SimplexMotionHub manual

The SimplexMotionHub is an accessory to

the SimplexMotion line of integrated
motors.

It facilitates easy connection of 1-4 motors

to a PC computer for motion control.

It includes a power supply to feed 24V to

the motors, as well as control connections
for USB, RS485 and PC parallel port
(common for CNC applications).

Description:

The SimplexMotion line of integrated motors simplify o 24V/350W power supply.

the use of servo motors by including the motor control
electronics within the motor enclosure. The necessary o 230VAC mains socket connector on rear panel for
connections to the motor unit includes only power and on/off control.
some means of control.
o 4 motor connectors on front panel.
The SimplexMotionHub, or SmHub for short,
implements the power supply and simplifies the control o 1 extra connector for application specific use.
connections to operate 1-4 motors.
The unit is built to allow customer modifications to suit o Button and indicators on front panel.
the application requirements. This is done by using
connections on screw terminals inside the unit. This o USB to RS485 converter built in for USB control
document includes specification and details for the unit of motors in a RS485 network.
internals.
o RS485 connector for direct control by RS485
Control of the motors can be through a USB connection.
connection, an RS485 connection or using the PC
parallel port. The latter port is uncommon on PC o Parallel port for CNC applications.
computers today, but is still a viable and cost effective
way of implementing control of CNC machines. o Charge pump circuit for security in CNC
applications.
Beside the 4 pcs motor connectors on the front panel
there is an extra connector for custom use. Screw o 2 relays for general purpose on/off control .
terminals on the inside is available to define the use of
this connector. o A PWM to 0-10V analog converter.

The internal electronics implements what in CNC

applications is called a ‘breakout board’ with common
functionality for CNC machine control. This includes
relays, a security chargepump circuit and a PWM to
10V analog output converter.

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1 Table of contents
1 Table of contents ....................................................................................................................................................... 2
2 Technical data............................................................................................................................................................ 3
2.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................................................... 3
2.2 Electrical connections ........................................................................................................................................ 4
2.3 Recommended cabling ...................................................................................................................................... 5
3 Control by parallel port - CNC applications .............................................................................................................. 6
3.1 Parallel port setup .............................................................................................................................................. 7
3.2 Motor setup........................................................................................................................................................ 7
3.3 Home/limit switches .......................................................................................................................................... 8
3.4 Customizing ..................................................................................................................................................... 10
3.4.1 The internal circuit board ........................................................................................................................ 10
3.4.2 Internal screw terminal connections ....................................................................................................... 10
3.4.3 Relay control ........................................................................................................................................... 11
3.4.4 Spindle speed control .............................................................................................................................. 11
4 Control by USB and RS485..................................................................................................................................... 12
4.1 Using the USB port ......................................................................................................................................... 12
4.2 Using the RS485 port ...................................................................................................................................... 12
4.3 Motor setup...................................................................................................................................................... 12
4.3.1 Enable and Stop ...................................................................................................................................... 12
5 Schematics ............................................................................................................................................................... 13

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2 Technical data
The following table specifies important characteristics and limits for the SimplexMotionHub product.

Electrical specifications
Supply voltage 230VAC mains / max 4A
Output voltage 24 VDC, max 15A
Grounding 24 VDC ground is connected to protective earth
Relays 250VAC/5A
Mechanical specifications
Dimensions Enclosure body (LxWxH) 290 x 137 x 71 mm
Overall dimension 310 x 137 x 76 mm

Weight 1930 g
Ambient specifications
Protection class IP40
Temperature Operating 0..+40ºC
Storage -40..+85 ºC

2.1 Overview
The front panel of the SimplexMotionHub looks like this:

The yellow LED indicator is lit when the system has been switched on. The green indicator shows that the system is
enabled.

The following picture shows the rear panel of the unit:

There is a power inlet with a fuse holder. The fuse should be rated 250VAC/5A slow.
And there is also a power outlet that can be connected internally to a relay for on/off control.

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This picture shows a test setup for a typical CNC application where the unit is controlled by a parallel port on a PC
computer.

2.2 Electrical connections

The front panel connectors are all of the same type, referred to as aviation type GX16 8 polarity connectors. These are
available from several Asian distributors and also on www.ebay.com. Included with the unit are 5 pcs connectors for
cable assembly.
The connections on the 4 pcs motor connectors are according to the following table:

SmHub Motor Description

Pin Name Pin Name
1 EN/*STOP 1 IN1/OUT1 Digital input/output or analog input to the motor unit.
For CNC applications this signal is used as a combined ENABLE to the motor and *STOP from
the motor.
2 HOME 2 IN2/OUT2 Digital input/output or analog input to the motor unit.
For CNC applications this signal is used as a HOME or LIMIT input signal to the PC for limiting
the motion travel and referencing the motor coordinate system.
3 STEP 5 IN5/ENCA Digital input to the motor unit.
For CNC applications this signal is the STEP signal for motion input.
4 DIR 6 IN6/ENCB Digital input to the motor unit.
For CNC applications this signal is the DIRECTION signal for motion input.
5 RS485A 7 RS485A RS485 communication signals. This allows direct control of the motor unit. All motors are
6 RS485B 8 RS485B connected to the same RS485 network.
For CNC applications the RS485 network is not necessary, but provides a means for monitoring
and error checking the motors while they are controlled by the STEP/DIR interface.
7 +24VDC 12 +24VDC +24VDC supply to the motor unit
8 GND 11 GND Ground connection to the motor unit.
Note that this ground is also connected to the mains protective earth ground.
Chassis GND Enables use of shielded cables

There is also an extra connector for custom application use. It has the following connections, and is described further in
the customization part.

Pin Name Description

1 X1 All X1-X7 connections are available on screw terminals on the
2 X2 inside for custom connections to other signals.
3 X3
4 X4
5 X5
6 X6
7 X7
8 GND Ground connection.

The RS485 connector has the following connections:

Pin Name
1 RS485A
2 RS485B
5 GND

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2.3 Recommended cabling

Cables are not included with the unit, but is fairly straight forward to assemble.
The following layout is recommended:

GX16 8 pol connector Motor screw terminal connector Wire

Pin Name Pin Name Color Gauge
1 EN/*STOP 1 IN1/OUT1 Green AWG20-24/0.2-0.5mm2
2 HOME 2 IN2/OUT2 Brown
3 STEP 5 IN5/ENCA Yellow
4 DIR 6 IN6/ENCB Blue
5 RS485A 7 RS485A Orange
6 RS485B 8 RS485B Grey
7 +24VDC 12 +24VDC Red AWG16-20/0.5-1.3mm2
8 GND 11 GND Black

Maximum cable outer diameter for the GX16 connectors is 7mm.

Shielded cables are not needed if there is no other disturbing equipment in the vicinity, as the typical connections to the
SimplexMotion units does not contain any signal or power lines with high emissions.
In case of mixing the SimplexMotion units with step motor systems or VFD inverters, shielded cables are
recommended. The connector chassis is grounded and the cable clamp on the connector housing should clamp the cable
shield directly.
Recommended cable sizes for the +24VDC and GND is at least AWG20/0.5mm2. For long cables it is recommended to
use higher gauge wire. Other signals can use anything from AWG24/0.2mm2.

The following picture shows a typical cable setup (non-shielded cables).

Cables according to this setup are available to purchase from SimplexMotion.

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3 Control by parallel port - CNC applications

The main target with the SmHub was to create an easy to use and cost effective CNC application kit. In a basic setup for
a CNC Mill machine application all that is needed is:
• SimplexMotionHub
• 3pcs SimplexMotion100A motor units
• Motor cables (According to the specification above)
• Limit switches to connect to the motor units
• A PC computer with a parallel port (low cost plugin cards are available)
• A CNC control software (for example the Mach3 software)

In this part of the manual we look a bit closer at the CNC application.
The rapid growth of PC controlled CNC machines can in large be attributed to the availability of software that
implements the machine control and real time task of producing ‘step’ and ‘direction’ pulses directly on the PC
hardware. This is done by utilizing the PC computer parallel port for input and output of the digital signals needed.
Today some applications choose to use external hardware to produce the time critical ‘step’ and ‘direction’ pulses to
increase performance. These types of hardware products are usually connected by USB or Ethernet to the PC computer
and provides parallel port like interfaces to the motors control systems.
The SmHub can be used with the standard PC parallel port or with external motion control hardware.

This picture shows the SmHub with an external motion control board UC100 from www.cncdrive.com which facilitates
a direct USB connection to the motion control setup. This device is sold by www.jbcnc.se in Sweden.

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3.1 Parallel port setup

Using a standard PC parallel port requires a straight DSUB25 extension cable (male type connector in one end and
female in the other end) to connect to the SmHub unit. The CNC control software should be configured according to the
following pin usage:

Pin nr Signal direction Use Description

1 Out X axis step pulse The Step & direction signals are directly connected to
the motor connectors.
2 Out X axis direction
3 Out Y axis step pulse
4 Out Y axis direction
5 Out Z axis step pulse
6 Out Z axis direction
7 Out A axis step pulse
8 Out A axis direction
9 Out Chargepump This is a signal that needs to be continuously pulsed to
enable the motors. This is to increase safety and make
sure the motors are disabled when intended.
Both active low/high signal will work.
10 In X axis limit/home switch Limit/home signals use active high level.
11 In Y axis limit/home switch
12 In Z axis limit/home switch
13 In A axis limit/home switch Typically a spare input that for example can be used for
spindle speed measurement.
14 Out PWM Connected to a PWM to 0-10V circuit. Can for example
be used for spindle speed control. Can also be used as a
general purpose output.
Should use an active low signal.
15 In Quickstop Active low signal.
16 Out Relay1 Connected to a relay for on/off control.
Active high signal.
17 Out Relay2 Connected to a relay for on/off control.
By default connected to switch mains on/off for the
outlet on the SmHub rear panel.
Active high signal.
18-25 - GND

It should be noted that the parallel port is not optically isolated on this system, as it is in many other CNC breakout
boards. This requires the PC ground to be the same as ground level for the motor units. This is ensured by connecting
all grounds to the protective earth of the mains supply.
Low cost optically isolated systems typically have an upper limit on the step pulse rate that can be used. By omitting the
isolation the SmHub can handle step pulse rates up to the maximum rate the motor units can use, about 400kHz.
To still maintain some protection for the PC parallel port all signals have at least 100Ohm series resistance in the
SmHub unit.

3.2 Motor setup

It is necessary to configure the SimplexMotion motor units for CNC operation. There is an application note that covers
this in more detail on the website. But for most applications it is sufficient to use the supplied configuration files to
setup the motor.
Note that there are general CNC application parameter files available as well, but the SmHub requires special parameter
files. The reason is that on SmHub the ENABLE and STOP functions share the same signal.

Motor setup is done by a PC software called ‘SimplexMotionTool’. It is available at the website:

www.simplexmotion.com. The parameter files are there as well. To make it easy to do the application trade-off between
precision and speed the parameter file is available with a number of different resolutions (number of steps per
revolution). Typical file names are ‘Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_4096.csv’.

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Basically the motor is controlled and configured by a large set of registers. These registers can be monitored and
changed in the ‘register’ tab of the software. The register contents are continuously updated once the communication
has been established using the ‘start’ tab. Please consult the software manual for further information on how to use the
software.
When the registers are updated by editing the numeric values they are immediately updated in the working registers in
the motor unit. But make sure to select ‘Write to memory’ when finished as the register contents will be lost when the
power is turned off otherwise. There are also buttons to read the register contents from a file, or to write all parameters
to a file for backup.
The ‘run’ tab in the software is useful for general motor testing, but please note that this will change the registers and
the motor settings, which will require reconfiguration for CNC use with step/direction input etc. The same goes for the
‘position’ tab.

Using the standard parameter files requires the following workflow with the software:
1. Get the parameter file to use from www.simplexmotion.com.
2. Start the SimplexMotionTool software.
3. Connect the motor unit to the PC with a USB cable.
4. On the ‘Start’ tab, select ‘Connect USB’. The text in the bottom status field should show the connection in
green text.
5. On the ‘Register’ tab, select ‘Read from File’. Select the parameter file to download to the motor unit.
6. Select ‘Write to memory’ to permanently store the new parameters.

The following standard parameter files are available:

File Description
Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_4096.csv With highest possible resolution, 4096 steps/revolution.
Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_2048.csv With 2048 steps/revolution
Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_1024.csv With 1024 steps/revolution
Param_SM100A_Cnc_SmHub_800.csv With 800 steps/revolution

The only difference between the files is the actual resolution, or number of step pulses per motor revolution. The reason
for choosing a lower resolution would be to increase motor speed for the same step pulse rate. In many cases the usable
step pulse rate is limited due to hardware and/or software constraints.

3.3 Home/limit switches

Each motor usually requires a limit or home switch. This switch has dual uses; it tells the PC software that the axis has
reached the end of travel and must stop to avoid machine damage, and it is used for referencing the axis at startup. The
latter is needed to establish the machine coordinate by resetting the coordinate system at the switch position.

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The HOME connection on the motor cable is intended for connection of this switch. The easiest way is to connect the
switch to the screw terminals on the motor unit, especially since the limit home switch is often located near the motor
itself. The standard cable as described above supports this.
NPN type of sensors that closes the circuit to GND is recommended. The SmHub includes pull up resistors to +5VDC
that allows simple connections of a closing switch to GND. The input circuitry allows voltages up to 30VDC, which
allows using of 24VDC sensors.
To use PNP type of sensors the pull up resistors on the circuit board has to be removed.

Also note that the input circuit of the SmHub inverts the signal. This means that the recommended NPN type of sensor
that typically has a low signal level when activated causes a positive signal to the corresponding PC parallel port pin.

Switch type Description

Mechanical closing switch This is the simplest implementation and a typical microswitch can be used. It should be connected so that it
closes the switch when activated.

Signal Motor pin Motor connection

Switch one side 9 GND
Switch other side 2 IN2 / HOME

Inductive sensor Inductive sensors are available at a low costs, and is a good solution with precise and stable operation over
time, as well as providing easy mounting.
This sensor usually requires 24V supply, which is available at the motor. NPN type sensor outputs are
recommended. These will close the circuit to GND when activated.

Signal Wire color Motor pin Signal

24V supply Brown 12 +24VDC
GND Blue 9 GND
Output Black 2 IN2 / HOME

Note: In some cases the internal pull up resistor to +5V in the SmHub can make the LED indicator of the
inductive switch to be constantly on, when it should only be on when the sensor is activated. This can be
solved by removing the pull up resistor in the SmHub.

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3.4 Customizing
The basic setup of SmHub allows control of up to 4 motors. But there are more features that will require customization
by internal connections in the unit. A lot of signals are available on screw terminals on the internal circuit board, and by
using wires these signals can be connected to for example the extra connector on the front panel.

3.4.1 The internal circuit board

The circuit board is mounted directly to the front panel. It is accessed by removing the 4 screws located at the corners of
the panel.

WARNING:
The unit contains accessible points of mains supply which is dangerous and even lethal. Make sure that all connections to mains supply are
removed before opening the unit. The internal power supply may have capacitors holding dangerously high voltages even after
disconnection from the mains supply, wait for at least 1 minute for this to discharge.

The following picture shows the electronics on the inside of the front panel.

For applications that require considerable more space for additional equipment, or in cases where the control system
needs to be located in a control cabinet, it is possible to use the panel of the SmHub unit mounted on a custom
enclosure. The necessary power to the SmHub control board mounted on the back of the front panel is 24VDC.

3.4.2 Internal screw terminal connections

The following table explains the connection points on the circuit board.

Pin (schematic) Name Description

J1-1 AN+ 10V supply for PWM to Analog 0-10V converter
J1-2 ANOUT PWM to Analog 0-10V converter output
J1-3 AN- Ground reference for PWM to Analog 0-10V converter
J1-4 PWM PWM signal used for PWM to Analog 0-10V output. Can also be used
for general purpose output.
Connected to parallel port pin 14.
J2-1 Realy1A Connection to Relay1 closing switch
J2-2 Relay1B
J2-3 Realy2A Connection to Relay2 closing switch
J2-4 Relay2B By default connected to the rear mains outlet
J3-1 +24V Input 24VDC supply, from power supply
J3-2 +24V
J3-4 GND GND from power supply
J3-5 GND
J4-1 +5V +5VDC supply, max 100mA
J4-2 CHARGEPUMP Usually used in CNC applications as an enable signal. This signal has to
be pulsed continuously to enable the system, thus stopping the motors if
the PC or the software malfunctions.
Connected to parallel port pin 9.

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Can be driven from another source if the parallel port is not used, or
used as a general purpose output from the parallel port if the charge
pump feature is not used.
J4-3 RelayIn1 Digital signal to control Relay1. Connected to parallel port pin 16.
J4-4 RelayIn2 Digital signal to control Relay2. Connected to parallel port pin 17.
J5-1 X1 These are connected to the Extra connector on the front panel.
J5-2 X2 X1 = pin1, X2 = pin2 etc.
J5-3 X3
J5-4 X4
J6-1 X5
J6-2 X6
J6-3 X7
J6-4 *ENABLE Active low enable input/output signal.
Normally driven from the charge pump circuit, with a low signal when
pulses are detected.
If wired to GND the motors will always be enabled.
J7-1 STOP Active high stop input. A voltage >0.7V will cause the system to stop.
Can tolerate voltages up to 50V.
J7-2 *STOP Active low stop input. Closing this signal to GND will cause the system
to stop.
J7-3 M4Home STEP, DIR and HOME signals for Motor 4.
J7-4 M4Dir When using 3 motors these signals are available for general use.
J8-1 M4Step
J8-2 M1Home STEP, DIR and HOME signals for Motor 1.
J8-3 M1Dir When using the USB/RS485 method of control and the standard cable
J8-4 M1Step setup these signals can be used for other tasks as inputs/outputs from
the first motor unit.

3.4.3 Relay control

The circuit board has 2 relays that can be used for on/off control of loads up to 250VAC and 5A current. As default the
Relay2 is connected to switch on/off mains supply on the extra mains outlet on the rear panel. This is useful to control a
simple spindle motor or a flood cooling pump in a CNC application.
The Relay control inputs are also available and can be controlled from other sources. They are driven with a 1kOhm
impedance from the parallel port and can therefore be overridden by another driver.

3.4.4 Spindle speed control

Many spindle motor control systems allow a 0-10V control signal to set the spindle speed. The circuit board has an
isolated PWM to Analog 0-10V converter that can use a PWM signal from the parallel port to create this control
voltage. The isolation is important as some systems require the control voltage to be referenced to something different
than protective earth.
An external 10V is necessary and should be connected to the AN+ connection, while the 10V ground reference is
connected to AN-. The Analog 0-10V control voltage is available on ANOUT.
The scaling of the output can be adjusted with a trim potentiometer on the board.
The maximum voltage for the AN+/AN- supply is 15V.

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4 Control by USB and RS485

For other than CNC applications it is probably not wise to use the parallel port for control. It is then much more
convenient to use the USB or the RS485 connections. The SimplexMotionTool software can be used to directly control
the motors this way.
The motors are connected to the SmHub using the RS485 connection since this is the more robust interface. The USB
port on the SmHub is actually used to access this RS485 network.

Even in CNC applications the USB/RS485 connection can be valuable to monitor the performance while running the
motors with the step/direction interface. The ‘Recorder’ feature of the SimplexMotionTool software can be used to
record parameters during motion to measure torque, speed etc.

4.1 Using the USB port

The SmHub unit has an internal USB to RS485 converter. This converter uses the FTDI chip FT232R. Usually the
correct driver installs automatically when the USB port is connected to the PC, otherwise the driver is available here:
http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
After the driver is installed there is a new serial COM port available on the PC. This serial port should be selected in the
SimplexMotionTool software and the ‘Connect serial port’ should be used to establish a connection in the ‘start’ tab of
the software.
On a Windows PC computer the Control panel/System/Device Manager/Ports (COM & LPT) can be used to find the
correct COM port number.

4.2 Using the RS485 port

There is also an RS485 port for direct connection. See 2.2 for the electrical connections. There is a termination resistor
as well as a polarizing resistor network in the SmHub unit.
The protocol used to communicate with the motors is the industry standard Modbus RTU protocol, see the motor
datasheet for more details.

4.3 Motor setup

To allow the motors to be accessed when connected to the same RS485 network they need to be assigned different
addresses. The default address for the motors is ‘1’, and when more than one motor is connected to the SmHub they all
need individual address numbers.
This is done by connecting one motor at a time and changing the motor address by using the SimplexMotionTool
software. The address is located in the register <Address> at number 50. After it has been changed, press the ‘Write to
memory’ button to permanently save the new value. The new value is used after the next power on of the motor.

It is also possible to use the motor unit native USB connection to perform the setup before it is connected to the SmHub
unit. The native USB port can also be used when the motor unit is connected to the SmHub unit.

4.3.1 Enable and Stop

The Stop button and the Enable signal from the charge pump circuit implements the Enable/Stop functions for CNC
control through the parallel port interface.
But for USB/RS485 control these functions are not available by default. But a physical stop button is very convenient
when things doesn’t work as expected, and by using the event feature of the SimplexMotion integrated motors we can
implement this.

A digital input/output (IN1OUT1) of the motor unit is used as a combined and bidirectional ENABLE/*STOP signal
just as in the default CNC application. By using events this signal allows the motors to be enabled/disabled, and also
allows one motor that has a fault condition to stop all other motors.
The result is that the stop button on the front panel of the SmHub disables all motors immediately, and software action
is then needed to re-enable the motors through the USB/RS485 interface.

The register settings to accomplish this is available as the parameter file ‘Param_SM100A_SmHub.csv’ at
www.simplexmotion.com.
The standard cable implementation described above is recommended, even though a subset of those connections are
sufficient (+24VDC, GND, EN/*STOP, RS485A, RS485B).

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5 Schematics

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Component placement

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