUT
If you are planning on using the motor at a peak speed below the speed at
which maximum power is produced and/or if you plan to limit the torque
to some value (Tp) less than the peak rated torque (Tr), then calculate
Spmax, Ip and tdcmax as follows:
Spmax = TpVmax/1352,
Ip = 23Tp/Tr , and

⎡ ⎛ 9T ⎞ 2 ⎤
tdcmax = min ⎢1, ⎜ r ⎟ ⎥
⎢ ⎜⎝ 23T p ⎟⎠ ⎥
⎣ ⎦
where Vmax is the maximum speed in RPM.
Now use these Ip, and Spmax values and your estimate of tdc to
calculate IRMS using the formula above. If you can't estimate tdc in your
application then use the tdcmax calculated above as a conservative
estimate (although this will probably cause you to over-specify your
supply requirements).

2. CONTINUOUS VELOCITY APPLICATIONS

If the application is for a continuous velocity application such as running
a conveyor at some constant speed (Vcont) then we assume that the drag
load (Td) is predominant. For these applications you can calculate the
RMS supply current required based upon the continuous output power as
follows:
IRMS = [0.75Ic2Rt + Spcont]/Vs,
where:
Spcont = TdVcont/1352, and
Ic = 23Td/Tr

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 29

DIAGNOSTIC CONNECTOR:
The SSt 1500 Diagnostic connector (DC) serves two main purposes. 1) It
supports serial communication with the host PC through Quickset
software, and 2) It allows the user to view graphically presented move
data and system performance in real time. Refer to the illustration below
for an overview of the Diagnostic connector.

SST-1500 Control Computer

Motor/Encoder

DB-9 (female)
PC Serial Port
(DB-9 male)
Controller

Molex
Limit PN 50-57-9405

Diagnostic
Connector

External Oscilloscope

Rx 1 2 Rx
Tx 2 3 Tx
Gnd 3 5 Gnd
Mon 4 1
Ref 5 4
6
7
8
9
BNC plug to
oscilloscope

The Diagnostic Connector Detailed

REAL-TIME MONITOR OUTPUT

The SSt servo drive includes a Real-time analog monitor output for
viewing and recording system performance data on an oscilloscope or
data logger. This feature can provide a wealth of analytical data for
tuning, troubleshooting, and system optimization.
The Real-time monitor port allows you to look at any of the dozens of
SSt servo variables including move profiles and tracking performance
while simultaneously viewing other non-servo related events such as
sensor and switch actuations. Using this tool, engineers can quickly and
accurately verify controller timing and track down software bugs.
Actual velocity, commanded velocity, velocity error, tracking error,
commanded torque as well as other variables can be displayed with ease.
The Monitor output is configured using SSt-QuickSet™ as described in
the SSt-QuickSet™ on-line Help.
The monitor output is a 0.5-4.5 volt signal centered around a 2.5 volt
"zero" reference. A 2.5 volt DC reference signal is also provided at the

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30 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

diagnostic connector (pin 5) for use with instruments that support

differential inputs.

RS-232 CONFIGURATION PORT

An RS-232 interface is provided for configuring SSt servo drives
(included SSt-QuickSet software and PC required). There is no need to
install the interface cable permanently.
RS-232 handshaking signals are not provided or used by the SSt-
1500. The Rx and Tx signals are fully RS-232 compatible. The
communication format is 8 bit, asynchronous, half duplex with a single
start bit, a single stop bit and no parity. It is recommended that the DCE
CD, RI, DSR, and CTS input signals be connected to the DCE DTR signal
to prevent noise from affecting the operation of the host computer.
Note: If you wish to design your own RS-232 cable to connect the SSt
drive to your PC, follow the pinout diagram below.

Diagnostic
Connector DB-9 female
(To Drive) (To PC)

Rx 1 2 Rx
Tx 2 3 Tx
Gnd 3 5 Gnd
Mon 4 1
Ref 5 4
6
7
8
9
BNC plug to
oscilloscope

Typical diagnostics and communication cable

MISCELLANEOUS ELECTRICAL INFORMATION

TESTING WITH A MOTOR THERMOSTAT

While integrating the SSt servo drive motor into your machine, you
might want to attach a normally-open thermostat that will trip when the
case of the motor exceeds 80 deg. C. It is unlikely, under normal usage,
that this thermostat will trip because of the SSt servo drives built-in RMS
torque monitoring. However, in some high ambient temperature
applications, the motor case may exceed this temperature and the SSt
servo drive should be disabled. If this occurs during your integration
testing you should consider one of the following solutions: (1) improving
the heat sinking path connected to the motor by increasing bracket size,
etc. (2) providing forced convection cooling with a fan (3) increasing the
size of the motor, and/or (4) reducing the torque requirements by
lightening the mechanism, lowering the mechanism's duty cycle or
throttling back the acceleration demand.
Very rarely is a thermostat required once your machine goes into
production. However, if you expect the ambient temperature in the
vicinity of the motor to vary widely you might want to consider using a
permanent thermostat to protect the motor.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 31

FUSE & INDICATOR

Each SSt-1500 has a fuse to protect the internal circuits and your
power wiring from catastrophic failures. The fuse is a 3AG 10A thermal
delay type, which can be user replaced. The fuse can blow under certain
abnormal operating conditions or a blown fuse can indicate that the SSt-
1500 has been damaged.
A red LED on the front panel illuminates if the fuse fails. This LED
blinks on the application of power. The fuse indicator LED will also cycle
on and off if an internal or external short on the +5V output from the SSt
servo drive occurs. If cycling occurs, check for shorts on your limit
switch, encoder and commutation sensor wiring.

USING A CUSTOM MOTOR

The SSt-1500 can be used with any three-phase permanent magnet
brushless motor with an encoder, including linear motors, or any brush
motor with an encoder. For specifics on how to wire and set up an SSt
servo drive for use with a custom motor and encoder, call Teknic.

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32 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

MECHANICAL INSTALLATION
Mechanical drawings for the SSt-1500 (with and without the case
option), and for Teknic motors are shown on the following pages.
Mechanical mounting data are provided within each drawing.
Any of the following outline drawings can be downloaded from Teknic’s
web site in native AutoCad™ .DWG format. Simply look for a download
link on the motor specification page for the particular model you are
interested in.

SST-1500-ACX MOUNTING (DRIVE WITH CASE OPTION)

Preferred Mounting:
Power connectors this end

Mounting Options:

Preferred Mounting Surface

(4) #8-32 UNF-2B
2 on back (preferred mounting surface)
2 on bottom

CAUTION:
#8 mounting screws must not penetrate
more than 0.30" (7.5mm) into case

For best heat dissipation, maximum continuous output power, and

highest reliability, we recommend mounting the drive in the vertical
orientation (like a book on a bookshelf). by the narrow back side (the side
with the keyhole slots) into a thermally conductive material (e.g.:
aluminum machine frame). Other mounting configurations will
generally work, but are less desirable.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 33

SST-1500-ALX MOUNTING (DRIVE ON "L" BRACKET)

Preferred Mounting:
Power connectors this end

Mounting Options:

Preferred Mounting Surface

(4) #8-32 UNF-2B
2 on back (preferred mounting surface)
2 on bottom

CAUTION:
#8 mounting screws must not penetrate
more than 0.30" (7.5mm) into case

For best heat dissipation, maximum continuous output power, and

highest reliability, we recommend mounting the drive in the vertical
orientation (like a book on a bookshelf). by the narrow back side (the
side with the keyhole slots) into a thermally conductive material (e.g.:
aluminum machine frame). Other mounting configurations will
generally work, but are less desirable.

MOTOR OUTLINE DRAWINGS:

M-1726-FX: 4,000 counts/rev. with NEMA flange

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34 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

M-2330-XX: 4,000 counts/rev. without NEMA flange

M-2330-FX: 4,000 counts/rev. with NEMA flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M23F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 35

M-2330-XH: 8,000 counts/rev. without NEMA flange

M-2330-FH: 8,000 counts/rev. with NEMA flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M23F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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36 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

M-2348-XX: 4,000 counts/rev. without NEMA flange

M-2348-FX: 4,000 counts/rev. with NEMA flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M23F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 37

M-2348-XH: 8,000 counts/rev. without NEMA flange

M-2348-FH: 8,000 counts/rev. with NEMA flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M23F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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38 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

M-3437-XX motor without NEMA 34 flange

M-3437-FX motor with NEMA 34 flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M34F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 39

M-3450-XX motor without NEMA 34 flange

M-3450-FX motor with NEMA 34 flange

To attach a Teknic NEMA adapter flange (p/n M34F) to your motor, use
the #10-32 screws provided and secure the with thread locking
compound (such as the Loctite #242 thread lock compound). Be careful
not to inject the thread locking compound into the motor (the holes go all
the way through the flange).
Note: If you are mounting directly to the motor without the NEMA
flange, make sure your mounting screws do not extend more than 0.275
inches (7mm) into the motor face plate or serious motor damage may
result.

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40 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

M-3462-FH sealed motor flange

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 41

M-3471-FH sealed motor

M-497P-FI and M-497T-FI sealed motors

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42 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

AXIAL AND RADIAL SHAFT LOADING VS. BEARING LIFE

Teknic's line of rare-earth brushless motors have inherently high
reliability under normal operating conditions. Since they are brushless
motors, the only parts with mechanical contact are the shaft bearings.
The bearings used are oversized, single row, deep groove radial bearings
with non-contact lubrication seals. The large ball bearings have diameter
variations of less than 15 millionths of an inch, and the steel used is
vacuum degassed and heat treated for maximum endurance.
The expected life of Teknic motors is, therefore, dependent mainly
upon bearing life.3 Under normal environmental conditions4, bearing life
is dependent upon the applied axial (thrust) and radial (side) loading.
The relationship between bearing life and loading is shown in the graphs
below. The definition for "life" is "rated life, L5" which is the life that 95
percent of the bearings will surpass. The units are in millions of
revolutions. To calculate the years of expected bearing life use the
following formula: (note that the duty cycle should be a fraction and not a
percentage).

106 × Life(in millions of revolutions )

Life(in years ) =
⎛ hours days weeks ⎞
avg RPM × duty cycle × 60 × ⎜ × × ⎟
⎝ day week year ⎠

12000
Normal Life -95% of units

10000
(millions of revolutions)

8000

6000

4000

2000

0
1 5 10 15 20
Radial Load (lbs) - at motor face
0 lb axial load 5 lb axial load 10 lb axial load

Bearing Life vs. Load—M2330 and M2348 series

motors.

3
Winding insulation breakdown can become an important factor if the motor is run at a
winding temperature of over 155˚C for any period of time. As long as the winding
temperature is kept under this value, insulation breakdown will not normally be a
problem. This winding temperature corresponds to a steady-state case temperature of
about 75˚C under most thermal transfer conditions.
4
Non-corrosive atmosphere at 0-90% relative humidity (non-condensing) with moderate
levels of airborne contaminants.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 43

70000

60000

Normal Life -95% of units

(millions of revolutions)
50000

40000

30000

20000

10000

0
1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70
Radial Load (lbs) - at motor face
0 lb axial load 5 lb axial load 10 lb axial load

Bearing Life vs. Load—M3437 and M3450 series

motors.
Note that under high radial loads, rotation of the motor shaft will
eventually cause a fatigue failure of the shaft. If the moment applied to
the motor shaft (about the front bearing) is kept under 20 in-lbs for the
m-23xx motors and under 70 in-lbs for the m-34xx motors, this failure
mode is eliminated (i.e., the shaft will have “infinite” life).

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44 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

ENCODER FEEDBACK IN YOUR APPLICATION

Because a dedicated DSP within the SSt servo drive is constantly

monitoring the position, velocity and torque of your axis and making
corrections on a microsecond timeframe you get the highest level of servo
performance available today. In addition, the SSt servo drives have
several built-in functions that execute in real time on the internal DSP
that “assist” your control code while providing high-level signals to verify
proper operation and help you synchronize events. These built-in DSP
functions do faster and more robustly what you may have been forced to
do in the past within your control code using secondary encoder feedback
at the controller. We’ll show you how, using these built-in functions, you
can meet your application requirements while avoiding the costly
integration of secondary encoder feedback at the controller. This will
make your code far simpler and easier to debug, while increasing your
machine reliability.
We’ll discuss how (with one notable exception) you can accomplish
these functions when using the SSt servo drives without secondary
encoder feedback at your controller. In fact, because the SSt servo drives
are so robust, the overall reliability (and usually throughput) of your
machine will probably be improved if you don’t use secondary encoder
feedback at your controller.
There are several requirements that using secondary encoder
feedback at your controller could resolve:
Verification of move completion;
Watching for positioning errors;
Homing of axes;
Clamping objects or inserting objects into sockets/fixtures;
To facilitate manual calibrations
For effective error recovery, and/or
Precision on-the-fly synchronization with other events.
All of these above needs can be accomplished without secondary encoder
feedback when using the SSt servo drives except the last one5. We’ll
explain how each of these is needs is facilitated by the SSt servo drives
and some simple control sequences.
So lets examine each of these requirements in turn:

VERIFICATION OF MOVE COMPLETION

In some point-to-point applications the machine cycling is interlocked
with a verification that the move is complete to some desired accuracy.
Typically the control software keeps reading the encoder position on a
periodic basis as part of its “scan” to verify this. To reduce errors, this is
typically done several times and perhaps compared with a timer to check
that the axis has been done for some period of time. Because the CPU is
usually working on numerous tasks this qualification process typically
adds between 20mS to 50mS of latency for every move in your machine
(decreasing your throughput).

5
If your application does require on-the-fly synchronization to the exact encoder count
you will need an encoder feedback card for use with this soft controller or a
commercially available indexer card with encoder feedback but only for the one or two
axes in your machine that require this.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 45

The SSt servo drive can greatly offload your control code by doing this
processing for you. The MoveDone signal is a high level TTL signal that
actuates when the position error at the end of the move has been within a
desired accuracy for a qualification period of time. Both the accuracy and
the qualification period are configurable and are usually set to a few
counts and a few milliseconds. The MoveDone signal is calculated every
100uS to eliminate latency and it also has fuzzy logic false triggering
suppression (which suppresses the signal if it “looks like” the position
will move out of the accuracy window).

WATCHING FOR POSITIONING ERRORS

In some instances you want to shut down operation or take preemptive
action if the position error on one or more axis goes above a certain level.
Instead of your control code having to constantly monitor the secondary
encoder counter and calculate whether it is “in-band” during moves, the
SSt servo drive can do this for you in two ways:
If you want to shutdown (perhaps for safety reasons) the axis when
this occurs, the SSt servo drive can do this automatically for you based
upon a pre-configured error limit set in the drive. If this happens, the
Ready line will notify your control code, by de-asserting.
If you want, instead (or in addition), to take preemptive action when
the error goes beyond a certain level you can configure the MoveDone
line in “In-Range” mode. This line will assert whenever you are outside
of your pre-configured accuracy range. Your control code can then slow
down immediately (a typical response in a CNC or soft cam application),
finish the current cycle and then stop (so the operator can check for
problems) or just log and flag the condition for preventative maintenance
to occur.

HOMING THE AXES

The SSt servo drives have two built in functions to assist in precisely
homing an axis: Limit Switch Homing and Hard Stop Homing. Both of
these methods eliminate the normal control sequence that occurs when
homing an axis with an indexed encoder:
Move to a switch rapidly, then “crawl” to the index pulse of
the encoder, perhaps refining the home by moving one
encoder tick at a time in a loop until the index is seen, look
up the software offset stored in memory (because the index
mark cannot be mechanically adjusted) and move that
distance to the home position.
Instead, with the SSt servo drive’s Limit Switch Homing the axis is jogged
until the limit switch is detected by the controller code. The SSt servo
drive will lock the axis at the precise limit switch position. Using this
mode and an inexpensive small aperture optical switch you home the axis
repeatably to within a fraction of a micron. Your control software then
simply sends the axis away from the limit switch to a standard home
position.
Your code can even ignore the limit switch signal if you want the
routine to be even simpler. This is how this works—
Let’s say that you have an axis that is 100,000 counts long. You
simply make a moderate speed move toward a limit switch of 100,100
counts. At some point during the move the axis will contact the limit
switch, at that point the SSt will automatically ignore further pulses in

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46 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

that direction. Any pulses in the other direction (away from the limit
switch) will be responded to as usual. So after the completion of the
100,100 count move you simply command the axis to move away from
the limit switch by a fixed amount to a precision home position.
Hard Stop Homing will provide the same function for you without any
switch! Hard Stop homing allows you to home an axis with excellent
precision by simply driving the axis into a hard mechanical stop (at
moderate speed). At some point during the move the axis will contact the
mechanical stop, the SSt servo drive will automatically sense the hard
stop, fold back the torque/force to a low level, ignore further pulses in
that direction and assert the MoveDone signal. You can choose to
monitor MoveDone to speed up homing or simply “overdrive” the axis
into the stop (as in the 100,100 count example above). Any subsequent
pulses in the other direction (away from the mechanical stop) will be
responded to as usual. So after the completion of the Hard Stop Homing
move you simply command the axis to move away from the mechanical
stop by a fixed amount to a precision home position (usually repeatable
to within one encoder count if the axis is relatively stiff).

CLAMPING OBJECTS OR INSERTING OBJECTS INTO

FIXTURES
Some applications need to insert a part into a test socket or clamp an
object at the end of a stroke. Typically, this is done with a servo control
board by: watching the encoder counter, looking for a sharp increase in
error and using one or more relatively complicated techniques to control
the torque/force at the end of the move. For example, one technique is to
turn off the position compensator’s integrator and move beyond the
point where error is detected by a certain amount. Another technique
usually involves switching from position into torque/force control mode
on-the-fly (which usually is complicated to manage, especially when
switching back to position mode).
The SSt servo drives can relive your control code by seamlessly doing
this torque/force control for you. There are two ways in which this can
work:
If you are simply interested in clamping a robust object at the end of
the move you can use MoveDone torque fold-back. When the end of a
move is detected the torque will fold-back to a pre-configured value after
a few milliseconds. This will hold the object with a known force and keep
the motor and drive from overheating or going into safety shutdown. No
extra control software is required to support this, just configure the SSt
drive and you’re done. This method, however, will apply near full
torque/force for a few milliseconds before it folds back (so you would not
use it to clamp an egg).
If you want to be gentler during clamping/insertion you can use the
Mode input signal to limit the torque/force for you. It can be set up to
limit the torque/force to a pre-configured value in the positive direction
only, the negative direction only, or both directions. You can use this
with an optical or magnetic switch that will assert the Mode line as you
get near the clamping position. This will limit the torque/force as the
part is clamped/inserted but will allow full torque in the opposite
direction for fast retracts. No extra control software is required to
support this, just configure the SSt servo drive, set up the switch and
you’re done. Optionally, you can control this line from the soft controller
to avoid the switch.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 47

flag
slotted
optical
switch

from
controller
SSt servo drive
Using Mode line torque foldback for clamping
delicate objects

TO FACILITATE MANUAL CALIBRATIONS (ALIGNMENTS)

In some older stepper motor application, manual calibration is
accomplished by a technician moving the axis by hand to a calibration
point and then, upon leaving the calibration mode the control software
reads the encoder to calibrate the machine. There are numerous safety
reasons to not do this on a servo driven machine. However, it can be
useful to support this mode. An easy way to do this without encoder
feedback is to disable the drives to allow the movement and then, after
re-enabling, home slowly to a limit switch to detect the calibrated
position. (If you know the approximate distance between the calibration
position and a limit switch you can speed this process by making the
largest move possible that is sure to be short of the limit switch and then
move slowly to the limit.)
Other alternatives include:
Allowing the technician to jog the axis to the calibration position after
you have homed the axis (the calibration is then calculated by
summing her movements during the calibration procedure).
Using Hard Stop Homing to do a definitive mechanical calibration (see
“Homing the Axes” above). You can do this by:
1. driving the axis to an end stop of the axis and depend on the
tolerance of the mechanics for alignment,
2. driving the axis to a stop near a critical point in a machine that is
inserted via pneumatics, a solenoid, by a hand toggle, etc. or,
3. by stopping against a fixture that will normally be inserted “in
the way” of the axis during machine operations e.g. a tray, etc.
So you don’t need secondary encoder feedback when calibrating your
machine if you use the SSt servo drives. In fact, using Hard Stop Homing
you might be able to remove the manual alignment altogether making the
procedure more repeatable.

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48 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

FOR EFFECTIVE ERROR RECOVERY

The argument for using secondary encoder feedback for error recovery
has many variations but goes something like this—
“If I know where I am after a machine fault or e-stop is detected,
I can rapidly resume operations without having to re-home all
the axes”
Let’s examine why this is likely not to be a valid argument:
1. How “fail-safe” is the secondary encoder count? In fault situations it
is likely to be dubious. Noise, loss of power, mechanical disconnect
can, and often do, corrupt this information. Especially considering
you just have had a “fault”, making the assumption that the
secondary encoder count is rock solid is not usually considered
prudent engineering practice.
2. Does it matter if it takes a few extra seconds to re-initialize after one
of these events? Ask marketing. If it does, couldn’t you employ some
more rapid homing routines to reduce the time? (You are using a
rapid servo axis, after all.) How quick does this recovery need to be?
(Sometimes just changing which end of the axis is used as home can
save significant time.)
3. What sort of effort is required to make a control program that would:
a. Calculate (using the secondary encoder count) the precise
machine state at the time of interruption. (Especially considering
that one or more of the axes have probably coasted since the
interruption occurred.)
b. Figure out how to drive the machine state, in the most optimum
way, avoiding potential obstacles, to the desired state to continue
operating without damaging product?
Upon some careful discussion/analysis of all the possible
permutations that can occur during an interruption, this often turns out
to be a massive undertaking that it not worth the effort and/or has fault
opportunities of it’s own.
In most machines it’s overwhelmingly likely that there exists a simple re-
homing sequence that will resume operations without damaging product
(if it has not been damaged already) after a fault, e-stop, etc. Sometimes
there are a few of these sequences depending on which axis, or group of
axes, faulted, but very rarely, if ever, do they need to (or should they) rely
on the secondary encoder data for proper operation. The most robust
error recovery strategy is to find these simple re-homing sequences and
use them without relying on potentially corrupt secondary encoder data.
You may lose a few seconds on average in the event of a fault by not using
secondary encoder data in these sequences, but you will gain enhanced
system reliability and typically, faster time to market with your machine.

CONSIDER SECONDARY ENCODER FEEDBACK CAREFULLY

You might be reading this saying: “Yes, but I still feel more secure if I
know where the axis is because...”
In fact, having an extra sensor monitor an operation makes excellent
sense when the sensor has significantly higher reliability than what you
are monitoring. If, in the past, you were monitoring an unreliable
stepper motor (that could stall, or not microstep properly), it made
perfect sense to do all that encoder processing and you probably feel

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comfortable with the secondary encoder feedback. However, with SSt

servo drives, in most applications, reading the encoder with a secondary
input at the controller usually creates far more opportunities for failure
than it cures.
Let’s look carefully at what you would probably be giving up by
reading the encoder:
The SSt servo drive probably has the most robust encoder interface on
the planet. It includes RF suppression, analog filtering, digital filtering,
bad sequence detection and consistency checking performed by the DSP.
The effect of all these precautions is to eliminate, or in the worst case
definitely detect, noise-induced errors. (This is why the SSt can easily
work with single ended TTL encoders while competitors always
recommend, or insist on, encoders with differential signals.)
If the secondary encoder processing electronics in a controller is not
as good as the SSt servo drives (which is likely) you can, in the typically
noisy environment of a machine, inaccurately “second guess” the SSt
servo drive by reading the encoder. Keep in mind that the SSt servo
drives reads the encoder every 100uS not only for control but also to run
MoveDone signal, flag tracking errors and to check for bad sequences so
you don’t have to. Even if the controller’s secondary encoder count
doesn’t get disturbed by noise, your control code could easily read the
encoder out of sync with the internally modified RAS profile and think
the axis it was in the wrong position. And then, actually tell the SSt servo
drive to move to away from the desired position because the controller
misread or misinterpreted the encoder.
In addition, piping high-speed encoder signals throughout the
machine leads to more expensive assembly costs, higher material costs,
higher risk of EMI interference, and lower reliability due to more
connections.
Although it’s beyond the scope of this discussion, if you are
considering a central servo controller board (which of course gives you
access to the encoder counter), you will not get servo performance
equivalent to an SSt servo drive in terms of efficiency, smoothness,
settling time, etc. (Go to www.Teknic.com and look at the “Servo
Architectures—Pros and Cons” for a discussion on why this is true).
All and all, systems that don’t read the encoder signals when using an
SSt servo drive, are more reliable, take less time to develop and have
lower costs.
The bottom line is: If you don’t need absolutely precise on-the-fly
position registration you can improve the reliability, lower assembly
costs and reduce software hassles by using the SSt servo drive’s features
instead of using secondary encoder feedback at the controller.

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SST-QUICKSET™ CONFIGURATION AND

INTEGRATION SOFTWARE
SSt-QuickSet™ is a configuration and integration software package that
allows you to: (1) easily and quickly set up an SSt servo drive system, (2)
optimize it for your mechanics, (3) verify, quantitatively, its performance,
and then (4) save your optimum configurations for speedy, mass-
configuration of SSt servo drives™ during machine production.
Because SSt-QuickSet™ does all the configuration of an SSt servo
drive electronically, you don't need to ever set potentiometers, DIP
switches or jumpers. All of the configurations can be stored on your
computer for quick transfer into other SSt servo drives™-minimizing set-
up and troubleshooting time during production. Each SSt servo drive
has a unique electronic serial number so SSt servo drives™ and their
configurations can be tracked easily.
SSt-QuickSet™ also allows you to monitor the performance of the
drive during machine integration. You can view position and velocity in
user defined units and monitor the full status of any SSt servo drive right
from your computer screen. SSt-QuickSet™ also allows you to set up its
internal stimulus generator and Real-time Monitor port. These built-in
instruments within SSt servo drive can be used in conjunction with your
oscilloscope to stimulate and monitor the performance of your entire
electro-mechanical system, giving you a capability you never had before.
Note: Aside from the SSt-QuickSet™ installation instructions below,
all the software documentation you need is provided on-line for easier
access.
Every section of every window contains a Help button, allowing you to
easily and quickly access any information you need. Help is also several
levels deep so it's useful for beginners as well as experienced users.
Beginners can look up unfamiliar terms within the text at the touch of a
button (without losing their place), and experienced users can dig as
deeply as they want for detailed technical information.

REQUIRED HARDWARE
SSt-QuickSet™ runs on IBM PC compatible computers with a
486/Pentium CPU, a minimum of 16MB of RAM, a CD-ROM, 10MB of
free disk space and a free serial port. (The serial port cannot be shared
with other active serial devices such as a mouse).
Required software is Microsoft Windows™ 95, 98 or NT4.0 SP3 or
better.

SST-QUICKSET™ INSTALLATION
Insert the SSt-QuickSet™ installation CD-ROM into your drive on a
Windows 95, 98 or NT4.0 computer. If AutoRun is enabled, the installer
will start shortly after inserting the disk. If it does not start, open a
window to the CD-ROM drive and run the application program
SETUP.EXE.
An installation screen will appear and ask you to select a destination
on your hard drive, etc. The installation process will take a couple of

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minutes. An SSt-QuickSet™ icon and group window should appear on

your screen as well as the in the Start menu under the Teknic folder.
Your installation is now complete.
Before you attempt to communicate with SSt servo drive, make sure
that you have connected COM 1, 2, 3 or 4 to SSt servo drive via the
Diagnostic/Configuration cable shown in the Diagnostic Port Section
above. Also make sure that you have applied power to SSt servo drive.
If you wish to remove this application, use the Add/Remove Programs
icon in the Control Panels folder. Select “Teknic SSt-QuickSet” item from
the list of applications.

USING SST-QUICKSET™
Most often SSt drive configuration is accomplished using two windows
within SSt-QuickSet: The main window and the Inputs & Limits window.
These are shown below with call-outs explaining major functions.

Drive State Indicator Input Mode Display, Tuning Setup buttons RMS Meter
[Double click to [double click here to open make for easy tuning displays load in real time
clear shutdowns.] Inputs and Limits Screen] [Peak hold function
allows you to easily test
for worst case loading.]

Built-in square wave PIV compensator is

generator for easy to tune.
checking tuning [much easier than PID]
under worst case
conditions.

Feedforward Gains
Real-time Monitor Port
controls allows you Torque Bias offset
to view torque, removes asymetrical
velocity, tracking tuning problems with
accuracy & more gravatational loads.
as your machine runs.

Exclusive, RAS:
Automaticaly
jerk limits
Position/Velocity your incoming
readout can be set-up digital command.
to display in
user units:
Exclusive, IMT:
M/sec, inches, etc.
Adaptive
compensation
Shutdown messages to quell overshoot
help you quickly even with large
troubleshoot inertial and
problems in varying loads.
your machine.
The Real-time Monitor Port’s
Real-time LEDs show you sync pulse makes for easy, Store and Swap buttons
the status of the SSt servo drive. repeatable scope triggering allow for rapid A-B testing
[Even sub-millisecond events are "stretched" for display.] and overlays. of different tuning set-ups.

QuickSet Main Window

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Input Resolution Operation from 24 to 75VDC

programmable
over a wide range
MoveDone torque
Foldback allows the
MoveDone verification use of inexpensive
is fully programmable mechanics

Hard Stop homing lets you

eliminate limit switches!
Safety Tracking Limit
is fully programable
Mode Line torque
foldback setup for precise
clamping applications
Torque application
can be limited for Foldback torque level and
delicate applications the smooth torque transition
"relax" time is fully
programable.

Position Limit Switch mode allows you to

home an axis without an extra home sensor
and without a mechainical or software calibrations.

QuickSet Inputs&Limits Window

USING HELP (SST-QUICKSET™ DOCUMENTATION)

Each setup and utility window in SSt-QuickSet™ has context sensitive
help for each of its items. To invoke the help screen for any item, hit the
F1 function key when that item is selected. To find out more on using
Help itself, pull down the Help menu and select the Help On Help...
item.

HAVING TROUBLE INSTALLING SST-QUICKSET™?

Due to the wide variations of Microsoft Windows™ environments and PC
hardware, you may experience compatibility conflicts that may cause
erratic SSt-QuickSet™ operation. Here are some things to look for.

PROBLEMS DURING SST-QUICKSET™ OPERATION

Problems during program operation are generally caused by serial port
problems. The symptoms are:
• Drive won't respond (drive is always "Offline")
• Communication with drive is intermittent and erratic

Drive Won't Respond ("Offline")

The operation of serial ports on the ISA bus and under Windows™ is
unfortunately one of the weak links of a PC-based system. On the
hardware side, there is a lack of serial boards with flexible I/O addresses
and interrupts, or plug-and-play setups. On the software side, some
Windows™ configurations implement a poor set of low level drivers and
support to the hardware. The combination of these two factors can cause
problems in software that requires access to the serial port. SSt-
QuickSet™ uses the serial port regularly in the course of its execution to
talk to the SSt servo drive.

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If you cannot talk to your drive with SSt-QuickSet™, as evidenced by

the word "Offline" in SSt-QuickSet's™ main menu bar, the first step is to
make sure you are not using the serial port by some other part of
Windows.
The second step to solving serial port problems is to determine if your
hardware is working. Windows™ and many ROM BIOS programs
provide a utility to analyze your hardware. For Windows 95/98 look for
“?” or “!” items in the Hardware tab of the System control panel. For
Windows NT 4.0, run the Windows NT Diagnostics and Event Viewer
applications located in the Administrative Tools to find clues as to what
ports are available.

Intermittent or Erratic Communication

If you can basically run the drive and display information from the drive
with SSt-QuickSet™, but the program periodically tells you the drive is
going "Online" and "Offline", your serial port is having trouble.
Here are a few things you can try that may improve the operation of
your serial port, and thus SSt-QuickSet™.
• Check any extension cables for open wires on the RS-232 control
signals. If these lines float they may be interrupting your machine
with unnecessary work. The SSt-DC cable is wired to make COM
port see an on-line modem whenever the PC is powered up. If
you have a break-out box, loop the PC's DTR to DSR, DCD, RI
and CTS at the PC end of the cable. See the section on the Real-
time Monitor port for more details.
• For older machines make sure serial port based on the 16450 chip
(the 16550A chip is even better).
• Check for interrupt and I/O address conflicts on the serial port.
• Try removing any LAN drivers or the connection from the LAN to
your machine.
• If you have too little memory, Windows™ may be swapping too
much to your hard disk. Add more memory to solve this problem.
• Get a faster machine. A slow machine and display card may cause
some of the time-outs.

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OPTIMIZING SYSTEM PERFORMANCE

(TUNING)
Although SSt servo drive is a state-of-art servo system, you don't need
any knowledge of control theory, Laplace or Z transforms, etc. to
optimize your system. All you need is an oscilloscope, a copy of SSt-
QuickSet™ running on your Windows™ PC and the mechanical system
that is to be controlled.
With SSt servo drive, you can optimize system performance simply by
adjusting "soft" gain parameters. No mechanical tuning is required as
with a stepper motor (no dampers, precise inertia matching, etc.) Nor do
you need to set any pots, DIP switches or jumpers as with most other
servos. In addition, you can see exactly what's happening, millisecond by
millisecond, using the Real-time Monitor port, so there is no guesswork
involved.

SERVO GLOSSARY
SSt servo drive works by continuously adjusting the amount of torque
being applied to the motor shaft in response to a commanded signal
(torque, velocity or position), and feedback from an encoder mounted on
the back of the motor. The sophisticated software algorithms that
calculate and adjust the instantaneous torque output need some
information about the mechanical system and the performance objectives
of the system in order to work effectively. This information is entered by
the system designer in the form of various numerical gains. When we
talk about optimizing system performance, we are referring to the
process of adjusting these gains appropriately.
With SSt servo drive, the optimization process is easier than ever. It
no longer has to be done by feel by an expert. Built-in stimulus/response
instrumentation makes the process systematic and straightforward. If
you are an experienced servo veteran, you'll be excited at how much more
effectively you can use your knowledge and expertise with the SSt servo
drive’s measurement capabilities. For servo neophytes, it will be easier to
understand the optimization procedures that follow, if we begin by
defining some terminology:
Compensator: The algorithm that calculates the amount of torque to
apply to the motor, based upon the feedback from the encoder sensor.
Feedforward Gain: Extra torque applied based on the current value of
the specified type. These gains compensate for the delays caused by
actions of the Compensator. The velocity feedforward applies a fraction
of maximum torque based on the current velocity command.
Acceleration feedforward similarly applies torque based on the current
acceleration demands.
Following Error: Another name for Tracking Error (see below).
Gains: Parameters within the SSt servo drive’s compensator that
multiply the various errors and command values. The results of these
multiplications are summed at various points to calculate the
compensator output.

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Loops: Control feedback paths within the compensator. The SSt servo
drive has a position loop, a velocity loop and a vector torque controller (a
sophisticated current loop).
Position Integrator: A device that sums the history of the tracking
error over time. The use of this device within the SSt servo drive’s
compensator assures that the tracking error will be forced to zero over a
short period of time when the integrator gain Ki is used.
Overshoot: A possible response property of a servo system- It is
defined as: the maximum amount that a response goes beyond or "over-
shoots" a target before being forced back toward the target value.
Position Error: Another name for Tracking Error (see below).
Ringing: A response property- when the response cycles around the
target value after a change in target or in response to an external
disturbance.
Settling Time: There are various definitions for this response property,
but the one used is this document is- The amount of time that is required
for the response to reach its target value from the last change in that
target (position or velocity). The response is considered to have reached
its target value when it is within some pre-defined window: e.g. 2% of
the move length, .001", 1 RPS, etc.
Stiffness: The amount of force (torque) applied divided by the position
error distance (angle). Typically measured when the system is at rest.
Tracking Error: By definition, all systems that respond to a command
signal exhibit some finite error with respect to the command. The
instantaneous position error that occurs during SSt servo drive
movement is referred to as "tracking" error; it refers to how well the SSt
servo drive tracks the incoming steps. The SSt servo drive’s high
bandwidth means that this error will be small compared to other systems
for any given command signal. (Note: Contrary to some manufacturer's
claims, stepper motors also have continual tracking error. Their error,
however, is either less than 3.6 degrees (two full steps) or essentially
infinite, because beyond two steps of tracking error, the stepper motor
will stall.)
Velocity Error: By definition, all systems that respond to a command
signal exhibit some finite error with respect to the command. The
difference between the commanded velocity and the measured velocity is
the velocity error. Inside SSt servo drive, the commanded velocity is
calculated by counting the number of input step pulses that have
occurred over a period of time, and the measured velocity is calculated by
counting the number of encoder counts have occurred over a period of
time.

THE SST SERVO DRIVE COMPENSATOR

(CONTROL ALGORITHMS)
The structure of SSt servo drive control loops is very simple. The loops
are nested similar to a traditional analog servo system. Because of this
structure, the basic procedure for tuning the SSt servo drive is generally
non-interactive. A simplified schematic of the proportional + integral +
velocity loop (PIV) compensator is shown below. The compensator also

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contains velocity and acceleration feedforward terms that are not shown
below.

digital
command d/dt Kfa
integrator
(steps in)
Kfv
v* torque
Ki
filter torque
RAS p* command
Kp Kv

velocity imbedded
estimator velocity loop measured
position

measured Knv main gains

torque Adaptive
Inertia Matching feed-forward gains
Technology (IMT) Knp adaptive gains

PIV Compensator
Analog Equivalent (feed-forward terms not
shown)

First the innermost vector torque controller is tuned and then each
successive "layer" is tuned until the position integrator is finally adjusted.
After the loops are tuned in this manner you may wish to experiment
with each of the gains to "tweak" the performance for your application,
but this is usually unnecessary.

SST SERVO DRIVE BUILT-IN INSTRUMENTATION

Your SSt servo drive has two built in instruments: A square wave
generator-the Tuning Stimulus (also called a "Toggle Generator")-which
can be used to stimulate your system for tuning purposes, and a Real-
time Monitor port-an analog output signal that allows you to view
various system parameters in real time. Both of these tools will greatly
assist you in optimizing your system performance.

THE TUNING STIMULUS

The Tuning Stimulus can supply a square wave reference to any one of
the control loops within SSt servo drive- position, velocity or torque.
You can then use the Real-time Monitor port described below to view the
performance of your system in response to the stimulus.
Square wave testing using the Tuning Stimulus is a strenuous, worst-
case test for your SSt servo drive and mechanics. If any instability exists
in the control loops the Tuning Stimulus will be likely to excite it. So you
can be confident that if your system is stable when stimulated with the
Tuning Stimulus, it will be well-behaved when used with an
indexer/controller.

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The Tuning Stimulus functions as shown in the diagram below. A

variable frequency, variable amplitude square wave reference is
generated which can be routed to the input of the position, velocity or
torque control loops. When the Tuning Stimulus is on, any external
stimulus from the step and direction inputs (and the analog input in SSt
servo drive Plus™) are ignored. When the Tuning Stimulus output is
routed to the torque loop, the position and velocity control loops are
rendered inactive.

Off

Period Amplitude
Adjust Adjust

Position Velocity Torque

Cmd. Cmd. Cmd.

Measured Measured Calculated

Position Velocity Torque

SSt servo drive includes a built-in function

generator for stimulating the position, velocity or
torque control loops for precise tuning.

Note: You should be careful when using the Tuning Stimulus. It can
place extreme demands on your system especially if the period is short or
the amplitudes are large. YOU CAN BREAK YOUR MECHANICS
AND/OR CAUSE A DRIVE SHUTDOWN (letting the axis “fly”) WITH
THE TUNING STIMULUS IF YOU ARE NOT CAREFUL.
You should follow the following recommendations to avoid this:
1. Don't use it in torque mode with an amplitude above 25% unless the
total time the Tuning Stimulus will run is less than a few seconds.
2. Keep the amplitude of position and velocity stimuli small (a few
degrees or a few hundred RPM) if you want to run them with a short
period (i.e. 500ms or less). Larger amplitude stimuli can be used if
the period is long (i.e. thousands of milliseconds).
One final note about the Tuning Stimulus: Because the stimulus is
abrupt, SSt servo drive will respond in kind-attempting to follow the
square wave as faithfully as possible. For all but the smallest amplitude
stimuli, this will drive the SSt servo drive into saturated, "non-linear"
operation.
To see the response indicative of what you will actually get, use a
properly set up indexer/controller. In fact, you will probably see no
overshoot when using your indexer/controller even though you have
tuned the system for overshoot (given a square wave input). In addition,
the settling time will be much faster when using an indexer/controller.
The settling time in response to a 30¡ stimulus might measure 30ms,
while the settling time from the end of a move controlled by the
indexer/controller would typically be less than 5ms.

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USING THE REAL-TIME REAL-TIME MONITOR PORT

The Real-time Monitor port is an analog output that lets you view with a
normal oscilloscope the following parameters:
• Commanded Velocity
• Commanded Torque
• Measured Velocity
• Measured Torque
• Velocity Error
• Tracking Error (position error)
• Sine R (vector control reference)
• Other parameters, such as settling time, acceleration, reflected
inertia, etc., can be measured or derived using the above
selections
The Real-time Monitor port is updated approximately 2,000 times each
second and displays the most recent value of the selected parameter.
The output of the port's range is 4V peak-to-peak centered around a
2.5 volt DC bias. In other words-it varies between 0.5 volts and 4.5 volts
and will output 2.5 volts when the variable being displayed equals zero.
(e.g.: a 2.5 volt output will be present when there is zero position error
and you're viewing Tracking Error). A separate 2.5V reference pin is also
provided at the diagnostic connector for use with instruments with
differential inputs.
Important and Helpful Note: Many people don't seem to
immediately realize the immense power of the Real-time Monitor port.
Expert users, however, are nearly unanimous with regard to its
indispensability. Do yourself a big favor and learn how to use and
interpret the Real-time Monitor port parameters. You will leapfrog any
poor system developer who does not have access to this type of
information. If you like, you can call Teknic, and an applications
engineer will be glad to invest as much time as you need to get familiar
with the power of The Port.

SETTING UP YOUR OSCILLOSCOPE

To view the output of the Real-time Monitor port, connect your
oscilloscope as shown below. (See the Diagnostic/Configuration Cable
Diagram in the Installation section of this manual.)
Open SSt-QuickSet's™ main window and click on the Calibrate
button. The output of the Real-time Monitor port will now output a 2V
peak-to-peak 20Hz square wave.
Set your oscilloscope's trigger to NORMAL, sourced from the channel
attached to the SSt servo drive, high frequency reject if available, the
VERTICAL SENSITIVITY to 0.5V/division, the TIMEBASE SPEED to
10ms/division and adjust your VERTICAL and HORIZONTAL
POSITION until the waveform is centered on your screen as shown
below. Your oscilloscope's screen will now display the full range of the
Real-time Monitor port. You should not need to readjust the VERTICAL
SENSITIVITY or VERTICAL POSITION of your oscilloscope at any time
when using this port. All future display adjustments should be set using
the range field in the Monitor Port panel of the main window.

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500mV 10ms

Your Oscilloscope screen should look like this

when you are using the Real-time Monitor port's
built-in calibrator and your oscilloscope's vertical
position is adjusted properly.

For most of the measurements that follow you will want to use NORMAL
triggering with the Real-time Monitor port. The only oscilloscope
controls you will need to adjust when using the Real-time Monitor port
will be the TIMEBASE SPEED, the TRIGGER LEVEL and/or the
TRIGGER POLARITY. All other adjustments will be made with SSt-
QuickSet™.

TUNING FOR PERFORMANCE

The following simple procedure walks you through manually tuning your
SSt servo drive. The results of this procedure are a good compromise for
a wide range of applications. If you wish to further optimize your system,
the "Tailoring the Response to Your Application" section below will give
you some tips on how to optimize your system for your machine's specific
requirements.

SETTING UP FOR TUNING

A. Connect the motor to its intended mechanical load and make sure
that the shaft is free to move.
B. Move the system to its mechanical center.
C. If the use of limit switches is feasible on your mechanics, CONNECT
THEM. If not, install a limit switch cheater plug as described in the
Installation section above.
D. If you're not using a Teknic-supplied SSt-CC controller cable which
has a switch on the Enable~ line, you should install a simple switch
in series with the Enable~ pin (pin 8 on the Controller connector)

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and your indexer. This will allow for a fast and easy way to disable
SSt servo drive, without the intervention of software. The tuning
process requires disabling the drive at times, and the switch can also
be used as a "kill" switch, if necessary. Toggling the switch will also
clear any drive protection shutdowns that might occur.
E. Open the User Units setup window and depress the Default button.
(This step is not necessary but it does assure that the units shown on
your screen are the same as the ones in this manual.)
F. Connect an oscilloscope to the Real-time Monitor port and adjust the
controls as described above.
G. It will be helpful to you if you first read through this entire section
before actually beginning the tuning process.

TUNING THE VELOCITY LOOP

1. Open the main window of SSt-QuickSet™ and depress the “1-Kv
Tune” button in the Setups section. This will zero Kv, Kp and Ki
gains and set up the Real-time Monitor port and the Tuning
Stimulus.
Note: The axis should be free to turn ±5 turns without hitting an
obstruction in order to run this test. Call Teknic for special
instructions if this is not possible.
[The Real-time Monitor port will be set to Velocity Error with a
range of ±1,000 RPM (250 RPM/division) and the Tuning Stimulus
will be set to inject a ±750 RPM command signal into the velocity
loop with a period if 500ms.]
2. Enable SSt servo drive.
3. Start the Tuning Stimulus by clicking on the “On/Off” button.
The indicator above the “On/Off” button should come on and
stay on. If it does not stay on, the drive is not enabled; enable the
drive and try again. Your oscilloscope should display the start of a
square wave stimulus with an amplitude of ±3 divisions.
Because the velocity gain, Kv, is set to zero, the motor will not yet
respond to the velocity moves commanded by the tuning stimulus.
4. Begin to increase Kv: the motor should start to move.
Keep increasing Kv until you notice about 2% to 5% overshoot on
your oscilloscope as shown in the figure below. Remember to hit
ENTER to send your new value to the drive after modifying the form.
Alternately, you may use the field entry accelerator to step the value
up and down. Hit F1 (Help) for more details.

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500mV 10ms

overshoot "spike" Kv adjusted well

Kv too low

This part of trace clipped by

the scope/monitor port to
show more resolution.

Typical Velocity Responses

Because you are viewing velocity error and not actual velocity,
you will see response spikes and not square waves on your
oscilloscope after you are done with this procedure. This is because
you are viewing the difference between the square wave stimulus and
the response of your SSt servo drive as it attempts to follow the
abrupt changes. With Kv at zero, the motor will not move and you
should see the step (square wave) stimulus on your oscilloscope. As
you increase Kv, the square wave will change shape as shown below-
at some point only spikes will remain. It is the "overshoot" of these
spikes that you are trying to adjust.
Values for Kv usually fall between 2,000 and 50,000. (In 80
percent of systems, Kv falls between 10,000 and 30,000). So you
should start around 2000 and increase in increments of around
4000 (i.e.: 2,000, 6,000, 10,000, etc.) until you bracket the correct
response. Then go back and iterate in smaller steps until you see 2%
to 5% overshoot.
If, during this procedure, a drive shutdown occurs due to an
RMS limit, the motor may have been about to overheat. If this
occurs, the stimulus period should be increased (this will require,
however, that the motor turn farther during this procedure).
Tuning for a small overshoot usually works quite well.
Sometimes, however, the system will exhibit extended ringing even
at this low level of overshoot. If you detect more than a few cycles of
ringing you should scale back the Kv gain until this is corrected6.

6
This usually indicates that there is a mechanical resonance in your system which will
ultimately limit performance. Although you can "tune around" this resonance, your

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500mV 10ms

Unstable Velocity Loop Response (Ringing)

In general you should test the limits of Kv—increasing Kv beyond
where you believe it is well tuned, there is little penalty for this
(except for perhaps enduring some noise) and often it reveals that Kv
can be tuned substantially higher. A common example of this often
occurs when the load is belt driven—what appears like ringing during
the rise time is actually belt “slap” that can be “tuned out” by
increasing Kv.
5. Begin to increase Kfv, the velocity feedforward gain, until the "steady
state" error (just before the next stimulus transition) is at a
minimum. You may want to reduce the range of the Real-time
Monitor port to ±200 RPM to get a better view of this.
Values for Kfv usually fall between 0 and 10,000. So you should
start around 100 and increase geometrically, i.e. 200, 400, 800, etc.
until you bracket the correct response. Then go back and iterate in
smaller linear steps until you see minimum steady state error as
shown in the diagram below.

system performance will be enhanced if it is removed from the system. There may be
several simple solutions to this problem, contact Teknic for details.

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500mV 10ms

Kfv too high,

positive tracking

Kfv adjusted well, no tracking

Kfv too low, negative tracking

Velocity Feedforward Adjustments

Don't be surprised if your system requires little of no Kfv gain,
this is often the case if the friction in your system is very low.
Note: Feedforward gains mathematically differentiate the
incoming move profile from the indexer/controller and feed it to the
torque loop. Therefore, if the pulse train from the indexer/controller
has any of the following characteristics: update rate lower than
0.5ms, a discontinuous "notchy" profile, or if the number of steps per
revolution is set to less than the SSt servo drive’s quadrature counts
per revolution setting, a noise disturbance will be transferred directly
into the motor by the feedforward gains. This will tend to cause
excessive torque usage and rough motion. Always turn on the RAS
feature if this is the case to minimize this noise.
6. Stop the test by clicking on the “On/Off” button in the “Tuning
Stimulus” section of the main window.

TUNING THE POSITION LOOP

7. Disable SSt servo drive and move the axis to its mechanical center (if
it moved off during the previous procedure).
8. Click on the “2-Kp Tune” button. This will zero out the Kp and Ki
gains, set up the Real-time Monitor port and “Tuning Stimulus”.
[The Real-time Monitor port will be set to Tracking Error with a
range of ±40 degrees (10 degrees/division) and the “Tuning
Stimulus” will be set to inject a ±30 degree command signal into the
position loop with a period if 500ms.]
9. Enable SSt servo drive.
10. Start the “Tuning Stimulus” by clicking on the “On/Off” button.
The indicator above the “On/Off” button should come on and
stay on. If it does not stay on, the drive is not enabled; enable the
drive and try again. Your oscilloscope should display a ±3 division
high square wave edge.

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Because the position gain, Kp, is set to zero, the motor will not
yet respond to the position moves commanded by the “Tuning
Stimulus”.
11. Begin to increase Kp: the motor should start to move.
Keep increasing Kp until you notice overshoot on your
oscilloscope as shown in the figure below. Adjust Kp for
approximately 5% overshoot.
Values for Kp usually fall between 1,000 and 25,000. (In 80
percent of systems, Kp falls between 7,000 and 16,000.) You should
start around 1000 and increase in increments of 2000 (i.e.: 1000
3,000, 5,000, etc.) until you bracket the correct response. Then go
back and iterate in smaller steps until the desired response is
achieved.
AS YOU INCREASE Kp, THE AXIS MAY REACT QUITE VIOLENTLY.
IF YOU THINK THAT YOUR MECHANISM MAY BE DAMAGED,
REDUCE THE EXCITATION AMPLITUDE (i.e.: REDUCE THE TUNING
STIMULUS AMPLITUDE FROM 30 DEGREES TO, SAY, 15 DEGREES).

500mV 10mS

Kp Gain Near Optimum

Kp Gain Increases

No Kp Gain

Tracking Error response as Kp is increased.

If, during this procedure, a shutdown occurs due to an RMS

limit, the motor may have been about to overheat. If this occurs the
stimulus period should be increased. If a shutdown occurs due to a
Tracking Error it is probably because the Kp gain was set too high
and very large overshoot and/or ringing occurred. If this occurs,
reduce Kp. In either case make the appropriate adjustment, disable
and enable the drive to clear the shutdown7, start the “Tuning
Stimulus” and continue tuning.

7
This can also be done by double-clicking on the word "Ready" where it appears in the
main menu bar, or by using the Reset Shutdowns command found under the Setup
menu.

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12. Stop the test by clicking on the “On/Off” button in the “Tuning
Stimulus” section of the main window. (Alternately, if you have
followed the tuning procedure from the start, and plan on
continuing, you can leave the “Tuning Stimulus” running and
proceed immediately to step 15.)

ADJUSTING THE INTEGRATOR

13. Click on the 3-Ki Tune button. This will zero the integral gain and set
up the Real-time Monitor port and “Tuning Stimulus”. (The setup
created by this button is identical to that of the “2-Kp Tune” button,
except Kp is not set to zero. Therefore, if you have followed the
tuning procedure from the start, there is actually no need to press
this button now.)
14. Start the “Tuning Stimulus” by clicking on the “On/Off” button. The
motor will move at this point.
15. Adjust the Ki integrator gain while observing the oscilloscope as
before so the axis has maximum overshoot without any subsequent
undershoot. More descriptively, once the response has overshot the
target value (center line) it should come back to the target without
passing it in the other direction. If it does, reduce Ki until only
overshoot occurs. Typically an axis will exhibit this behavior at about
20% overshoot.
Values for Ki usually fall between 10 and 3,000. (In 80 percent
of systems, values for Ki will fall between 40 and 1,500.) So you
should start around 10 and increase in increments of about 100 (i.e.:
10, 100, 200, etc.) until you bracket the correct response. Then go
back and iterate in smaller steps until the desired response is
achieved.
15a. [SSt-1500-Axx only] Increase the Knv IMT gain until the integrator
overshoot is minimized.
The integrator gain (Ki) should be set to zero if you are using an SSt servo
drive Plus™ as an analog servo amplifier.

ANTI-HUNT™
During the above tuning procedures you may have noticed that the motor
began to "buzz" or "grind". What is occurring is a low level limit cycle as
the motor hunts between encoder ticks. This usually is not a problem,
but it may be perceived as one by your customers (users) and should be
avoided. For this reason, Teknic developed the Anti-Hunt™ feature.
When in use, SSt servo drive uses a non-linear, fuzzy technique that helps
quell the buzzing motion that can occur at zero speed with other servo
controlled systems. In general, this allows the use of higher gains for
stiffer and faster response without annoying buzzing.
To enable Anti-Hunt™, open the main window of SSt-QuickSet™ and
turn the Anti-Hunt™ button to “On”.
If, after Anti-Hunt™ is invoked, the buzzing is still unacceptable, you
may wish to reduce the gains of your loops. Reducing the Kv gain while
increasing Kp and holding the product of Kp and Kv constant may stop
the grinding without reducing performance.

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ADJUSTING ACCELERATION FEEDFORWARD

The acceleration feedforward gain, Kfa, when used properly, will reduce
the following error and the settling time performance of your system. It
should be used if high performance contouring or point-to-point motion
is required. If, however, you are using SSt servo drive for constant
velocity or scanning applications, where smoothness is critical, it is
recommended that you set Kfa to zero and you can skip the following
tuning steps.
Depending upon how smoothly your indexer operates, there can be a
negative aspect to using acceleration feedforward and you might want to
avoid its use. The axis will get become loud when it is used and torque
usage will increase dramatically. For this reason it is always advisable to
turn on the RAS feature to smooth the incoming command. This will
eliminate these problems.
The Tuning Stimulus is not an appropriate stimulus for adjusting Kfa
because of its infinite commanded acceleration (remember, it's a square
wave). In order to adjust Kfa properly, you must use an indexer with a
smooth, linear acceleration ramp.
To do this, follow the following procedure:
16. Hook up your indexer to SSt servo drive. Set up the indexer for a
trapezoidal move with the acceleration and maximum speed that will
be used in you application. Program the indexer to repeat this move
back and forth continuously as shown in the diagram below. The
indexer's output can be verified by viewing “Commanded Velocity”
using the Real-time Monitor port.

+max
Velocity

-max

Time

17. Trigger your oscilloscope such that you can view the response during
the entire move. The easiest way to do this is to use the Real-time
monitor ports “Sync pulse” pull-down menu setting it to “plus”.
Adjust the HORIZONTAL TIMEBASE so it corresponds to the length
of the move as shown above. To be sure you have the scope set up
right set the Real-time Monitor port to “Commanded Velocity” with a
range equaling twice the maximum speed your indexer is
commanding. Your oscilloscope should display a picture like above.
18. Set the Real-time Monitor port to “Commanded Torque” with the
range set to the maximum number of ounce-inches that your SSt
servo drive can produce.
19. Start the axis moving. (The SSt servo drive gains Kv, Kp, Kfv and Ki
should be set using the previous steps of the tuning procedure as
described above.)
20. View the Commanded Torque during the moves to ensure that the
output stage of SSt servo drive is not saturating (i.e.: attempting to

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use more than the maximum available torque). The torque output
should not exceed ±3 divisions at any time during the move. If more
than this torque is being used, reduce the acceleration of the move.
21. Switch the Real-time Monitor port to view “Tracking Error” and set
the range to one tenth of the maximum velocity commanded by the
indexer during the move.
22. Set Ki to zero.
23. Increase Kfa while viewing Tracking Error for the entire move. At
some value of Kfa, the Tracking Error will be minimized.
24. If you cannot detect any positive benefit when using a non-zero Kfa
because the error was already so low you could not detect any
improvement- be pleased. This means that you have a very high
bandwidth, low error system. In order to set Kfa appropriately try
reducing Kv and Kp to half their original value and repeat step 24.
After you have completed this step restore Kv and Kp to their prior
values.
25. As before, switch the Real-time Monitor port to “Commanded
Torque” with the range set to the maximum number of ounce-inches
that your SSt servo drive can produce.
26. View the Commanded Torque during the move with Kfa set to ensure
that the output stage of the SSt servo drive is not saturating (The
torque output should not exceed ±3 divisions at any time during the
move.) If more than this torque is being used reduce the acceleration
of the move and repeat step 8.
27. Restore Ki.

TAILORING THE RESPONSE TO YOUR APPLICATION

Every application has different requirements. Some applications
demand absolute smoothness, but can trade off settling time and
disturbance rejection. Others need minimum settling time, but can trade
off some end of move oscillations provided that they are under a certain
limit. For contouring applications, following error below a certain limit
over the entire path may be the key parameter. The possible
permutations of response requirements is infinite.
In general, the tuning procedures described above lead to a good
compromise response, however, you may want to fine tune the gains to
your needs. In order to do this you need to use your indexer/controller
as the test command signal and not the internal “Tuning Stimulus” which
only tests the step response.
Although step response tests can be illuminating, they are not
representative of your real-world demands (which are almost always less
stressful than step response tests). For this reason there is usually a good
amount of latitude to both increase and decrease the gains from the
values found in the procedures above.
Some examples: Increasing the gains makes the system "stiffer" and
you might elect to do this if you are designing a machine for a contouring
application where you expect only small, low frequency disturbances that
will not excite an otherwise "hot" (underdamped) axis. Conversely,
reducing gains makes the system motion smoother and you might do this
for an image scanning machine, but this would reduce the disturbance
rejection and point-to-point settling time.

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KNOW YOUR OBJECTIVES

The first step in fine tuning an axis is to know, analytically, what your
objectives are for the response. It is easy to spend a lot of time adjusting
gains and the settings based upon subjective criteria that don't lead to the
desired result. This seems obvious, but it is easy to get caught in this
trap. Once you know what your response objective is, you can evaluate
different tuning settings by measuring the response against the objective.
SSt servo drive is one of the only products in the motion control
marketplace that allows you to do this easily without expensive
instrumentation. The following examples of fine tuning objectives
should be illuminating:
A poor objective for a pick-and-place axis might be stated:
"The axis should move from point-to-point in minimum
time."
A better stated objective for the fine tuning might be:
"The axis should move and settle to within 10 microinches as
fast as possible from point-to-point when using a trapezoidal
velocity move profile."
This objective can be further improved:
"The sum of the time to complete a 200 micro-inch move, a
0.1 inch move, and a 5 inch move should be minimized, with
all moves considered complete when settled to within 10
microinches of the target when using the most aggressive
trapezoidal and/or triangular velocity profiles that the axis
can follow. Furthermore, this should occur under conditions
of low output from the power supply caused by the AC line
voltage dropping to 105V."
This may seem as if it is getting silly , but in actuality, the more
qualified objective actually makes your job easier, keeps your marketing
staff happy and ultimately keeps the customer happy because he/she
knows exactly what can be expected from your machine.
A good objective for a contouring system might be:
“When traveling at 10 inches/second around a circle of 1"
radius, the maximum error should be less than .005" while
minimizing the mean squared tracking error over the entire
circular path for both a 1 pound payload and 10 pound
payload.”
Of course any tuning objective must relate to your machine's overall
performance objectives to be useful, but the tighter this objective can be
specified, the faster and easier the fine tuning will be.

ADJUSTING FOR SMOOTHEST RESPONSE

There are certain applications that require a particularly smooth
response. Usually these applications have requirements in terms of the
maximum instantaneous velocity error that can be tolerated. There are
two types of responses that can be troublesome in these systems: (1) fast,
underdamped response to mechanical disturbances and (2) servo
hunting or "jitter".

TUNING KV, KP AND KI FOR SMOOTH RESPONSE

In applications such as image scanning, the disturbance rejection of the
system tuning needs to be reduced so that the response to mechanical

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noise in the system will not be abrupt or at all oscillatory. The tuning
procedure above will produce a slightly underdamped response
characteristics that is not necessarily optimum for applications where the
smoothest response is desired. (In a scanner, underdamped response
can produce qualitatively poor images.) Underdamped response should
generally be avoided wherever the human eye is used as the final
measure of quality.
We describe here three levels of tuning for a smooth response, named
level I, II and III. Level III is the smoothest. As you progress from level I
to level III, however, you will be lowering the speed of response to
disturbances (servo bandwidth) and the axis under control will feel
"softer" with each level to which you proceed. In general, if you have a
smooth, well-isolated and disturbance free mechanism you will want to
use level II or level III tuning. If however, your mechanism is
mechanically noisy or if the axis is likely to be disturbed by external
forces, standard tuning or level I tuning may actually give you overall
smoother response. Note: Level III should only be used if you have no
concern that the axis may have some finite tracking error (this would be
an application where you are concerned about velocity control only).

Level I:
Adjust Kv using the standard velocity loop tuning procedure except set
Kv for the fastest rise time response that exhibits no velocity overshoot;
Adjust Kp using the standard position loop tuning procedure except
adjust Kp for the fastest rise time response that exhibits no position
overshoot, then increase Ki until position overshoot is barely detectable.

Level II:
Adjust Kv using the standard velocity loop tuning procedure except set
Kv for the fastest rise time response that exhibits no velocity overshoot.
Then, do not follow the standard procedure for Kp, but instead adjust Kp
using the velocity loop tuning procedure, increasing Kp, as before, until
you observe the fastest rise time response that exhibits no velocity
overshoot. After you have adjusted Kv and Kp in this manner adjust Ki
using the Position loop tuning procedure for the fastest rise time
response that exhibits no position overshoot.

Level III.
Follow the Level II procedure to adjust Kv and Kp. Set Ki to zero.
The best way to evaluate which tuning level is right for you is to look
at the final result when operating your machine using the Real-time
Monitor port and an oscilloscope. Alternately, you may have a specified
velocity frequency spectrum envelope you must stay below. If this is the
case, then you can use the Real-time Monitor port in Velocity Error mode
as an input to an FFT analyzer with one caution: Ignore any response
spikes at or around frequencies that are the speed in RPS times the line
frequency (lines per revolution) or 4 times the line frequency of the
encoder. Also ignore any response spikes above 1000Hz.

ELIMINATING SERVO JITTER

In certain applications the typical low level perturbations of an optimally
tuned servo system can not be tolerated. These perturbations or "jitter"
are a result of the servo responding to sensor noise (primarily
quantization noise). Often this jitter, which typically sounds like a

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grinding, is the limiting factor as to how high the gains, and hence the
bandwidth, of the system can be adjusted. Most applications can tolerate
a small amount of jitter especially if the frequency is low. For
applications that are sensitive to jitter, a few things can be done to reduce
it:
1 Use the SSt servo drive’s Anti-Hunt™ feature
2. Reduce the compensator gains (perhaps using Level I, II or III
tuning as described above).
3. Reduce the vector torque controller (current loop) gains.
4. Increase the line count of the encoder.
5. Increase friction in your system.
To see if the torque vector controller (current loop) is a source of
noise in your system, set the Kv gain to zero and enable SSt servo drive.
If the motor emits a grinding noise and you can feel any motion in the
shaft in this mode you may want to reduce the Kii and Kip gains of the
torque vector controller. Call Teknic for instructions on how to best do
this.

ADJUSTING FOR MINIMUM SETTLING TIME

(POINT-TO-POINT APPLICATIONS)
In general, the standard tuning procedure will optimize Kv and Kp for
point-to-point applications. You may however be able to squeeze a little
more performance out of the system by increasing Kv further. To do this
repeat the standard tuning procedure except tune Kv for approximately
15% overshoot. If the response rings heavily when you try to do this
(more than two cycles before being damped out), reduce Kv until you see
less than two cycles of ringing in the response waveform. Now adjust Kp
following the procedure. (Usually Kp will be higher than it is was when
set with the nominal procedure.)
Turn on Anti-Hunt™
Leave Kfv alone.
Set Ki to zero and follow the procedure for setting Kfa.
The integrator gain Ki, and acceleration feedforward gain Kfa, however,
should be tuned using your indexer/controller as the stimulus. To do
this, set up your indexer/controller for the most aggressive move that will
be made using the SSt servo drive being tuned. Open the main window
of SSt-QuickSet™, select Tracking Error from the Real-time Monitor
port's pull down menu. Enter a position range into the range field equal
to four times your position settling criteria. Trigger your oscilloscope, if
possible, from a signal from your indexer/controller that indicates that
the move profile is complete.
Set up your indexer to repeat this move back and forth on a periodic
basis (e.g. one second). Connecting a thermostat to the motor as
described in the "Installation" section of this manual is a good added
protection for ensuring the motor does not overheat. Adjust your
oscilloscope to view the Tracking Error at the end of each move. Now
adjust Ki until the settling time is minimized. (If you have set the Real-
time Monitor port as described above, one large division on your scope
will represent your settling time criterion. Settling time will then be the
time it takes for the response to stay below one oscilloscope screen
division from the end of the move profile.) After you have done this,
adjust Kfa to see if you can further reduce this settling time. (Kfv can

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also be adjusted, but rarely has a positive effect unless your system has a
significant amount of viscous friction.)
NOTE: This procedure will not work properly if the acceleration or
maximum velocity demand from your indexer/controller are too
aggressive for the load. To check if this is the case, select Commanded
Torque from the Real-time Monitor port's pull down menu. Enter the
maximum rated torque for your SSt servo drive into the range field9 and
view the output during the same move sequence used above to tune Ki
and Kfa. The torque should stay below maximum (four oscilloscope
screen divisions) during the deceleration portion of the move.

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TROUBLESHOOTING YOUR MACHINE

HOW TO USE THIS SECTION

Today's sophisticated automation technology is a symphony of
interrelated subsystems. Mechanical systems are comprised of at least
several separate elements: slides, bearings, couplings, belts, gears,
screws, and more. The mechanical relationship between the machine's
load and the motor is governed by these mechanics, however, the
relationship is a complex combination of both linear and nonlinear
elements. Electrical systems are similarly complex. SSt servo drive, used
in conjunction with SSt-QuickSet™, is a powerful tool to help you
overcome all this complexity and get your machine performance
optimized as quickly as possible.
Most problems encountered during the design of an SSt servo drive-
based system are due to one of a few basic causes: incorrect wiring,
misconfiguration of drive parameters, mechanical problems, operation
beyond original design objectives (or under-specifying the system), and
indexer/controller software problems. Unfortunately, there are many
symptoms to these underlying problems, and also many variations of
each problem. Determining the root cause of a problem can be difficult if
a methodical procedure is not used.
Fortunately, with the SSt servo drive’s Real-time Monitor port
function and the following compilation of every problem we, and our
many Beta-site customers, have ever encountered, you should be able to
solve any difficulty with relative ease.
To use this section, first look at the boldface headings on the next
page and find the general description of the problem you are
encountering. Then go to the page(s) indicated for more
questions/symptoms to help you further narrow down the possibilities.
Finally, when you have determined the cause of your problem, one or
more possible solutions are presented. Often, helpful hints are also
provided to help you further optimize the performance of your machine.
Finally, if you encounter any problems you can't quickly solve using
this section, or have any questions, or would like some personal
assistance in any way, please don't hesitate to call Teknic.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON POWER CYCLING

When integrating the SSt servo drive into your machine it is important to
allow for at least one second of delay before reapplying input power to
the drive. This delay is necessary to assure that the unit DSP is fully
powered and calibrated. Unintended rapid cycling may occur due to an
intermittent door interlock, EMO switch, or even contactor. In most
cases this will not cause problems. Contact your Applications Engineer if
you have any questions on this subject.

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PROBLEM TABLE OF CONTENTS

DRIVE SHUTS DOWN (GREEN LED BLINKS SLOWLY)74
Tracking Error Shutdowns Occur ................................................74
RMS limit shutdowns occur and/or Motor Runs Hot.................76
I/V shutdowns occur ................................................................... 82
LACK (OR PARTIAL LACK) OF MOVEMENT ................85
Motor Will Not Move .................................................................. 85
MOVEMENT NOT SMOOTH ........................................89
Axis Jerks at End of Move........................................................... 89
Axis jerks at beginning of moves ................................................ 92
Motion erratic (“jerky”) while moving at constant velocity ....... 93
Large velocity/torque ripple or “cogging” is evident.................. 94
MOVE LENGTH INCORRECT/UNREPEATABLE ..........95
Motor shaft moves wrong, but repeatable, distance .................. 95
Motor shaft moves an unrepeatable distance............................. 96
Load moves an incorrect, unrepeatable distance ....................... 99
Motor “walks” when no step pulses are given .......................... 100
TORQUE SEEMS LOW .............................................101
Motor moves but does not have full torque............................... 101
Motor loses torque (or performance degrades) after running ..103
MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS .................................105
Axis resonates or “whines”.........................................................105
Limit switches don't seem to work properly..............................107
Encoder error shutdowns occur................................................ 108
Drive resets when motor attempts to move............................... 110
Thermal protection Shutdowns occur ........................................111

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DRIVE SHUTS DOWN (GREEN LED BLINKS SLOWLY)

TRACKING ERROR SHUTDOWNS OCCUR

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Does the commanded acceleration/velocity request more

power than is available?
2. Is the commanded velocity beyond the motor’s upper limit?
3. Is the torque output reduced?
4. Is there a mechanical obstruction, or binding of the axis?

5. Is the SSt servo drive tuned properly?

6. Is the tracking error limit set too low?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Does the commanded acceleration/velocity request more

power than is available?
Check the Trq Saturation and Volt Saturation LEDs in SSt-QuickSet’s™
main window. If they light up during any moves sent from the indexer,
you are asking for a move that exceeds the system’s capabilities. (Note:
Torque saturation may be normal if you are using any of the SSt’s torque
fold-back modes.)
Solution: If the Trq Saturation LED is lighting, change your
indexer/controller’s settings to reduce the acceleration demand
(assuming the SSt servo drive is optimally tuned). Call Teknic if you want
an estimate of the maximum acceleration and velocity for your
application. If the Volt Saturation LED is lighting reduce the maximum
velocity or torque or both.
Note that other solutions may be applicable. Better tuning and/or a
better (more jerk-limited) command may eliminate torque saturation.
Improved gearing may also help dramatically. A higher voltage power
supply (up to 75VDC) may eliminate voltage saturation. Check the
voltage (at the drive) with an oscilloscope.
2. Is the commanded velocity beyond the encoder’s upper limit?
Look at the Overspeed LED during the move. If it comes on at anytime
during the move, the commanded velocity is too high or the Encoder Max
Speed parameter is set wrong.
Solution: Change your indexer’s settings to reduce the maximum
velocity (steps/sec) or change the Encoder Max Speed parameter setting
to an appropriate value.
3. Is the torque output reduced?
A potential cause of tracking error shutdowns is reduced torque output of
a SSt servo system. When this occurs, the SSt servo system does not have
enough torque to keep up with the commanded move profile and falls

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behind. The loss of torque can occur for several reasons. For diagnostic
procedures and solutions see the “Motor moves, but does not have full
torque.” and “Motor loses torque (or performance degrades) after
running” sections.
4. Is there a mechanical obstruction, or binding of the axis?
Disable the SSt servo drive and try rotating the axis by hand. For best
results, turn the power transmission element closest to the motor shaft
(e.g.: a coupling, pulley, screw, etc.) If the axis is clamped, obstructed or
binds this is probably the problem. It is also likely that the RMS limit
shutdown will occur when you attempt to move the axis with the SSt
servo system if the mechanics are not free to move.
Solution: Remove the obstruction or free up the binding.
5. Is the tracking error limit set too low?
The tracking error limit (accessed via the “Inputs and Limits” window
under the Setup menu) is intended to be used as a safety shutdown
mechanism if the difference between the commanded position and the
actual position becomes great due to a mechanical obstruction or failure.
The lower the tracking limit alarm is set, the faster the shutdown
response will be under these conditions. However, if the limit is set too
low, nuisance trips will occur.
Solutions: (a) Set the tracking error to an higher level which will still
protect the system. If nuisance trips still occur, (b) empirically find the
appropriate value for the tracking limit by viewing the tracking error
during your machine’s normal operation. To do this, select “Tracking
Error” for the Real-time Monitor Port output variable and operate the
machine as you normally would. Adjust the TIMEBASE of the scope and
the range of the monitor port so you can see the tracking error over an
entire machine cycle. (If you have a digital oscilloscope, “envelope mode”
or “infinite persistence” is very helpful for this test.) Then set the tracking
error limit to a value safely above the maximum tracking error ever
observed. (2x-4x is common.)
6. Is the SSt servo drive tuned properly?
If the SSt servo drive is not tuned properly, its response can have a
substantial lag causing the tracking accuracy to be reduced during moves.
If this is the case, tracking error shutdowns may occur.
Solution: Follow the tuning procedure listed in the “Optimizing
Performance” section of the SSt user manual.

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RMS LIMIT SHUTDOWNS OCCUR AND/OR MOTOR RUNS HOT

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Do any of the problems listed in the “Motor moves normally

but does not have full torque” and/or “Motor loses torque after
running” sections exist?
2. Does the mechanism have high stiction (start up friction) with
a belt (or cable) drive?
3. Does the mechanism have high viscous or static friction?
4. Does the application call for continuous high speed operation?

6. Is the SSt servo drive poorly tuned?

7. Is there a short in the motor windings?
8. Is the Indexer/Controller’s profile discontinuous?

9. Does the application require more RMS torque than expected?

10. Is the RMS limit set too high?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

All motors have a maximum operating temperature. The maximum safe

temperature is usually determined by the maximum temperature of the
wire in the windings, but can also be limited by the magnetic material in
the rotor and/or the maximum operating temperature of any electronics
in the motor. Teknic standard motors, supplied as part of a SSt servo
drive system should not be operated such that the case temperature is
allowed to rise above 75°C.
A motor can run hot for three principal reasons: (i) The application
requires more torque than the motor can deliver continuously and/or the
motor does not have a good thermal path to remove heat, (ii) The motor
is damaged, or (iii) The Vector Torque control (sinewave commutation)
is not aligned (i.e.: is out of phase) with the rotor (this causes some or all
of the current to heat the motor without producing torque). The last
reason is also the cause of reduced torque output so you should ask the
following question:
1. Do any of the problems listed in the “Motor moves normally
but does not have full torque” and/or “Motor loses torque after
running” sections exist?
Pertinent questions listed under “Motor moves, but does not have full
torque”:
• Is the drive-motor cabling correct and intact?
• Are the commutation sensors properly wired?
• Was the proper configuration file loaded?
—or— Is the SSt servo drive properly configured to the motor?
• Is the R/O number set incorrectly (off by more than 20% of the
motor’s nameplate R/O value)?

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Pertinent questions listed under “Motor loses torque after running”:

• Is the drive-motor cable loose or does it have intermittent
connections or shorts?
• Have the encoder signals been routed to an indexer/controller with
low impedance inputs?
• Is the motor cable length excessive?
• Is the encoder slipping on the motor shaft?
Read these sections listed above and follow the diagnosis procedures.
2. Does the mechanism have high stiction (start up friction) with
a compliant (springy) transmission element drive?
If you have a mechanism that has considerable compliance (often occurs
in tangential belt drives, very long screws, rubber couplings, etc.) and you
have high static friction or stiction (start-up friction from plain linear
bearings, worm gears, linear bearing seals, etc.), extra torque may be
used continuously at standstill. This occurs when the load stops near but
not at the required position and “sticks” there. The SSt servo drive
responds by adding torque until the motor is at the exact position
commanded, but, because the load is “stuck”, instead of moving the load
it just stretches the compliant transmission element. A continuous
torque is then required to maintain that position since the SSt servo drive
works to “wind-up” the compliance in the transmission, and this torque
will raise the temperature of the motor above what would normally be
required for the application itself.
To diagnose the problem, set up the Monitor Port to display
Commanded Torque and set the range to one half of the motor’s
capability (e.g.: 80 oz-in for a 160 oz-in motor). Hook up your
oscilloscope and set it up using SSt-QuickSet’s™ “Calibrate” button.
Have your indexer/controller move the axis back and forth a few times
while viewing the torque on the oscilloscope. If you see that the SSt servo
drive is still commanding torque after the moves are complete, the
stretch/friction is probably the problem. Hint: The torque commanded
will not usually be consistent and will change sign based upon the
direction of the move.
Solutions: (1) [PREFERRED] Remove the source of the friction. (2)
Use a gearbox on the motor if you can tolerate the cost and speed
reduction. (3) Use a larger motor. (4) Use Move Done Torque Foldback
with the foldback torque set to a small value (such as 5% of the motor’s
peak torque capability.) When the Move Done qualifiers are met at the
end of each move, the torque will fold back to this value. This will allow
the motor to move off its commanded position enough to release the
spring load. This will not change the accuracy of the load position (it was
already inaccurate to some degree because of the windup) but it will
cause some tracking error at the motor.
3. Does the mechanism have high viscous or static friction?
High friction, beyond what is expected and designed for, can cause
excessive RMS torque usage especially if the long moves or continuous
speed operation are common in the application. This friction can come
from excessive lead screw preload, worn bearings, linear seals on
actuators, belt scrubbing, etc.
You can use the SSt servo drive to see exactly what friction is in your
system by using the Monitor Port. Set up the Real-time Monitor Port to

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78 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

display Commanded Torque and set the range to the motor’s full
capability (e.g.: 160 oz-in for a 160 oz-in motor). Hook up your
oscilloscope and set it up using SSt-QuickSet’s™ “Calibrate” button.
Have your indexer/controller make long back and forth moves at top
speed (or run at a constant speed, if applicable) while viewing the torque
on the oscilloscope. During the constant speed portions of the move, look
at the torque used. Is it what you expected? To find out if the friction is
primarily viscous or static, reduce the speed to half of top speed. If the
torque used during the constant speed portion of the moves has been
reduced significantly, then the friction has a significant viscous portion8.
Viscous friction is caused by fluid flow or plastic deformation (oil being
pumped in a gearbox, linear seal deformation, belt tooth deformation at
speed, etc.) while static friction is usually caused by sliding surfaces
(bearings, nut preload, sliding seals, etc.).
Solutions: (1) [PREFERRED] Remove the source of the friction, if
excessive. (2) Use a gearbox on the motor if you can tolerate the cost and
speed reduction. (3) Use a larger motor. (4) Increase the thermal
capability of the motor with one or more of the following methods:
blowing air over the motor (this has a dramatically beneficial effect);
using a more substantial mounting (heavier bracket, plate, etc.) to the
machine frame; using thermal heat sink grease to mount the motor and
the motor bracket to the frame. If you do this you will have to increase
the RMS limit within the SSt servo drive (and this may require different
mounting or even forced air cooling in some situations). Contact Teknic
for information on how to do this.
4. Does the application call for continuous high speed operation?
Even though the SSt servo drive’s vector torque control is the most
efficient method for running motors at high speed, the physical nature of
motors causes them to be less efficient when operated at higher speeds,
and wasted energy in a motor is converted into heat. For this reason, the
continuous torque capability of the motor is reduced as speed increases,
and the motor will heat up more than it would when using same torque at
a lower speed. ALSO NOTE: It is not unusual for a system to have more
friction than expected (especially viscous friction, which you may not
notice when you move the mechanics slowly by hand). Therefore you
should follow the procedure above under “Does the mechanism have high
viscous or static friction?” to check this as well.
If the friction in your system is as low as you can make it and you are
still having trouble running the motors at speed, then you can pursue the
following solutions: (1) Reduce the motor speed by decreasing the
power transmission’s effective gearing ratio. (Contact Teknic to have the
overall effect of this simulated.) (2) Increase the thermal capability of
the motor with one or more of the following methods: blowing air over
the motor (this has a dramatically beneficial effect); using a more
substantial mounting (heavier bracket, plate, etc.) to the machine frame;
using thermal heat sink grease to mount the motor and the motor bracket
to the frame. (3) Use a motor with lower losses at high speed (contact
Teknic for this special requirement.)

8
To calculate the viscous and static friction subtract the torque at half top speed from the
torque at top speed. Divide the result by the top speed and divide again by two. This
result is the viscous friction reflected at the motor shaft in (oz-in/speed) units. To
calculate the static friction multiply the viscous friction by the top speed and subtract
this from the commanded torque at top speed. The result is the static friction torque.

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5. Is the motor thermally enclosed or otherwise thermally

isolated?
The torque capability of a motor is directly affected by how well wasted
heat energy is drawn away from it. Teknic’s standard motors have been
rated for operation in free air, and most other motors are rated in free
air, but attached to a heat plate. In either case, if they are enclosed
without an adequate path for removing the heat, their continuous torque
output capability will be reduced. (Conversely if they are cooled by air or
heat sinked, their continuous torque output capability is increased.)
If you have mounted the motor in an enclosed area on plastic,
fiberboard or other material with a low thermal conductivity, or mounted
it at only the screw points (by using spacers, washers or a spider type
mounting) then you are likely to have a problem if you are using the
motor near its rated continuous limit.
Solutions: (1) Change the motor mount to Aluminum. (The 6061 alloy
is both strong and has good thermal conductivity.) (2) Mount the motor
face to a tight fitting bracket or plate. (3) Use thermal heat sink grease
between the motor and its mount and also use it between the motor
mount and the machine frame. (4) Remove, perforate, or otherwise
“open” the enclosure around the motor. (5) Blow air over the motor with
a fan (this has a dramatically beneficial effect).
6. Is the SSt servo drive poorly tuned?
If the SSt servo drive gains are set poorly, causing a heavily
underdamped response, the RMS torque used will increase above what is
necessary to make the move. This is because heavily underdamped
tuning causes the motor to oscillate about its commanded position. Extra
torque is used each time the motor is pushed ahead or behind the target.
Normally, if the tuning is slightly underdamped, as suggested in the
tuning procedure described in the “Optimizing Performance” section of
the SSt user manual, this is not a problem.
Another source of RMS shutdowns and motor overheating is due to
tuning is the excessive use of feedforward gain(s). The feedforward gains
mathematically differentiate the incoming move profile from the
indexer/controller and feed it to the torque loop. Therefore, if the pulse
train from the indexer/controller has any of the following characteristics:
update rate lower than 0.5ms, discontinuous “notchy” profile (see the
section: “Is the Indexer/Controller’s profile discontinuous?”), or if the
number of steps per revolution is set below the encoder resolution, a
noise disturbance will be transferred directly into the motor by the
feedforward gains. Torque is used both to create these disturbances as
well as to correct them, leading to excessive torque usage.
The feedforward gains, Kfa and Kfv, are set from SSt-QuickSet’s™
main window. Note, however, that an implicit velocity feedforward gain
also exists in the SSt servo drive’s control loops, with a magnitude equal
to the Kv gain being used. If any of the undesirable indexer/controller
characteristics (described above) exist, you will get smoother motion by
eliminating some, or all, of this implicit feedforward.
To diagnose the problem, set up the Monitor Port and set the range to
the motor’s full capability (160 oz-in for a 160 oz-in motor). Hook up
your oscilloscope and set it up using the SSt-QuickSet’s™ Calibrate
button. Have your indexer/controller move the axis back and forth a few
times while viewing the torque on the oscilloscope. For trapezoidal
velocity profile moves (the most common), the torque should have three

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rectangular regions during the move (accelerating, running and

deceleration). Although you should expect to see some “hash” on the
torque profile as the SSt servo drive corrects for minor disturbances, this
hash should be no more than about a half division on your oscilloscope’s
screen (1/8 full torque). If the “hash” is greater than this, then poor
tuning is probably part of your overheating problem.
Solution(s): (1) Follow the tuning procedure described in the
“Optimizing Performance” section of the user manual to verify that the
tuning was performed correctly. (2) Set the SSt servo drive’s RAS feature
to at least 4ms or greater. This will reduce the RMS torque usage (and
make the motion smoother and quieter.)
7. Is there a short in the motor windings?
If the motor was severely overheated at some point, turns within the
motor windings could be shorted due to insulation failure. (This is
unlikely if the SSt’s RMS limit setting has been set correctly at all times.)
If this has occurred, the motor will continue to overheat even when
operated within its normal limits. In addition, the situation will continue
to get worse because the extra current drawn by the short will “spot heat”
the winding causing more shorts.
When this problem is pronounced an unhooked motor will feel
especially lumpy and the phase-to-phase resistance will vary more than
15% from R-S, S-T and T-S. However, if only one turn is shorted you will
have to follow the following procedure find it: Disconnect the motor and
spin its shaft with another motor using a belt, coupling, etc. Spin the
shaft at 1,000 RPM and measure the generated output voltages between
each of the phase leads (R-S, S-T and T-R). Normally, the phase voltages
will be within 2% of one another. If the voltages vary by more than 2%,
there is probably a problem. Also check for heating of the motor being
spun. This should be negligible. If the motor case temperature rises
noticeably when being spun by another motor, a shorted winding exists.
Solution: Replace the motor.
8. Is the Indexer/Controller’s profile discontinuous?
A discontinuous profile can cause excessive heating by requiring
excessive acceleration demands. For a discussion of the diagnosis and
solutions to this problem see the question “Is the Indexer/Controller’s
profile discontinuous?” under the section “Axis jerks at the end of the
move”.
Solution: Set the RAS to as high a level as possible to smooth and jerk
limit the incoming profile.
9. Does the application require more RMS torque than expected?
This could be due to a number of factors, including: More inertia than
expected; more friction than expected; higher gravitational loading than
expected; higher performance demands than were originally designed
(i.e. once the system was working to the original specification, someone
said “Now look at how fast I can make it go!”).
To diagnose this, use the setup described under the section: “Does the
mechanism have high viscous or static friction?” and view the
commanded torque during the operation of the application. Is the torque
what you expected? Call Teknic to have a simulation run for your current
mechanics/application if anything has changed since a simulation was
run or if this is a new application.

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10. Is the RMS limit set too high?

The RMS torque limit must be set for the maximum continuous torque
rating of the motor or the SSt servo drive, whichever is less. Teknic
standard motors come with configuration files with the appropriate RMS
limit. If you are using a custom motor, you should use an RMS limit that
is equal to the motor’s continuous current limit divided by 23A. This
fraction, multiplied by 100 is equal to the percentage that should be
entered into the RMS Limit field of SSt-QuickSet’s™ Custom Motor
Setup window.
Note: If the RMS torque limit is set too high, it will allow the motor to
overheat, but it is not the cause of the overheating.
It should also be noted that the RMS limit can also be set higher (i.e.:
above 33% for Teknic supplied motors) if proper cooling measures are
provided. Cooling can be accomplished using any combination of the
following methods: (1) Blow air over the motor with a fan. (2) Mount the
motor face to a tight fitting bracket or plate made of aluminum. (The
6061 alloy is both strong and has good thermal conductivity.) (3) Use
thermally conductive compound (heat sink grease) between the motor
and its mount and also use it between the motor mount and the machine
frame. (also use a thermally conductive compound between the motor
face and an adapter flange, if any). If you do use any of these methods to
increase the thermal capacity and hence the appropriate RMS limit of the
motor be sure to install a thermostat to the motor case to ensure that it
does not exceed 75 deg. C9

9
If you are using a fan to cool the motor be sure to mount the thermostat on the side of
the motor with the least amount of airflow.

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I/V SHUTDOWNS OCCUR

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Are the vector torque control gains, Kii or Kip set too high?

2. Are you using a regulated supply?

3. Does the power supply have too little output capacitance?
4. Is there a large inertial load that is being rapidly decelerated?
—or—
Is the load vertical or on an incline?
5. Does the motor have a shorted turn in one of its windings?
6. Is there an intermittent short or open in the drive-motor
cable?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

I/V protection shutdowns can occur for two reasons: (1) The supply
voltage exceeds a maximum limit of 90VDC nominal (86VDC minimum
trip point) or, (2) The instantaneous DC bus current exceeds 27A. If
either of these situations occur, the drive is disabled to prevent damage
to the output stage.
1. Are the vector torque control gains, Kii or Kip set too high?
If you are using a standard motor supplied by Teknic, make sure that Kii
and Kip gains are the same as the ones in the original configuration file
for that motor. If you are using a custom motor contact Teknic to find the
proper Kip and Kii values.
Solution: Set Kip and Kii to their proper values. Note that the factory
settings assume the power supply voltage is 75VDC. If it’s not, first set
the supply voltage to 75V in the “Inputs and Limits” window. Then enter
the factory Kip and Kii values (in the “Custom Motor Setup” window) and
then set the power supply voltage to its correct value (SSt-QuickSet™ will
adjust the Kip and Kii values to the appropriate values for your power
supply.)
Hint: To view the Kii and Kip gains in a previous configuration file
without downloading it into a SSt servo drive, disconnect the SSt servo
drive diagnostic cable from your PC and load the file into SSt-QuickSet™.
You can then view and/or print the configuration using “Configuration
Report” (accessed via the “Setup” menu). You cannot, however, edit the
file without the SSt servo drive on-line—it handles much of the error
checking for the system.
2. Are you using a regulated supply?
Most regulated supplies have little or no capability to be back driven (i.e.
to sink current instead of having current drawn from them). This back-
driven situation occurs whenever a load is decelerated (or lowered in the
case of a vertical axis) at all but the most modest rates. When back
driving occurs, a typical regulated power supply’s output voltage rises

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very quickly. If the voltage exceeds 86VDC at any time the SSt servo drive
will go into I/V protection shutdown.
Solution: Switch to a bulk linear type supply with a large output
capacitance.
3. Does the power supply have too little output capacitance?
When decelerating a load (or lowering a vertical load), current may be
pumped back into the supply because the motor is acting as a generator.
This is known as regeneration current and it causes the output voltage of
the supply to increase as its output capacitor(s) charge up. If the
regeneration current raises the supply voltage above 84VDC, SSt servo
drive will go into an I/V protection shutdown. Monitor the supply voltage
when the machine is in operation. If it exceeds 84VDC at the time of the
I/V protection shutdown, this is the source of the problem.
Solutions: (1) [Preferred] Add more capacitance to the supply output
(this way you get all the energy back). (2) Add an automatic current
shunt to the supply that turns on when a certain voltage is exceeded. (3)
Reduce supply voltage.
4. Is there a large inertial load that is being rapidly decelerated?
—or—
Is the load vertical or on an incline?
When decelerating a large inertial load (or lowering a vertical load)
substantial currents may be pumped back into the supply because the SSt
servo drive motor is acting as a generator. This is known as regeneration
current. If the regeneration current raises the supply voltage above
86VDC, SSt servo drive will go into an I/V protection mode. Monitor the
supply voltage when the machine is in operation. If it exceeds 86VDC at
the time of the I/V shutdown, this is the source of the problem.
Solutions: (1) [Preferred] Add more capacitance to the supply output
(this way you get all the energy back). (2) Add an automatic current
shunt to the supply that turns on when a certain voltage is exceeded. (3)
Reduce supply voltage.
5. Does the motor have a shorted turn in one of its windings?
If the motor was severely overheated at some point, a turn or turns
within the motor windings could be shorted due to insulation failure. If
this occurs, the torque control loops may react unpredictably causing
overcurrent (I/V) shutdowns. In addition, the situation will continue to
get worse as the extra current drawn by the short will “spot heat” the
winding causing more shorts.
When this problem is pronounced an unhooked motor will feel
especially lumpy and the phase-to-phase resistance will vary more than
15% from R-S, S-T and T-S. However, if only one turn is shorted you will
have to follow the following procedure find it: Disconnect the motor and
spin its shaft with another motor using a belt, coupling, etc. Spin the
shaft at 1,000 RPM and measure the generated output voltages between
each of the phase leads (R-S, S-T and T-R) Normally, the phase voltages
will be within 2% of one another. If the voltages vary by more than 2%,
there is probably a problem. Also check for heating of the motor being
spun. This should be negligible. If the motor case temperature rises
noticeably when being spun by another motor, a shorted winding exists.
Solution: Replace the motor.

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84 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

6. Is there an intermittent short or open in the drive-motor

cable?
Intermittent shorts and opens in the motor phase wiring can wreak havoc
with the torque control loops. Short duration current spikes result as the
torque controller corrects for the instantaneous short or open circuit.
These can cause the SSt servo drive to go instantaneously overcurrent,
thus causing an I/V protection shutdown.
Solution: Repair the drive-motor cable(s) and/or connector(s).

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LACK (OR PARTIAL LACK) OF MOVEMENT

MOTOR WILL NOT MOVE

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Has a protection shutdown event occurred (green LED blinks

slowly)?
2. Are the limit switches disconnected?
3. Are normally-open limit switches being used?
4. Is the Enable~ line disconnected or set high?

5. Is the drive-motor cabling correct and intact (and plugged in)?

6. Does the motor have an open winding connection?
7. Is power applied?

8. Is the fuse blown?

9. Is there a mechanical obstruction or binding of the axis?
10. Is the SSt servo drive receiving the Step & Direction signals?

11. Was the proper configuration file loaded?

—or— Is SSt servo drive properly configured to the motor?
12. Are the Kv or Kp gains set to zero?
13. Are the torque loop gains Kii and/or Kip set to zero?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Has a protection shutdown event occurred (green LED blinks

slowly)?
Check the source of the protection shutdown event by using
SSt-QuickSet™. Continue debugging based upon the event reported.
2. Are the limit switches disconnected?
You can easily see if the limits are asserted by looking at the limit
indicator “LEDs” in SSt-QuickSet’s™ main window. If both + Limit and -
Limit are on it is likely that the limits are disconnected or the wrong type
of switches are being used.
Solution: Connect the limit switches.
3. Are normally-open limit switches being used?
You can easily see if the limits are asserted by looking at the limit
indicator “lights” in SSt-QuickSet’s™ main window. If both + Limit and -
Limit are on and you are sure that the limit switches are connected
properly, the wrong type of switch is probably being used. Solution:
Change the switches to a normally-closed type.

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86 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

4. Is the Enable~ line disconnected or set high?

You can see if the drive is enabled by looking at the status bar located just
under SSt-QuickSet’s™ main menu bar. If it says “Disabled”, the Enable~
line is not asserted.
Solutions: (a) Connect the Enable~ line to your indexer/controller. (b)
Invert the polarity of the Enable~ line if the indexer/controller’s enable
output has a positive true polarity. (c) NOT PREFERRED— Permanently
ground the Enable~ line.
5. Is the drive-motor cabling correct and intact (and plugged in)?
If you have constructed your own cable or modified a Teknic cable, this
could be a problem. The motor not moving can be caused by motor
phase, commutation sensor or encoder wiring problems. This means that
all of the connections in the cable should be checked for shorts or opens.
Hint: If the cable has been modified, it is likely that a barb on a
connector pin has been damaged and/or broken and this can cause a pin
to be pushed out.
Solution: Use the “Check Sequence” button in the “Custom Motor
Setup” window10 to test the cable. If it’s not, repair the cable.
6. Does the motor have an open winding connection?
Check the resistance between all motor phases at the connector that
plugs into SSt servo drive (R-S, S-T and T-R; pins 11, 12 and 13). Each
winding should have the same resistance (±10%). None of the windings
should be an open circuit. If any are open, this is the cause of the
problem.
Solutions: (a) Check all intermediate connectors, terminals, bulkheads
etc. (b) If the problem is in the motor itself, replace the motor.
7. Is power applied?
Look at SSt servo drive; the green status LED should be lit (on solid) or
winking (blinking at a fast rate) and the red fuse indicator LED should be
off. If both green and red LEDs are off, then no power is applied to the
drive.
8. Is the fuse blown?
Look at the face of the SSt servo drive. If the fuse is blown, the red LED
will illuminate when power is applied. Although it is possible for a fuse to
blow due to high stress operation of SSt servo drive, this is unusual.
9. Is there a mechanical obstruction or binding of the axis?
Disable SSt servo drive and try rotating the axis by hand. For best results,
turn the power transmission element closest to the motor shaft e.g. a
coupling, pulley, screw, etc. If the axis is clamped, obstructed or binds,
this is probably the problem. It is also likely that an RMS limit shutdown
will occur when you attempt to move the axis if the mechanics are not
free to move.
Solution: Remove the obstruction or free up the binding.

10
This window is accessed by first clicking once on the word “Online” on the main menu
bar and then simultaneously pressing Control-Shift-M

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 87

10. Is the SSt servo drive receiving the Step & Direction signals?
To check that the indexer/controller is outputting step and direction
signals, and that the wiring to SSt servo drive is intact, you can use the
Real-time Monitor Port to view the “Commanded Velocity”.
Hook up an oscilloscope and use the SSt servo drive’s “Calibrate”
button to set the vertical scaling and position. Trigger your oscilloscope
using NORMAL mode. Set up the SSt servo drive’s Monitor Port to view
Commanded Velocity. Set the Monitor Port range so it’s about 33%
greater than the maximum velocity that your indexer/controller is
programmed to deliver.
Set up your indexer/controller to repeat a typical move back and forth
with a pause in between cycles of a couple of seconds. Start the
indexer/controller. You should be able to view the incoming profile on
the oscilloscope. If not, the wiring and/or the indexer/controller is at
fault. (To get an idea of what a typical profile looks like, see the diagram
under “Motor Jerks at the end of move” section.)
11. Was the proper configuration file loaded?
—or— Is the SSt servo drive properly configured to the motor?
SSt servo drive drives normally come pre-configured to a motor bundled
together in the same package. If, however, motor and drive pairs become
confused and/or if someone has been using a SSt servo drive to
experiment with or learn SSt-QuickSet™, then the configuration file may
no longer match the motor.
Solutions: (a) If you are using a SSt servo drive system with a Teknic
supplied motor and you are using it for the first time make sure you load
the proper factory supplied configuration file into the SSt servo drive. (b)
If you have previously set up a SSt servo drive with an identical motor
and mechanics and have a known-good configuration file (that has
worked properly in the past for this motor/mechanics) then load that file.
If you have started with a factory configuration file or other known-good
configuration file, and the motor stopped moving after changes were
made to the configuration, check that the R/O number and Encoder
Counts per Turn have not been changed. Also check that the Kv, Kp, Kip
and Kii gains are not zero. You can view and/or print the entire drive
configuration easily by using “Configuration Report” under the “Setup”
window.
Solutions: (a) Reload the proper factory file or other known-good
configuration file. (b) Adjust the R/O number, Encoder Counts per Turn,
Vector Reference, Kip and Kii to the proper values. (Note: To adjust the
number of steps per revolution, do not use the Encoder Counts per Turn
field in the “Custom Motor Setup” window. This is adjusted using the
Step Position Resolution field in the “Inputs and Limits” window.)
Tune the drive, if necessary, using the tuning procedure described in
the “Optimizing Performance” section of the user manual.
12. Are the Kv or Kp gains set to zero?
If the Kv gain is zero the motor will not move. If Kv is very low (less than
3,000) the motor may not move. If Kv is non-zero, but Kp is set to zero,
the motor may move, although not repeatable, and it will have no holding
torque. You can view and change these gains from SSt-QuickSet’s™ main
window.

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88 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Solution: Follow the tuning procedure described under the

“Performance Tuning” section of the user manual.
13. Are the torque loop gains Kii and/or Kip set to zero?
If these gains are set to zero the motor will not move.
Solutions: (a) For Teknic standard motors set Kii and Kip to their stock
values by (i) Reloading the factory configuration file or, (ii) setting these
gains manually to their normal factory preset values. To manually set the
gains, look up the values of Kii and Kip in the factory configuration file
without downloading it into a SSt servo drive. This can be done by
disconnecting the SSt servo drive diagnostic cable from your PC and then
loading the file into SSt-QuickSet™ Then view and write down the Kii
and Kip gains using the “Custom Motor Setup” window. Reconnect the
diagnostic cable and type the recorded Kii and Kip gains into SSt servo
drive.
(b) For a custom motor, the torque loop tuning procedure
must be performed. Contact Teknic for details.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 89

MOVEMENT NOT SMOOTH

AXIS JERKS AT END OF MOVE

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Is SSt servo drive tuned too “soft”?

2. Is the Indexer/Controller’s profile discontinuous?
3. Is the commanded velocity beyond SSt servo drive motor’s
upper limit?
4. Does the commanded acceleration/velocity request more
power than is available?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

The axis sounds as if it is “slamming” at the end of the move profile

and/or a large overshoot is detected either visually or by using the SSt
servo drive’s Real-time Monitor Port. This is caused by a large error
being present at the end of move (when the indexer/controller stops
sending pulses to the SSt servo drive).
1. Is SSt servo drive tuned too “soft”?
If you have not gone through the tuning procedure described in the
“Optimizing Performance” section of the user manual, for this specific
mechanism, this would be a good place to start before you follow the
remainder of this procedure. If any of the gains are set too low, the
tracking error of the axis can easily become large by the end of the move,
causing end-of-move jerk as the SSt servo drive corrects the built-up
error.
2. Is the Indexer/Controller’s profile discontinuous?
Set up the SSt servo drive’s Monitor Port to view Commanded Velocity.
Set the range to 33% higher than the maximum velocity that your
indexer/controller is programmed to deliver. Hook up an oscilloscope
and use the SSt-QuickSet’s “Calibrate” function to set the vertical scaling
and position.
Set up your indexer/controller to repeat a long move back and forth
with a pause in between of a couple of seconds. “Long” meaning that the
move is the longest that your application will use. Trigger your
oscilloscope using normal mode triggering so you can view the
Commanded Velocity during the duration of the move. Turn on the “Sync
Pulse” function (within SSt-QuickSet’s Monitor Port controls) to trigger
your scope at the beginning of each move.
View your indexer/controller’s profile to make sure it is smooth. Run
the move and look at the profile on the oscilloscope. The move profile
should be smooth (trapezoidal, triangular, parabolic, etc.) with no step
discontinuities in speed, i.e.: it should not jump instantaneously from
one speed to another at any point in the profile. If these discontinuities
exist they are the likely source of the problem.

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90 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Examples of good Examples of poor

"smooth" profiles "discontinous" profiles

Bad

Bad

Bad

Bad

Poor but passable

Typical Indexer/Controller Profile errors

Note that with the exception of profile “s” above, even the “good, smooth”
profiles have discontinuities in acceleration (i.e.: jerk). This jerk is
present wherever you see a sharp corner in the velocity profile, and will
generally cause some instantaneous tracking error. If the system is well
tuned, however, its effects will be unnoticeable without the aid of the
Real-time Monitor Port.
Solutions: (a) Change the profile, use the SSt’s RAS (Regressive Auto-
Splining) feature, (b) Repair the indexer’s internal software, if
applicable, (c) Change the indexer.
3. Is the commanded velocity beyond SSt servo drive motor’s upper
limit?
Look at the Over Speed LED in the main window during the move. If it
comes anytime during the move the commanded velocity is too high (or
the Speed Limit too low). Although SSt servo drive will limit the
maximum speed of the motor automatically, tracking error will build up
during the duration of the speed limiting, causing the motor to get
significantly behind its commanded position. The jerkiness occurs as the
motor tries to catch up at the end of the move and then “slams on the
brake” to stop.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 91

Solutions: (a) Change your indexer’s settings to reduce the maximum

velocity (steps/sec) (b) Increase the speed limit setting. This is rarely the
solution with a Teknic standard motor, so call Teknic if you wish to try
this option.
4. Does the commanded acceleration/velocity request more
power than is available?
Check the Trq Saturation and Volt Saturation LEDs in SSt-QuickSet’s™
main window. If they light during any moves sent from the indexer, you
are asking for a move that exceeds the system’s capabilities. (Note:
Torque saturation may be normal if you are using any of the SSt’s torque
foldback modes.)
Solution: If the Trq Saturation LED is lighting, change your
indexer/controller’s settings to reduce the acceleration demand
(assuming SSt servo drive is optimally tuned). Call Teknic if you want an
estimate of the maximum acceleration and velocity for your application.
If the Volt Saturation LED is lighting reduce the maximum velocity or
torque or both.
Note that other solutions may be applicable. Better tuning and/or a
better (more jerk-limited) command may eliminate torque saturation.
Improved gearing may also help dramatically. Higher voltage power
supply (up to 75VDC) may eliminate voltage saturation. Check the
voltage with a scope (at the drive) with an oscilloscope.
Note: If you believe that your system should accommodate the
acceleration rate being commanded—i.e.: it should have enough torque
(based on a Teknic simulation or your own calculations)—you may have
some other problem. See the “Motor moves normally but does not have
full torque” section of Troubleshooting.

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92 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

AXIS JERKS AT BEGINNING OF MOVES

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Does the mechanism have a high amount of stiction?

2. Is there a discontinuity at the beginning of the move profile?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Does the mechanism have a high amount of stiction?

Check bearing condition and any other sources of binding.
Solution: (1) Repair or replace sticky or loose parts. (2) Improve the
tuning, if possible.
2. Is there a discontinuity at the beginning of the move profile?
Check your indexer’s profile as described in the “Axis jerks at end of
move” section for discontinuities.
Solutions: (a) Change the profile, use the RAS feature or use a lower
step rate with SSt servo drive configured for a lower step count per rev
(This sometimes works around bugs within an indexer that occur at the
higher pulse rates and accelerations.), (b) Repair the indexer’s internal
software, if applicable, (c) Change the indexer.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 93

MOTION ERRATIC (“JERKY”) WHILE MOVING AT CONSTANT

VELOCITY

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Do the mechanics have significant stiction and a compliant

power transmission element?
2. Do you have a high inertial load connected through a
mechanism that is not back-drivable?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Do the mechanics have significant stiction and a compliant

power transmission element?
Check the stiction (start-up friction) in the mechanism and also check the
stiffness of the couplings, belts or extended shafts. The combination of
stiction and compliance is very hard to control. Solutions: (a) Reduce
the stiction, (b) Reduce axis compliance (increase stiffness—e.g.: use
stiffer couplings (not helical type), less compliant belts, etc.), (c) De-tune
the SSt servo drive (This will reduce overall speed and settling
performance; contact Teknic for details on how to do this)
2. Do you have a high inertial load connected through a
mechanism that is not back-drivable?
If the power transmission method employs a high pitch ACME screw or a
high ratio worm drive and you have a heavy load the axis can easily get
into a nonlinear limit cycle referred to as a “bind-hop”. Essentially, the
inertia of the load is locking up part of the drive train, thus making
effective control very difficult.
Solutions: (a) Change the ACME nut to a ball nut. (b) Reduce the pitch
of the screw and add a belt or gearbox on the input, if necessary, to
maintain the same overall gearing. (c) Change the worm gear to a lower
ratio with a belt stage or conventional gearbox at the input, if necessary,
to maintain the same overall gearing. (d) Remove the worm gear entirely
and replace with a planetary, spur or harmonic (cycloidal) gear train. (e)
De-tune SSt servo drive (This will reduce overall speed and settling
performance, contact Teknic for details on how to do this).

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94 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

LARGE VELOCITY/TORQUE RIPPLE OR “COGGING” IS EVIDENT

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Has the axis been properly tuned?

2. Is the mechanism damaged or worn, e.g. bent screw, bad

bearing, etc.?
3. Has the motor been damaged (shorted turns in the windings)
due to overheating?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Has the axis been properly tuned?

If SSt servo drive has not been properly tuned to work with your
mechanics, the resulting poor control fidelity can manifest itself as
velocity ripple. This happens if the tuning causes SSt servo drive to be
underdamped (oscillatory) at a low frequency and/or the tuning
responds poorly to disturbances within the mechanism that naturally
cause velocity ripple.
Solution: Follow the tuning procedure listed in the “Optimizing
Performance” section of the user manual.
2. Is the mechanism damaged or worn, e.g. bent screw, bad
bearing, etc.?
Disable SSt servo drive and move the axis by hand. If you notice
excessive binding or sloppiness, this is probably the cause of the
problem:
Solution: Repair or replace the mechanics.
3. Has the motor been damaged (shorted turns in the windings)
due to overheating?
To check for a shorted turn, disconnect the motor and spin its shaft with
another motor using a belt, coupling, etc. Spin the shaft at 1,000 RPM
and measure the generated output voltages between each of the phase
leads (R-S, S-T and T-R; pins 11, 12 and 13). Normally, the phase voltages
will be within 2% of one another. If the voltages vary by more than 2%,
there is probably a problem. Also check for heating of the motor being
spun. This should be negligible. If the motor case temperature rises
noticeably when being spun by another motor, a shorted winding exists.
Solution: Replace the motor.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 95

MOVE LENGTH INCORRECT/UNREPEATABLE

MOTOR SHAFT MOVES WRONG, BUT REPEATABLE, DISTANCE

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

Motor moves only when given steps, and moves a repeatable distance
each time but the distance is incorrect.
1. Is the number of steps per revolution set incorrectly?

2. Is your indexer/controller outputting the correct number of

steps?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Is the number of steps per revolution set incorrectly?

You can check this by looking at SSt-QuickSet’s™ status bar underneath
the main menu bar.
Solution: Using the “Inputs and Limits” Window set the Steps/Rev
field to the number you require.
2. Is your indexer/controller outputting the correct number of
steps?
Check the indexer/controller’s settings. Using an independent pulse
counter verify that the number of steps/rev is correct. It may be helpful
to view the commanded velocity using the procedure described under
“Axis jerks at end of moves” to help find internal software bugs that
might exist in the indexer/controller.
Solutions: (a) Change the indexer/controller settings and command
program to output the correct distance. (b) Change the profile or use a
lower step rate with the SSt servo drive configured for a lower step count
per rev (this sometimes works around bugs within an indexer that occur
at the higher pulse rates and accelerations), (c) Repair the indexer’s
internal software, if applicable, (d) Change the indexer.

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96 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

MOTOR SHAFT MOVES AN UNREPEATABLE DISTANCE

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Does the motor shaft move repeatably when measured using

SSt-QuickSet’s™ “Current Position” indicator?
2. Is the Ki gain set to zero?
3. Are the Step and Direction signals wired as specified?
4. Is SSt servo drive being disabled at the end of the move?

5. Is the indexer/controller outputting a repeatable number of

steps?
6. Are the timing requirements for the Step and Direction signals
being met?
7. Is the drive-motor cable loose or does it have intermittent
connections or shorts?
8. Have the encoder signals been routed to an indexer/controller
with low impedance inputs?
9. Is the motor cable length excessive?
10. Is the encoder slipping on the motor shaft?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

To diagnose this problem, set up your indexer/controller to repeat a

typical move back and forth with a pause in between of a couple of
seconds. Using the “User Units” window, set the position display to show
quadrature counts. Enable your drive and zero the “Current Position”
display in the main window using the “0Pos” button (or by double-
clicking on the value). Start your indexer moving back and forth.
1. Does the motor shaft move repeatably when measured using
SSt-QuickSet’s™ “Current Position” indicator?
View the SSt servo drive’s shaft position by viewing the position display
in the main window. If this is moving repeatably to the correct position
and back to zero, then the mechanics are slipping or binding and/or
stretching. See the “Load moves an unrepeatable distance” section below.
If the results of this test are unrepeatable, continue looking for the
problem in this section.
2. Is the Ki gain set to zero?
Make sure the integrator (Ki gain) is being used, i.e. set to some positive
value. This gain removes any error that occurs at the end of the move by
integrating or “building up” a corrective torque over time until the error
is eventually forced to zero. With this gain set to zero some steady state
error will probably occur. (In some applications, where a small error can
be tolerated at the end of moves, this gain is set to zero to improve the
dynamic response of the system.)

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 97

Solution: Set the Ki gain to some non-zero value using the tuning
procedure as defined in the Optimizing Performance section.
3. Are the Step and Direction signals wired as specified?
If the position display in the main window is not repeatable, and the Ki
gain is set to some positive value, the problem is most likely the wiring
for the Step and Direction signal lines. These high speed inputs also
respond to conducted noise caused by improper grounding & shielding.
Solution: Explicitly follow the directions for wiring up these signals to
the indexer/controller given in the “Installation” section of the user
manual.
4. Is SSt servo drive being disabled at the end of the move?
If this condition occurs, SSt servo drive can possibly be disabled before
the axis is fully settled, and/or mechanical disturbances can cause it to
move off the intended stopping position. If this occurs, SSt servo drive
will start from a new unrepeatable position each move.
Solution: Program your indexer/controller to keep SSt servo drive
enabled at the end of the moves.
5. Is the indexer/controller outputting a repeatable number of
steps?
Check the indexer/controller’s application program. Using an
independent pulse counter, verify that the number of steps/rev is correct.
It may be helpful to view the commanded velocity using the procedure
described below under “Axis jerks at end of moves” to help find internal
software bugs that might exist in the indexer/controller.
Solutions: (a) Change the indexer/controller application program. (b)
(c) Repair the indexer’s internal software, if applicable, (d) Change the
indexer.
6. Are the timing requirements for the Step and Direction signals
being met?
Check the timing of the Step and Direction lines to insure they meet the
timing requirements shown in the installation section of the user manual.
The timing requirements are quite liberal and it is unlikely that they
would be violated by any commercial indexer unless the pulse rate
capability is extremely high (greater than 1MHz), but it is a possible
problem. Solutions: (a) Change your indexer’s internal hardware or
firmware, if applicable. (b) Change your indexer. (c) Send the Step and
Direction signals through pulse shaping circuits.
8. Have the encoder signals been routed to an indexer/controller
with low impedance inputs?
If the encoder signals have been routed to a indexer/controller and are
too heavily loaded they can have marginal signal levels. This may cause
the encoder signals to “drift”, causing unrepeatable motion.
Solution: Make sure you have followed the recommendations for the
encoder signals as described in the “Installation” section of the user
manual. If in doubt about your indexer/controller hookup, contact
Teknic.

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98 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

9. Is the motor cable length excessive?

If you are using an encoder with single ended signaling (not differential),
the capacitance of the shielded cable used for the encoder signals should
be kept below a certain limit for reliable operation. The capacitance
between any encoder signal line and the shield should measures no
greater than [1,000,000,000/Fmax ] picofarads, where Fmax is the
maximum count frequency of the encoder11. When using commonly
available cable (PVC insulated conductors) with Teknic standard motors
this works out to a maximum cable length of 25 feet (assuming 100pF/ft
and an Fmax of 400KHz).
Disconnect your drive-motor extension cable from the drive and the
motor. Measure the capacitance of the cable between an encoder phase
lead and the shield, to see if it exceeds the limit stated above.12
Solutions: (a) Use a lower capacitance cable (with perhaps
polyethylene or Teflon® insulated conductors). (b) Reduce the length of
the cable. (c) Use a balanced encoder.
10. Is the encoder slipping on the motor shaft?
If the encoder is slipping on the motor shaft, unpredictable motion will
occur. This is not likely to be a problem with Teknic supplied motors.
To see if this is a problem, remove the motor from the load, make
marks on the motor shaft and the encoder collar or disk that line up. Run
some aggressive position tuning stimuli and look at the marks. Have they
moved with respect to one another? Solution: Tighten the encoder
mounting, shaft collar, etc. or replace with an encoder rated for higher
acceleration.

11
To obtain Fmax, the maximum count frequency of the encoder, multiply the line count
of the encoder times four and then multiply by the maximum motor speed for the
application in revolutions per second.
12
If you have a capacitance meter with poor resolution in the picofarad range, measure an
entire spool of the same cable and then divide the capacitance measured by the number
of cables you could make from that length spool.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 99

LOAD MOVES AN INCORRECT, UNREPEATABLE DISTANCE

The load moves approximately the correct distance but the distance is
not repeatable, and the motor shaft is moving repeatably as verified by
the procedure described in the section: “Motor shaft moves an
unrepeatable distance”. If so, most likely a problem exists within the
mechanics of the system. The following questions may help you narrow
down the possibilities and effect an appropriate solution:
• Are the bearings at the load binding?
• Is the belt tension too low?
• Are any coupling set screws slipping?
• Is there excessive lash in the gearbox?
• Is the lineshaft twisting excessively?
• Is the instrument measuring the load position securely
mounted so it does not move?

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100 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

MOTOR “WALKS” WHEN NO STEP PULSES ARE GIVEN

Are the Step and Direction signals wired as specified?
If SSt servo drive “walks”, “hops” or jitters randomly more than a few
encoder counts13, the problem is most likely the wiring for the Step and
Direction signal lines. These high speed inputs respond to conducted
noise caused by improper grounding & shielding.
Solution: Explicitly follow the directions for wiring up these signals to
the indexer/controller given in the “Installation” section of the user
manual.

13
Although the SSt™ is vastly superior to most servos with respect to “jitter” or “hunting”,
a system that is tuned with high gains to maximize dynamic performance, may still
jitter back and forth (by a few encoder counts) around its commanded position when
it’s supposed to be still. Turn on “AntiHunt™” in Quick-Set’s main window, and/or
reduce the gains to reduce or eliminate this problem.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 101

TORQUE SEEMS LOW

MOTOR MOVES BUT DOES NOT HAVE FULL TORQUE

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Is the drive-motor cabling correct and intact?

2. Is the torque limit set too low?
3. Was the proper configuration file loaded?
—or— Is the SSt servo drive properly configured to the motor?
4. Is the R/O number set incorrectly?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Is the drive-motor cabling correct and intact?

Low motor torque can be caused by improper phasing of the motor
windings or the commutation sensors. Alternately, there could be a
faulty connection within the commutation sensor wiring. If the encoder
wiring is intermittent, this can also cause the problem. If you have
constructed your own cable or modified a factory supplied cable,
improper or poor quality connections could be a problem. Check all of
the connections in the cable for shorts or opens.
To check if the phasing of the cable is correct, first disconnect the
motor from the load. Make sure that gains Kv, Kp and Ki are at non zero
values (If using a Teknic standard motor, load in the standard
configuration file for the motor ). Then run the Check Sequence
procedure (accessed via the “Custom Motor Setup” window) to verify the
commutation sensor wiring is correctly phased to the motor leads. If
there is an error, SSt-QuickSet™ will tell you. If so, follow the
instructions that SSt-QuickSet™ gives you to correct the cable.
Hint: If the cable has been modified, it is likely that a barb on a
connector pin has been damaged and/or broken and this can cause a pin
to be pushed out.
2. Is the torque limit set too low?
Open SSt-QuickSet’s™ “Inputs and Limits” window and look at the
torque limit. If it is set below 100%, then the torque is being limited by
this setting.
Solution: Increase the torque limit setting.
3. Was the proper configuration file loaded?
—or— Is the SSt servo drive properly configured to the motor?
SSt servo drive drives normally come pre-configured to the motor
bundled together in the same package, however, if motor and drive pairs
become interchanged and/or if someone has been using a SSt servo drive
to experiment with or learn SSt-QuickSet™, then the configuration file
may no longer match the motor.

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102 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Solutions: (a) If you are using a SSt servo drive system with a Teknic-
supplied motor and you are using it for the first time, make sure you load
the proper Teknic-supplied configuration file into SSt servo drive. (b) If
you have previously set up a SSt servo drive with an identical motor and
mechanics and have a known-good configuration file that has worked
properly in the past for this motor and mechanics, then load in that file.
If you have started with a factory or known-good configuration file
and the motor stopped moving after changes were made to the
configuration check that the R/O number, Encoder Counts per Turn and
the Vector Reference have not been changed. Also check that the Kv, Kp,
Kip and Kii gains are not zero. You can easily check all these parameters
by using the “Configuration Report” (accessed via the “Setup” menu).
Hint: To view a previous configuration file from disk without
downloading it into a SSt servo drive, disconnect the SSt servo drive
diagnostic cable from your PC and load the file into SSt-QuickSet™. You
can then view and/or print the configuration using “Configuration
Report” (accessed via the “Setup” menu). You cannot, however, edit the
file without SSt servo drive on-line—it handles much of the error
checking for the system.
Solutions: (a) Reload the proper factory or known good configuration
file. (b) Adjust the R/O number, Encoder Counts per Turn, Kip and Kii
to the proper values. (Note to adjust the number of steps per revolution
do not use the Encoder Counts per Turn field in the “Custom Motor
Setup” window. This is adjusted using the Steps/rev field in the Inputs
and Limits window.)
4. Is the R/O number set incorrectly?
Check the value set in the “Custom Motor Setup” window and compare it
to the value on the motor nameplate. These should agree to within 20%
(Making them exact will fine-tune the system, but you would need to do
this for every system you build.)
Solution(s): (1) If you are using a Teknic supplied motor set the R/O
number as marked on the back of the motor. (2) Contact Teknic if you
need to determine an R/O number for a third-party motor.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 103

MOTOR LOSES TORQUE (OR PERFORMANCE DEGRADES) AFTER

RUNNING

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Is the drive-motor cable loose or does it have intermittent

connections or shorts?
2. Have the encoder signals been routed to an indexer/controller
with low impedance inputs?
3. Is the motor cable length excessive?

4. Is the encoder slipping on the motor shaft?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Is the drive-motor cable loose or does it have intermittent

connections or shorts?
If a motor comes up with full torque and then loses the torque after
running, the cause could be intermittent encoder signal wiring. Check
that the signal lines in the drive-motor cable have no intermittent shorts
or opens.
Solution: Repair the cable.
2. Have the encoder signals been routed to an indexer/controller
with low impedance inputs?
If the encoder signals have been routed to a indexer/controller and are
too heavily loaded, they can have marginal signal levels. This may cause
the encoder signals to “drift” causing the alignment of the internal
sinewave generator to slip. This causes the motor commutation to occur
out of phase with the rotor magnetics, thus reducing the torque output.
Solution: Make sure you have followed the recommendations for the
encoder signals as described in the “Installation” section of the user
manual. If in doubt about your indexer/controller hookup, contact
Teknic.
3. Is the motor cable length excessive?
If you are using an encoder with single ended signaling (not differential),
the capacitance of the shielded cable used for the encoder signals should
be kept below a certain limit for reliable operation. The capacitance
between any encoder signal line and the shield should measures no
greater than [1,000,000,000/Fmax ] picofarads, where Fmax is the
maximum count frequency of the encoder14. When using commonly
available cable (PVC insulated conductors) with Teknic standard motors,
this works out to a maximum cable length of 25 feet (assuming 100pF/ft
and an Fmax of 400KHz).

14
To obtain Fmax, the maximum count frequency of the encoder, multiply the line count
of the encoder times four and then multiply by the maximum motor speed for the
application in revolutions per second.

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104 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Disconnect your drive-motor extension cable from the drive and the
motor. Measure the capacitance of the cable between an encoder phase
lead and the shield, to see if it exceeds the limit stated above.15
Solutions: (a) Use a lower capacitance cable (with perhaps
polyethylene or Teflon® insulated conductors). (b) Reduce the length of
the cable. (c) Use a balanced encoder.
4. Is the encoder slipping on the motor shaft?
If the encoder is slipping on the motor shaft, the alignment of the
internal sinewave generator will slip with respect to the motor and this
will cause the torque of the motor to drop off. This is not likely to be a
problem with Teknic-supplied motors.
To see if this is a problem, remove the motor from the load, make
marks on the motor shaft and the encoder collar or disk that line up. Run
some aggressive position tuning stimuli and look at the marks. Have they
moved with respect to one another? Solution: Tighten the encoder
mounting, shaft collar, etc. or replace with an encoder rated for higher
acceleration.

15
If you have a capacitance meter with poor resolution in the picofarad range, measure an
entire spool of the same cable and then divide the capacitance measured by the number
of cables you could make from that length spool.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 105

MISCELLANEOUS PROBLEMS

AXIS RESONATES OR “WHINES”

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

SSt servo systems (motor, drive, and mechanics) were designed to run
quietly. If you hear a loud hum, buzz or whine coming from one or more
of the axes during machine operation, consult the list below for possible
causes and solutions.
1. Has the axis (drive, motor, and mechanics) been tuned?

2. Have the mechanics been changed since SSt servo drive was
tuned?
3. Have any mechanical components become loose or worn?
4. Has the proper configuration file been loaded?

5. Are the mechanics highly resonant?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Has the axis (drive, motor, and mechanics) been tuned?

Each SSt servo drive comes with “stock” tuning which is only a ballpark
tuning created to control only the unloaded motor to which it is paired.
Although this out-of-the-box tuning may sometimes actually work “well
enough” when the motor is connected to your mechanical system, it is
rarely optimized for it. Each axis must be tuned for best performance.
One symptom of poor tuning is the axis “singing” or “whining” when
operating. (This indicates over-tuning or excessively high servo
gains)Solution: Follow the tuning procedure listed in the “Optimizing
Performance” section of the user manual.
2. Have the mechanics been changed since the drive was tuned?
If you have changed the mechanics, even slightly, you should re-tune the
system and verify performance. Although the SSt servo drive has the
ability to accommodate widely varying loads with the same tuning,
sometimes what appears to be a subtle change in the mechanics can
affect the load seen by the motor significantly. Examples of changes that
are often overlooked:
• Changing the brand or type of coupling
• Increasing or decreasing the weight of the load by using
different materials
• Changing the belt type or width
• Changing the materials of which pulleys are constructed
• Increasing the length of a drive shaft
• Changing the overall gearing
• Changing the gearing of various transmission stages,
thus reflecting more inertia back to the motor (even if
the overall gear ratio hasn’t changed), and many others...

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106 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Solution: Follow the tuning procedure listed in the “Optimizing

Performance” section of the user manual after making any changes to the
mechanical system.
Hint: Teknic offers free simulations designed to estimate the overall
performance of any SSt servo drive-driven system. This simulation will
give you optimal gearing and acceleration values, along with a wealth of
other useful information. Just call Teknic and ask for this applications
assistance.
3. Have any mechanical components become loose or worn?
Sometimes, if a system has been tuned with high gains to get the best
settling and throughput performance, changes in the mechanics due to
wear or outright failure can cause the motor to “whine” or “sing”. Typical
examples include excessive belt slack, a loose or slipping coupling, and
gear or nut backlash.
Solutions: (a) Repair the mechanism and redesign, if possible, to
reduce the potential for wear (and ultimately failure). (b) De-tune the
SSt servo drive so it can tolerate some level of wear. If you are unclear on
how to accomplish this, contact Teknic for assistance.
Hint: This same symptom can occur when a system is “tightened up”.
For example, a highly resonant system may be obscured by a loose
coupling set screw, only to become evident when the coupling is
tightened. If this is the case, see the section: “Are the mechanics highly
resonant?”.
4. Has the proper configuration file been loaded?
Using the “Configuration Report” command (under the Setup menu),
check the tuning parameters against known-good tuning. The most
critical gains to review are Kv, Kip and Kii. These are the gains voted
most likely to cause a high frequency whine when set too aggressively.
5. Are the mechanics highly resonant?
On some axes, it can be very challenging to meet the desired performance
objectives (acceleration, peak velocity, settling time, etc.) without turning
up the Kv, Kp and Ki gains to the point of near system instability. This
condition tends to appear in a mechanical system with an under damped
spring element and high inertia mismatch. Components such as helical
couplings, long drive shafts and cantilevered beam loads can cause or
aggravate a system that tends to resonate.
Solutions: (a) The system can be de-tuned in a systematic way to
maximize performance and stability, contact Teknic concerning the most
effective way to accomplish this. (b) Stiffen, remove or damp the spring
element(s) in your mechanics. Contact Teknic for recommendations.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 107

LIMIT SWITCHES DON'T SEEM TO WORK PROPERLY

Are the limit switches physically swapped?
Using your indexer controller, slowly move the axis so that the number in
the position display in SSt-QuickSet's™ Status window is increasing. Is
the axis moving toward the positive limit switch? If not, the Limit+ and
Limit- signals are swapped.
Solution: Swap the limit wiring at the drive, or, leaving the wiring
connected to the switches, swap the switches themselves and retest for
correct operation.

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108 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

ENCODER ERROR SHUTDOWNS OCCUR

The encoder input circuitry on the SSt servo drives includes digital
filtering and bad sequence detection and is generally quite robust. The
encoders on Teknic motors use well-proven Mylar® disks and single chip
optics. If you experience encoder related shutdowns the most likely cause
is bad encoder wiring between the motor drive, or between the drive and
the controller.

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Are the encoder signals wired properly?

2. Is the motor cable length excessive?

3. Does the encoder wiring have intermittent opens or shorts?
4. Is the encoder type jumper wire installed on the
motor/encoder connector?
5. Is a high resolution encoder being used at high speed?
6. Is the encoder faulty?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Are the encoder signals wired properly?

Have the recommendations for wiring, shielding and grounding of the
encoder signals been followed? Please review the recommendations for
the drive-motor cable and the encoder wiring in the “Installation” section
of this manual. If these have not been followed explicitly this may be the
problem.
Solution: Re-wire the drive-motor cable following the
recommendations.
2. Is the motor cable length excessive?
If you are using an encoder with single-ended signaling (not differential)
the capacitance of the shielded cable used for the encoder signals should
be kept below a certain limit for reliable operation. The capacitance
between any encoder signal line and the shield should measures no
greater than [1,000,000,000/Fmax ] picofarads, where Fmax is the
maximum count frequency of the encoder16. When using commonly
available cable (PVC insulated conductors) with Teknic standard motors
this works out to a maximum cable length of 25 feet (assuming 100pF/ft
and an Fmax of 400KHz). However for lower cross-talk, more noise
immunity and greater engineering margin low capacitance cable is
recommended for cables longer than 12 feet.

16
To obtain Fmax, the maximum count frequency of the encoder, multiply the line count
of the encoder times four (to get the quadrature counts per rev.) and then multiply by
the maximum motor speed for the application in revolutions per second.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 109

Disconnect your drive-motor extension cable from the drive and the
motor. Measure the capacitance of the cable between an encoder phase
lead and the shield, to see if it exceeds the limit stated above.17
Solutions: (a) Use a lower capacitance cable with perhaps polyethylene
or Teflon® insulated conductors. Teknic has tested inexpensive Belden
9935 cable (foamed polyethylene insulation) for use with single-ended
encoders at lengths up to 50 feet and Fmax up to 670 KHz. (b) Reduce
the length of the cable. (c) Use a balanced encoder.
3. Does the encoder wiring have intermittent opens or shorts?
Open and short circuits in the encoder wiring will cause this type of fault;
Solution: Check and repair the encoder wiring.
4. Is the encoder type jumper wire installed on the
motor/encoder connector?
On SSt servo drives used with an unbalanced (TTL) encoder, a jumper
between pins 10 and 20 of the motor/encoder connector should be
installed. On SSt servo drives used with a balanced (differential) encoder,
no jumper wire should be installed between pins 10 and 20 of the
motor/encoder connector. If this jumper wire is omitted or inserted in
error, poor encoder fidelity will occur causing Encoder error shutdowns
and/or erratic operation.
5. Is a high resolution encoder being used at high speed?
Make sure you are not using the motor above the rated operating speed
of the encoder or the rated count frequency of the SSt servo drive (2MHz,
20MHz optional). To check this, make sure that the maximum operating
speed of the motor satisfies:
Fem × 60
RPM ≤
Lc
where: Lc is the line count of the encoder in lines per turn (1/4 of the
quadrature counts per turn) and Fem is the lower of the
maximum operating frequency of the encoder or 500,000.
Solutions: (a) Set the speed limit on the SSt servo drive to limit the
maximum speed of the motor to a speed below the maximum count
frequency of the encoder (contact Teknic for details on how to do this).
(b) Change to a higher speed or lower resolution encoder.
6. Is the encoder faulty?
If the encoder quadrature skew is greater than 90° at any time (causing a
faulty count sequence) this will cause an encoder error. Look for bad
encoder signals using an oscilloscope. Also check that the signal levels
are proper (< 0.5V for a low level and >3.5V for a high level when using a
single ended encoder —or— greater than 2.0 Vpp measured differentially
when using a balanced encoder). Marginal signals will also trip the bad
sequence detection.
Solution: Replace the encoder.

17
If you have a capacitance meter with poor resolution in the picofarad range measure an
entire spool of the same cable and then divide the capacitance measured by the number
of cables you could make from that length spool.

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110 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

DRIVE RESETS WHEN MOTOR ATTEMPTS TO MOVE

SSt servo drive powers up normally and everything appears functional,
but when any move or an aggressive move is commanded (either with the
“Tuning Stimulus” or your indexer/controller), the drive resets.
Are you using a switching or current limited supply for power?
Most regulated power supplies have current limiting to protect
themselves in case of an overload. When high current is drawn from the
supply, the voltage drops until the current ceases. This also occurs when
using a ferroresonant supply beyond its rated current. When SSt servo
drive draws high current to accelerate the load, the power supply voltage
will drop until the SSt servo drive shuts off. SSt servo drive will then
reset.
Solution: Change the supply to a bulk, linear type with a large output
capacitance. A side benefit of changing to this type of supply is that it is
generally less expensive anyway.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 111

THERMAL PROTECTION SHUTDOWNS OCCUR

SYMPTOM SUMMARY

1. Is the ambient temperature at the SSt servo drive above 40

deg. C?
2. Is the motor overheating?
3. Is there an intermittent short in the thermostat or its wiring?

COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

1. Is the ambient temperature at the SSt servo drive above 40

deg. C?
Solution(s): (a) Relocate SSt servo drive to a cooler operating
environment. (b) Mount the SSt servo drive unit vertically if it is now
mounted horizontally. (c) Attach a heat sink or mount the SSt servo
drive to a machine panel with a good thermal interface compound. (d)
Blow air over the SSt servo drive with a fan.
2. Is the motor overheating?
Check the temperature of the motor; if you are using a motor with a
thermostat this could be tripping because of motor overheating. If you
are not using a thermostat, make sure the case temperature of the motor
is below its rated limit (75 deg. C/167 deg. F for Teknic supplied motors).
Motor overheating could also be a sign that the SSt servo drive is being
used beyond its rating and, in rare instances, this can cause a thermal
Ready within the SSt servo drive.
To find and cure the source of the motor heating problem see the
"Motor runs hot" section.
3. Is there an intermittent short in the thermostat or its wiring?
If you have a short in the thermostat wiring it will appear that the motor
is overheating. Solution: Remove the cause of the short.

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112 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

APPENDIX A: SST-1500 SPECIFICATIONS

General Dimensions: 7.310" x 4.876" x 1.156"
Weight: 20 oz. (567 g)
Environmental Temperature: 0˚C-40˚C
Humidity: 0%-90% non-condensing
Supply Requirements Input Voltage: 24-75VDC Nominal
Input Current: 150mA quiescent, peak is application and
motor dependent (max. peak is 12A)
Output PWM Frequency: 20KHz
Current Capability: 7A RMS in any mounting configuration in
free air;
9A RMS mounted vertically on a metallic
bulkhead;
11.5A RMS mounted vertically with forced
air cooling.
23A Peak (3 seconds)
Protection: Protected on a cycle-by-cycle basis against
phase-to-phase shorts and shorts to
ground. Fused.
Encoder Input Type: TTL or differential incremental encoder
inputs with or without index. Digitally
filtered with bad sequence detection
Rate: Maximum Rate: 2.0MHz, (15 MHz
optional)
Courtsey Power: SSt servo drive can supply +5V @ 200mA.
Step & Direction Inputs Isolated Format: TTL level Schmidt triggered inputs with
470 ohm pull-up resistors to +5VDC
Maximum rate: 2MHz (5 MHz optional)
Real-time Monitor Port Format: 0.5-4.5V analog signal (0=2.5V)
Features: Configurable digital filtering, Sync pulse
at beginning of moves, wide scaling
factors (high zoom), non-volatile
configuration.
Variables: actual velocity, commanded velocity,
tracking (position) error, velocity error,
commanded torque, actual torque.
Vector Commutation Vector Error: 0.1% or less
Type: Sinewave—Indirect, voltage vector dq
current control with PI compensator with
proprietary enhancements.
Calculation Rate: 10kHz
Analog Command Input Format: Differential voltage input, ±10 range.
Impedance: Greater than 10K
Scale: Digitally programmable via configuration
port in velocity mode. Fixed at 10% of
output capability per volt in torque mode.

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 113

APPENDIX B: CONNECTORS
Shown below are the connector pin-outs on the SSt-1500 drive, and not
those on the opposite end of Teknic cables—they are not necessarily the
same. Your motor, controller and limit cables are likely to have different
mating pin-outs depending on the connector used on the end of the cable
away from the drive. For example, see page 14 for the motor-side
connector pin-out for a Teknic motor.
Note: The figures below show the view looking into the SSt-1500’s
connectors. (These diagrams can also be interpreted at the wire-end-view
of the mating connectors.)

Motor/Encoder

20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11
R Motor Shield

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Molex Minifit type, mates with S Comm. R
P/N 39-01-2200 T Comm. S
N.O. Thmstat. Comm. T
Comm. +5V Comm. GND
Encoder +5V Encoder GND
Encoder I Encoder I~
Encoder B Encoder B~
Encoder A Encoder A~
Encoder TTL~ GND

Controller

18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10
+Limit -Limit

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Molex Minifit type, mates with Enc. A Out Enc. A~ Out
P/N 39-01-2180. Enc. B Out Enc. B~ Out
Enc. I Out Enc. I~ Out
Note that pin 14 is no longer +5V Out GND
+5V out; this is now +5V in only, Mode GND
to be used to encoder power Analog+ MoveDone[Analog-]
backup (there is a diode).. Ready~ Enable~
Step Direction

Limits +5V Out +5V Out

6 5 4
3 2 1

Molex Minifit type, mates with +Limit In -Limit In

39-01-2060 GND GND

Power
AMP Universal Mate-N-Lock,
mates with 1-480698-0

Real-time Monitor port &

QuickSet™ Configuration 1 Data Rx
2 Data Tx
port&
3 GND
Molex .120" pocket header, 4 Real-time Monitor
mates with 50-57-9405 5 Reference (2.5V)

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INDEX
Acceleration Feedforward Tuning, 66 Daisy Chain Power, 6, 7
All Windings Off, 17 Diagnostic Cable, 29
Analog Input Wiring, 21 Diagnostic Connector, 29
AntiHunt™, 65 Differential Encoder, 23
Application Note Disable Drive, 17
Clamping or Inserting Objects, 45 Drive Resets When Motor Attempts to Move,
Error Recovery, 47 110
Homing Axes, 44 Drive Shuts Down, 74
Manual Calibrations, 46 Drive Won’t Respond, 52
Monitor Port, 58 Electrical
Move Completion, 43 Isolation, 6
Optical Interrupter Limit Switches, 19 Power, 7
Secondary Encoder, 47 Electrical Installation, 5
Torque Foldback, 45 Eliminating Servo Jitter, 69
Use with Servo Controller, 21 Enable Input, 17, 97
Watching Positioning Errors, 44 Encoder Cable, 8
Axial Loading, 41 Encoder Error Shutdowns, 108
Axis “sings”, 105 Encoder Feedback, 43
Axis Jerks at Beginning of Moves, 92 Encoder Interface, 22
Axis Jerks at End of Move, 89 Differential, 23
Bearing Life, 41 Single Ended, 22
Benefits, 1 Termination, 23
Ease of Use, 3 Wiring - Differential, 23
Efficient, 3 Wiring - Single-Ended, 22
Expanded Torque-speed, 1 Erratic Communication, 53
High Bandwidth, 2 Feature
Low Jitter, 2 Hard Stop Homing, 46
Reliable, 3 Torque Foldback, 45, 46
Smooth motion, 2 Feedforward Gain, 54
Built-In Instrumentation, 56 Following Error, 54
Cable Fuse, 7, 30, 86
Controller, 8, 11 Gains, 54
Diagnostic, 29 Glossary, 54
Encoder, 8 Grounding, 6, 7, 10
Flexible, 14 Hard Stop Homing, 46
Limit Switch, 8 I/V shutdowns, 82
Motor, 8, 14 Illustration
Power, 7 Kp Tuning, 64
SSt-CC, 12 PIV Compensator, 56
Compensator, 54, 56 Typical Velocity Response, 61
Configuration Cable, 29 Unstable Velocity Loop, 62
Configuration Port, 29 Velocity Feedforward, 63
Connectors, 113 Incorrect Moves
Controller, 10 Repeatable, 95
Diagnostic, 29 Unrepeatable, 99
Motor, 15 Indexer Interface, 8
Power Input, 25 Indicator
Control Algorithms, 55 Power/Fuse (RED), 30
Controller Status (Green), 74
Interfacing, 10 Inputs, 17
Controller Cable, 8 Enable, 17, 97
Controller Interface, 8 Limit, 18
Custom Motors, 30 Mode, 18

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SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8 115

Step & Direction, 15 M-497P-FI, 40

Thermostat, 30 M-497T-FI, 40
Typical Circuit, 17 Motor Phase Cable, 8
Inputs & Limits Window, 52 Mounting
Installation SSt-1500-□C□, 31
Grounding, 7, 10 Move Length Incorrect, 95
Power Supply Wiring, 7 Movement Not Smooth, 89
Shielding, 7 Offline, 52
Instrumentation, 56 Optical Interrupter Limits, 19
Integrator Oscilloscope Setup, 58
Tuning, 65, 69, 70 Outputs
Interfacing MoveDone, 20
Controller, 8 Ready, 20
Indexer, 8 Shutdown, 20
Limit Switches, 8 Typical Circuit, 20
Isolation Overshoot, 55
Electrical, 6 Over-Travel Limit Inputs, 18
Kill, 18 Performance Degrades, 103
Lack of Movement, 85 PIV, 55
Large velocity/torque ripple, 94 PIV Compensator, 56
Limit Cycle, 65 Position Error, 55
Limit Switch Position Integrator, 55
Cable, 8 Position Loop Tuning, 63
Limit Switch Cheater Plug, 19 Power Supply, 24
Limit Switches, 8 Current Requirements, 26
Limit Switches Don't Work, 107 Daisy Chain, 6, 7
Logic Input Circuit, 17 Peak Currents, 26
Logic Outputs, 19 Quick Sizing, 26
Loops, 55 RMS Current Calculation, 27
Main Window, 51 Rules, 7
Mechanical Installation, 31 Radial Loading, 41
Minimizing Settling Time, 70 Real-Time Monitor port, 29, 58
Mode Input, 18 Reversing Step & Direction Sense, 17
Monitor port, 29, 54, 56, 58 Ringing, 55
Monitor Port, 58 RMS Current Calculation, 27
Motion erratic, 93 Continuous Velocity, 28
Motor Incremental Positioning, 27
cable, 8 Incremental Positioning / Reduced Output,
Interfacing, 14 28
Wiring, 14 RMS Limit Shutdowns, 76
Motor “Walks” with No Step Pulses, 100 RS-232 Port, 29
Motor Outline Servo Controller Usage, 21
M-1726-FX, 32 Servo Glossary, 54
M-2330-FH, 34 Servo Jitter, 69
M-2330-FX, 33 Setting up your Oscilloscope, 58
M-2330-XH, 34 Settling Time, 55
M-2330-XX, 33 Setup
M-2348-FH, 36 Monitor Port, 58
M-2348-FX, 35 Oscilloscope, 58
M-2348-XH, 36 Shaft Loading Specifications, 41
M-2348-XX, 35 Shielding, 7
M-3437-FX, 37 Shutdown
M-3437-XX, 37 Clearing Existing, 18
M-3450-XX, 38 Encoder, 108
M-3462-FH, 39 I/V, 82, 84
M-3471-FH, 40 Output Line, 20

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116 SST SYSTEM MANUAL V3.8

Over-Current/Voltage, 7 Encoder Error Shutdowns, 108

Position Tracking, 44 I/V shutdowns, 82
RMS, 61, 64, 76, 79 Incorrect Moves (unrepeatable), 99
Thermal, 111 Incorrect Repeatable Moves, 95
Tracking Error, 74 Lack of Movement, 85
Single Ended Encoder, 22 Large velocity/torque ripple, 94
Smooth Response, 68 Limit Switches Don't Work, 107
Specification Motion erratic, 93
Shaft Loading, 41 Motor “Walks” With No Step Pulses, 100
Specifications, 112 Move Length Incorrect, 95
SSt-CC, 13 Movement Not Smooth, 89
SSt-DC, 29 Performance degrades, 103
SSt-MC, 15 RMS Limit Shutdowns, 76
SSt-QuickSet, 50 Thermal Protection Shutdowns, 111
Inputs & Limits Window, 52 Torque Seems Low, 101
Main Window, 51 Unrepeatable Moves, 96
Static Precautions, 9 Tuning, 54
Step & Direction Acceleration Feedforward, 66
Polarity, 17 AntiHunt™, 65
Reversing Direction, 17 Eliminating Servo Jitter, 69
Signals, 15 For Performance, 59
Timing, 16 Integrator, 69
Wiring, 16 Integrator Tuning, 65
Stiffness, 55 Minimum Settling Time, 70
Stimulus Generator, 57 Position Loop, 63
Termination Smoothest Response, 68
Encoder Inputs, 23 Tailoring the Response, 67
Thermal Protection Shutdowns, 111 Velocity Loop, 60
Thermostat, 30 Tuning Stimulus, 56, 57
Torque Foldback, 46 Unrepeatable Moves, 96
Torque Saturation, 74, 91 Velocity Error, 55
Torque Seems Low, 101 Velocity Feedforward Adjustments, 63
Tracking Error, 55 Voltage Saturation, 74, 91
Troubleshooting, 72 Wiring
Axis “sings”, 105 Analog Inputs, 21
Axis Jerks at Beginning of Moves, 92 Controller, 8
Axis Jerks at End of Move, 89 Encoder(Differential), 23
Drive resets When Motor Attempts to Move, Encoder(Single-Ended), 22
110 Power, 25
Drive Shuts Down, 74

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