We have a great community of users who have all gone through the process of setting up and learning how to use our products.
We have tried to capture some of the more frequent questions that we get from them on this page. Please look this list over to see if your
question is answered here and, if not, please e-mail us at info@dynomotion.com. Also send us an e-mail if
you think a question needs to be addressed on this page. We are always looking for better ways to get our customers up and running.
Yes.
Most all features are supported. Coordinated motion, Jogging,
Homing, Spindle control, Encoder Feedback, Probing, Threading, Tool
Changing, Backlash, and more. See
here.
A common User mistake is to have the Mach3 EStop input configured to something that is active or toggling. Mach3 does not allow you to disable the EStop input. If you don't have an EStop input set it to something unused and in-active: ie KFLOP LED Port1 Pin 46 Active Low.
Kanalog and KSTEP are both designed to connect to KFLOP's JP7 connector. Kanalog absolutely requires to be connected to KFLOP JP7. KSTEP can be made to use the Step and Direction signals from KFLOP's JP5 (RJ45) by disconnecting JP5 from Kanalog. The overall result is:
#1 Everything on Kanalog will still work except Kanalog JP2 differential inputs.
#2 KSTEP +5V Power, GND, and Enable will need to be externally wired to KSTEP J6
#3 KSTEP's Extra I/O on KSTEP JP33 wil not be available.
Yes: 3rd party Step/Direction Drives can make use of Step and Direction signals from KFLOP's JP5 (RJ45) by disconnecting JP5 from Kanalog. Everything on Kanalog will still work except Kanalog JP2 differential inputs.
There is also another option. The 4 Step/Direction signals that normally output on KFLOP JP7 can be multiplexed to come out KSTEP JP4 and JP6 (2 each). There is a limitation. Because KFLOP JP4 and JP6 each only have 2 I/O pins without 150 ohm pull down resistors, only one Step/Direction Generator on each connector can be used in Open Collector mode to drive +5V optos. For more information see:
In terms of 3rd Party Servo Drives. Many users of our products have had success in pairing KFLOP and Kanalog with Servo Drives from ADVANCED Motion Control Systems. You can learn more about their products here:
Do I need to be a
C Programmer to use
your Controller?
Yes.
Certain operations such as Controller initialization and Homing
involve User C Programs that Execute in KFLOP. So some
modification of C Programs is required. We do this because it
is the most powerful and flexible approach. It isn't necessary
to be a C expert, but basic programming knowledge is helpful.
Download the
software and go to the
C
Programs Screen to get an idea the level of difficulty.
PWM is a pulse at a fixed frequency where the pulse length varies to provide various duty cycles (0 to 100% on time).
PWMs are used when we want to control something from 0 to 100% like Lamp Intensity, Motor torque, Motor Speed, Heat, etc... and cannot really be used to control a position except in some cases where commanding a position from, for example, 0 to 1 inch with an accuracy of 1% might be acceptable.
Step Pulses are fixed period pulses that occur at varying frequency.
Step Pulses are usually used to specify a delta distance to move for each pulse and are usually accumulated (counted) to determine a position with high accuracy. However controlling something like constant velocity can be controlled by just outputting a constant frequency.
Both PWM and Step Pulses may have a separate direction signal if direction of control is necessary.
Why does my Servo "Run Away" as soon
as it is enabled?
You may have positive feedback instead of
negative feedback. This causes any error to get bigger and bigger
rather than smaller and smaller.
You can change positive to negative
feedback by reversing anything in the axis. The simplest thing to
reverse is the OutputGain.
For an open loop system you can change the
sign of your OutputGain (ie from 1.0 to -1.0)
For a Closed Loop System you must also
change the sign of the InputGain0 otherwise the loop will have
positive feedback instead of negative feedback (runaway).
There are encoders with digital outputs (quadrature square waves)
and encoders with analog outputs (sine/cosine waves). KFLOP only
accepts digital signals.
There are also two different types of digital signals.
Single ended and Differential.
Single ended are sometimes referred to as TTL. Single ended have
only two signals A and B (plus power and ground and possibly an
Index pulse). The A and B signals are referenced to GND (more
than 2.8V is high and less than 0.4V is low).
Differential signals have 4 signals called A+ A- B+ B-. This
method is much better because there is basically no reference to any
ground and so any noise or differences between grounds have no
effect. When the A+ signal is at a more positive voltage relative
to the A- signal the value is considered high, when the A+ signal is
at a more negative voltage relative to the A- signal the value is
considered low. The Difference only needs to be ~ 0.2V to be
interpreted correctly but the + and - signals are usually driven by
a Line Driver device that provides 2~4V of difference. If "twisted
pair" cables are used then noise immunity is even better because any
noise picked up in the cable is likely to be picked up exactly the
same in both the + and - signals and so will not change their
relative difference.
KFLOP by itself only accepts single ended signals. Our
Kanalog and SnapAmp boards have differential encoder inputs.
3rd party modules are available to convert between single ended and
differential.
Some encoder inputs are differential (ie.
Kanalog and SnapAmp encoder inputs). They have + and - inputs
and look for the relative voltage to swing positive and negative.
For example (+) might be +4V and (-) +0.4V (+3.6V difference).
In the other state (+) might be +0.4V and (-) +4V (-3.6V
difference).
Single ended encoders with only one (signal
each for A and B) can NOT be connected by just grounding or leaving
the other input floating.
Single ended encoders can be connected to
the single ended inputs on KFLOP or low cost adapter cables can be
purchased (USDigital.com) to convert single ended signals to
differential signals.
Where are the Prices Listed?
How do I order? How much is shipping?
Order
from our Purchase Page using Credit Card
or PayPal. We charge a flat rate of $20 domestic or $50
International for all shipments regardless of size. International orders may be subject to duty or import taxes so please do your
research to know what other expenses you may need to pay for imports.
Windows will not install the driver.
ie Bad Hash. How can I get the driver to
install?
Digitally
Signed USB Drivers are now available. They can be downloaded
here.
