Configuring IONI drive in SimuCUBE

Each SimuCUBE system consists one IONI Servo & Stepper Drive that is controls the motor of Force feedback system (FFB). This page helps setting correct parameters to IONI drive.

Preparations

1. Download Granity software
2. Connect SimuCUBE X4 to PC with USB cable
3. Connect motor to connector X1 and motor feedback device to X16 as instructed earlier
4. Have E-stop switch unconnected or open until configuration is complete
5. Power on SimuCUBE
6. Wait until windows has recognized the device and installed driver
7. Start Granity software
8. Connect to IONI by clicking Connect to drive button
   
9. Once list of found devices pop-up, select the IONI drive and click Open

If everything went fine, we are now connected to IONI and change it's settings. If not, see SimuCUBE troubleshooting and Device connection troubleshooting.

Upgrading IONI firmware

First it is recommended to upgrade to the latest IONI firmware:

1. Download latest IONI firmware from IONI firmware releases
2. Follow instructions of Granity user guide/Uploading a firmware
3. Connect again into drive by choosing Connect to drive just like we did first time
4. Proceed to Loading motor configuration file or Configuring motor manually chapter

Loading motor configuration file

If you have pre-made configuration file made to your motor and SimuCUBE, you may follow this chapter to load it in the IONI and skip the next chapter Configuring motor.

1. Click Load settings from file
2. Select the file and open it
3. Click Save settings to drive non-volatile memory and answer yes to questions of applying settings and restarting drive afterwards
4. All done, proceed to Testing settings chapter

Configuring motor manually

All settings except the one mentioned here should be kept at their factory defaults. If unsure which settings are factory defaults, then repeat firmware upgrade procedure and tick the Reset device to factory state checkbox before uploading the firmware.

Following settings are constant and always required with SimuCUBE:

Granity tab	Parameter	Value	Notes
Goals	Control modeCM	Torque control
Goals	Electrical interfaceCEI	SimuCUBE
Goals	Setpoint inputCRI	Pulse Width Modulation	Note: Leave this to Serial only if you're configuring for the first time (and set this to Pulse Width Modulation after testing (later chapter on this page) if testing was successful)
Goals	Enable direction inputCED	On (ticked)
Fault limits	Over voltage fault thresholdFOV	49V	Assuming 48 VDC regulated power supply
Fault limits	Under voltage fault thresholdFUV	30V	Assuming 48 VDC regulated power supply
Fault limits	Over current toleranceFOC	High	Change this only if over current fault problems occur with the motor
Machine	Maximum peak powerMPP	Your power supply rating in watts	Granite Devices SimuCUBE systems are have one of these ratings: 320W, 480W or 720W. Use value from your model. If under voltage faults occur, try reducing this value little bit (like 10-30W).

Motor parameters depend on the attached motor type and specifications. Refer your motor manufacturer's data sheet to get the correct values in the following fields:

Granity tab	Parameter	Value	Notes
Machine	Motor typeMT	3 phase AC or BLDC
Machine	Pole countMPC	8	8 is a typical value, however 4, 6 are common as well
Machine	Continuous current limitMCC	Maximum motor continuous current	Most AC motors specify current as RMS value. Value in this field is entered as Peak value of sine. To covert RMS current to peak value of sine, multiply it by 1.41.
Machine	Peak current limitMMC	Motor peak current rating	Most AC motors specify current as RMS value. Value in this field is entered as Peak value of sine. To covert RMS current to peak value of sine, multiply it by 1.41. This defines the maximum torque that system will produce. For safety reasons, it is recommended to set this value to 20% of motor specified value until system operation has been verified.
Machine	Coil resistanceMR	Motor phase-to-phase resistance (from motor data sheet)
Machine	Coil inductanceML	Motor phase-to-phase inductance (from motor data sheet)
Machine	Feedback deviceFBD	Motor feedback device type	If unsure, choose Quadrature encoder 1
Machine	Feedback device resolutionFBR	Encoder resolution in pulses per revolution	Typical motors have 2500 PPR or 5000 PPR encoder
Machine	Invert feedback directionFBI	Disabled/Enabled	Try first without enabling this, and later with inverting this setting if motor testing section shows problems
Tuning	Torque bandwidth limitTBW	680 Hz	Sets maximum torque bandiwdth of motor. Values between 220 to 680 Hz recommended for FFB systems.

After all parameters have been set, click Apply settings and go to Connect tab and click Save settings on drive non-volatile memory. Many parameter changes need restarting of the drive to activate new settings. If unsure, just click Restart drive and connect again.

Testing settings

To test settings first time, it is advised to change Setpoint inputCRI temporarily to Serial only to avoid unexpected motion. After changing any parameter (including CRI),click Apply settings button to activate the change.

Testing procedure:

1. Have Granity connected to drive and go to Testing tab
2. Make sure that nothing is blocking motor rotation and motor is rigidly mounted (unexpected and strong rotation or vibration might occur)
3. Release E-stop switch to activate the drive
4. Motor should start initializing by swinging back and forth with decreasing amplitude and then become in rest without any torque or shaft holding force
5. Manually change torque setpoint by clicking Increment by TSP1 several times. This will increase torque command setpoint on each click. Typically motor should definitely rotate when setpoint is increased above value 5000. Observe motor:
   1. Motor should start rotating after produced torque exceeds static friction. If motor spins, test has passed! Set setpoint to zero and proceed to finalizing settings.
   2. If motor does not start rotating, check device status and fault registers in the Testing tab and check SimuCUBE troubleshooting
   3. If motor starts holding position (becomes stiff to turn) and has "bumps" if forced to turn anyways, then one of following settings need attention:
      1. FBI - try inverting this checkbox value and try again
      2. If FBI didn't help, ensure that MPC and FBR are exactly correct values. See Determining motor pole count if not sure about pole count.

Finalizing settings

To finalize setup, change Setpoint inputCRI to Pulse Width Modulation, Apply and save settings to drive. For additional settings and tuning of force feedback effects feeling, you may adjust additional Granity parameters such as Torque mode effects in Tuning tab (click Show advanced settings).

After SimuCUBE all settings have been configured and verified to work, you might want to become back to the settings and adjust motor current limits (MMC and MCC) to increase or adjust maximum torque of motor.

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