RoboteQ Dual Channel Digital Motor Controller AX2550 - Manual (Page 175)

AX1500 Motor Controller User’s Manual 175
Using the Console
cannot be established (e.g. “Controller not found”, no response to command changes,
communication errors, ...etc.). The Roborun utility will let you exercise and monitor the
motors, sensors and actuators using a computer. This feature is particularly useful during
development as you will be able to visualize, in real-time, the robot’s Amps consumption
and other vital statistics during actual operating conditions.
Figure 95 shows the Console Screen and its various components.
1- Terminal Screen
This area displays the raw ASCII data as it comes out of the controller. After the controller
is reset, it will output a prompt with the firmware’s revision and date. Then, if in the RC or
Analog mode, the controller will output a continuous string of characters for data logging. If
in RS232 mode, the controller will output an “OK” prompt and is ready to accept com-
mands.
2- Command Entry
This window is used to prepare up to 3 command string and send them by clicking on their
associated buttons. The string is sent to the controller when clicking on the send button.
Commands can only be sent when the controller has entered in RS232 mode. See “Con-
troller Commands and Queries” on page 128 for the complete list of commands and que-
ries. See “RS232 Encoder Command Set” on page 145 for the list of Encoder related
commands and queries.
3- Keep Watchdog Alive
If the controller is in the RS232 mode with the watchdog enabled, then after 1 second of
inactivity motors will be stopped if they were one and a “W” character will be sent to the
terminal. When this checkbox is checked, Roborun will send a Null character to the control-
ler on a regular basis so that the watchdog time-out is never reached.
FIGURE 96. Raw ASCII data exchange in Console
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