Aerotech UNIDEX 100/U100i single axis motion controller

Aerotech UNIDEX 100/U100i single axis motion controller

In old automation equipment, replacing discontinued motion controllers is often more challenging than debugging new equipment. The Aerotech UNIDEX 100 and UNIDEX 100i are single axis, programmable, precision positioning motion controllers that can control stepper motors, DC brushed motors, and AC brushless motors. The U100 controller package includes a control board, driver, and power supply; The U100i only includes a control board and needs to be used in conjunction with Aerotech BA series amplifiers or third-party amplifiers. Both communicate with PCs or handheld terminals through RS-232-C and can use interfaces such as RS-422-A, IEEE-488, and expansion bus. For engineers who are maintaining old equipment, replacing discontinued modules, or troubleshooting safety circuits, understanding the hardware, software, parameters, registers, and fault logic of UNIDEX 100/U100i can significantly reduce downtime.

Model positioning and system composition

The UNIDEX 100 series is an early single axis motion controller product from Aerotech, mainly including U100M, U101M, U100S, U101S, U100Z, U101Z and other models, corresponding to micro step drive, DC servo drive and brushless servo drive respectively, and distinguishing between panel installation and open frame. The core difference between U100 and U100i is that U100 comes with a driver stage and power supply, which can be directly connected to a motor; U100i only provides a control board and requires an external BA series amplifier or similar amplifier. Both can drive stepper, DC brushed, and AC brushless motors, combined with a positioning platform, manipulator, joystick, thumb wheel, LED display, IEEE-488 card, INT card, and R/D conversion card, to form a complete programmable motion control system.

The standard configuration includes 85-240 VAC control power input, 14-240 VAC motor power input, main encoder interface, auxiliary encoder interface, limit and Hall interface, 8 optically isolated digital inputs, 8 optically isolated digital outputs, 1 analog input, 1 analog output, RS-232-C communication port, FireWire style expansion bus, and LED status indication. The U100 front panel also includes motor fuses, power switches, and status lights. The U100i only has control board interfaces, including COM port, I/O port, encoder/limit/Hall port, auxiliary encoder port, option port, and amplifier feedback port.

Communication, Ports, and Expansion Options

The standard communication port is 9-pin D-type RS-232-C, located on the front panel, which includes transmission, reception, ground, shielding, and 5V power cord. RS-422-A is optional for factories and provides higher noise resistance. The IEEE-488 option allows for GPIB bus control, using the HOST command set to execute programs, transfer files, and read/write data. The expansion bus P5 can be equipped with thumb wheel interface cards, LED display interface cards, IEEE-488 interface cards, R/D conversion cards, and INT cards. The INT card can be connected to Opto 22 PB8, PB16, PB24 mounting racks, expanding 8, 16, or 24 I/O points. The thumb wheel and display are both bus addressing devices, with a default base address of 0xE000, which can be changed through DIP switches. The R/D card supports rotary or Inductosyn feedback, with resolutions available in 12, 14, or 16 bits, and supports dynamic resolution switching.

I/O port P2 is a 37 pin D-type, which includes 8 digital inputs, 8 digital outputs, analog inputs, and analog outputs LOAD1/LOAD2、 External interrupt, external reset SETUP、 Auxiliary output, COMP1/COMP2, etc. The encoder/limit/Hall port P3 is a 25 pin D-type, including main encoders SIN, SIN-N, COS, COS-N, MKR, MKR-N, three limit switches, three Hall inputs, encoder 5V, and ground. The auxiliary encoder port P4 is a 9-pin D-type, which can provide feedback from a second encoder for dual loop control or master-slave applications. The feedback port of U100i amplifier is 14 pins, providing signals such as current command, shutdown, fault, etc.

Motor wiring and feedback configuration

U100 can drive DC brushed, stepper, and AC brushless motors, but a U100 can only be configured as one type of motor when it leaves the factory. DC brushed motors use two power connections, plus frame ground and shielding; The stepper motor uses four power connections, corresponding to two-phase windings; Brushless motors use three-phase power connections and Hall feedback. It is recommended to use shielded cables for all power cables, and the shielding layer is usually not connected at the motor end to reduce noise. The motor fuse F1 is located on the front panel, and its rated value depends on the motor type and current.

The encoder interface accepts RS-422 differential orthogonal signals. The main encoder is used for position and velocity closed-loop, while the auxiliary encoder can be used for dual loop or master-slave. The encoder phase must be consistent with the direction of motor rotation: when rotating clockwise from the installation flange, COS should be at logical high when SIN jumps from low to high. The limit inputs include+Limit, - LIMIT, and HOME. Forward rotation is prohibited by+Limit, while reverse rotation is prohibited by - LIMIT. Hall input is used for brushless motor commutation, Aerotech motors are aligned at the factory, parameter PRM: 241 defaults to -42, used for fine-tuning commutation phase. If replacing the encoder or using a third-party motor, a dual channel oscilloscope and Wye resistor network can be used to observe the back electromotive force and Hall phase.

Software, Programming, and Multitasking

The UT100 software package includes tools such as com_100.exe, HOST_100.exe, TUNE100.exe, BOOT-100.exe, MCOM_100.exe, etc. Com_100.exe provides menu based terminal simulation, which can be edited, run, MDI executed, view status, transfer files, and archive to Flash ROM. HOST_100.exe is used for HOST mode, supports C language source code, and can embed custom operation interfaces. TUNE_100.exe is used for automatic tuning of PID loops. The controller supports five types of files: PGM, DEF, MAC, LST, and CAM. PGM is the main program, which includes BEGIN and END; DEF defines variable names; MAC is a macro module; LST is a compilation list; CAM stores spline position data. Programming commands include D、V、T、A、GO、HM、ABSL、INCR、IF、ELSE、ELSEIF、ENDIF、WHL、ENDWHL、GOSUB、SUB、ENDSUB、GOTO、LB、PM、GM、GC、ADC、DAC、DD、CAM、GEAR、MDX、SRQ  Wait.

The controller has real-time multitasking capability, with Task 0 responsible for communication and backend, and Task 1 and Task 2 executing programs. The minimum time slot is 0.1 ms, and the entire loop is 12.8 ms. Task 1 and Task 2 can run simultaneously, but should avoid executing motion commands or sharing variables simultaneously. The interrupt function allows external events to trigger Task 2 programs or latch positions to REG: 113. Exception handling is configured through masks, including reverse mask, latch mask, disable mask, SRQ mask, auxiliary mask, freeze mask, Task 1/2 mask, and positive/negative direction mask. The error status register REG: 302 contains encoder feedback errors, drive faults, soft/hard limits, position error traps, speed traps, current limit timeouts, etc. REG: 307 displays the active mask, REG: 308 is used for resetting the latch, and REG: 309 is used for user-defined software traps.

Parameters, registers, and variables

Parameters are divided into four categories: communication, motion, drive, and system. Communication parameters PRM: 001-041 configuration for RS-232 and IEEE-488, including baud rate, address, trigger SRQ、 Start the program, etc. Motion parameter PRM: 100-163 configuration includes user unit ratio, filtering, default distance/velocity/acceleration, S-curve, zeroing, software limit, external interrupt, feedback type, scaling trajectory, spline, etc. Drive parameter PRM: 200-241 configuration includes step current, micro step resolution, verification, damping, servo current limitation, PID gain, speed feedforward, trap threshold, automatic tuning, gear mode, shaft calibration, and brushless commutation. System parameter PRM: Configure PV waiting status, task background time, update rate, fault mask, buffer partitioning, and reset delay from 300 to 334.

Register is divided into four categories: communication, motion, driver, and system. The communication register REG: 001-046 includes bit input, bit output, port status, timer, encoder counter control, IEEE-488 status, etc. The motion register REG: 102-113 includes encoder 1/2 position, R/D position, ENC position, speed, and external interrupt latch position. The drive register REG: 200-213 includes position reset, position command, position feedback, current command, speed feedback, position error, and axis calibration compensation. System registers REG: 301-309 include motion status, error status, axis status, system status, active/reset/overwrite mask. Variables include BV: 1-1000 integers, LV: 1-200 long integers, FV: 1-1000 floating-point, PV: 512-61439 port variables, SV: 1-19 strings. BV can be used to index other variables, such as FV: BV: 10.

Engineering process for replacing discontinued modules

When replacing discontinued UNIDEX 100/U100i or other brands of single axis controllers, it is recommended to follow the following sequence:

Record the original module parameters: model, motor type, peak/continuous current, bus voltage, control power supply, feedback type, communication interface, I/O quantity, tabs, jumper settings, fuse rating, size, and heat dissipation.

Match motor: Confirm stepper, DC brushed or AC brushless; Confirm winding, current Hall、 Encoder resolution, rotation or Inductosyn. The U100 factory configuration is fixed as one type of motor and cannot be mixed when replacing.

Confirm power supply: U100 supports 100/115/230 VAC, transformer and AC input jumper need to be checked; U100i requires an external amplifier power supply. Check the F1 motor fuse, F2 AC line fuse, F3 5V fuse, and F4 shutt fuse.

Confirm communication and expansion: RS-232-C is the default, RS-422-A requires factory configuration; IEEE-488 requires setting PRM: 019=2 and address parameters. The expansion bus device requires a unique base address to be set.

Confirm feedback and limit: main encoder, auxiliary encoder Hall、 Limit switch and zero return switch. Check the speed/position feedback sources selected for PRM: 138 and PRM: 139. If using R/D, check PRM: 137, PRM: 310, and the wiring of the rotary transformer.

Configure jumper: JP8 current/speed command, JP13/JP18/JP19 current output, JP16/JP17 motor type, JP34 firmware boot. JP 2 must be installed correctly, otherwise the system will malfunction.

Power on test: Do not connect the motor first, check 5V, LED, communication SETUP； Connect the motor for low-speed testing of phase, feedback direction, limit, and return to zero; Finally, load and check the current, temperature, and tracking error.

If the original device uses U100 integrated driver, replacing it with U100i and external amplifier requires redesigning the cabinet and wiring. If the original device uses U100i, replacing it with U100 can simplify the wiring, but it is necessary to confirm the driving current and motor type. Regardless of the replacement, PGM, DEF, MAC, CAM, and parameter files should be backed up, and the Flash ROM archive settings should be recorded.

Common faults and troubleshooting

The system is completely not powered on: Check the AC line fuse F2, U100 may have blown due to a serious malfunction. Before replacement, all electrical connections must be checked and the power supply disconnected. If the fan is running but the system is not powered on, check the 5V fuse F3, unplug the P2-30 external load, and eliminate overload.

System not powered on or abnormal: may be due to new software or memory damage. Perform SETUP: Short circuit P2-19 and P2-16. If P2-20 is not connected to an external power source, short circuit P2-20 and P2-30 again. After powering on for 5 seconds, power off and remove the jumper. Check if JP 2 is in position 2-3.

Unable to store or download program: Execute SETUP and clear memory. Check for battery failure, U100 battery is used to maintain RAM.

RS-232 no communication: Confirm that the control board jumper is RS-232-C; Check baud rate, data bits, stop bits, parity check; Confirm that com_100.exe is using the correct COM port. If using RS-422-A, it is necessary to confirm the factory configuration and chip installation.

Motor without torque or shaking: Check the JP16/JP17 motor type jumper; Check the motor fuse; Brushless motor inspection PRM: 239 commutation type and Hall wiring; Check the encoder connection and phase; Check if the feedback source parameters have selected the wrong port. When the DC has a brush speed loop, check if JP8 is between 2-3 and verify the polarity of the speedometer.

Overload LED on: RMS current limit PRM: 217 exceeded. Raise PRM: 217 to the rated value of the motor, if it still exceeds, the motor capacity will be insufficient. Position errors, speed, and acceleration traps can also trigger overload.

Control fault LED on: Check if the fault mask configuration matches the actual system, including limit polarity, feedback source, and RMS current limit. REG: 302 and REG: 317 can help locate.

Limit false alarm: Check PRM: 317 reverse mask. The low effective hardware limit should set bits 8 and 9 to 1, and the high effective limit to 0. The software limit is set by PRM: 129 and PRM: 130.

Encoder count not working: Confirm that the encoder is not being used for both position and velocity feedback simultaneously; If the counter has been used for servo feedback, it cannot be used to capture or trigger outputs. Check if the LOAD input is pulled down to avoid damaging the servo loop.

Shunt Active LED on: The regenerative energy is too high. Check the Shunt fuse F4 and adjust R2 to make Shunt conductive when the bus voltage is about 15% higher than the normal value. U100i needs to refer to the amplifier manual.

In terms of maintenance, the chassis, cooling vents, cables, and connectors should be checked monthly. Turn off the power during cleaning, use a dry soft cloth, and if necessary, slightly wet water or isopropanol. Do not allow liquids to enter the connector. Internal high voltage may still exist after a power outage, and maintenance must be carried out by qualified personnel. Before long-term shutdown, backup parameters and programs, and record jumper and fuse configurations.

FAQ

What is the difference between U100 and U100i?

U100 includes a control board, driver, and power supply, which can directly drive the motor; The U100i only has a control board and requires an external BA series or third-party amplifier.

What motors does UNIDEX 100 support?

Supports stepper motors, DC brushed motors, and AC brushless motors, but the factory configuration of one controller is fixed to one type.

How to enter SETUP to restore default parameters?

Short circuit P2-19 and P2-16, and if necessary, short circuit P2-20 and P2-30. After powering on for about 5 seconds, turn off the power and remove the jumper.

How to switch between RS-232 and IEEE-488?

PRM: 019=1 is RS-232, PRM: 019=2 is IEEE-488. After switching, the controller needs to be reset.

What about the electric scooter?

Check the encoder phase, speedometer polarity, JP8 configuration, feedback source parameters, and commutation settings. Disconnect the motor first and test the feedback direction at low speed.

Can we directly replace other brands of motion controllers?

It cannot be judged solely based on size and current. It is necessary to verify the motor type, feedback, and communication I/O、 Expand options, parameters, and fuse configurations.