MachineMotion v1.15

Vivian Cheung

Release v1.15 of MachineMotion software focuses on the following changes (more details in the sections below):

1. Handling application state after an emergency stop event
2. Improved MachineLogic with : actuator-based programming, IO-friendly name programming, conveyor and rotary actuator support, application parameters
3. Low-level socket API improvements
4. Rebasing the python-server in vention-control instead of the User_Python_Application folder
5. New version of Python API v3.1 with minor improvements
6. Several usability and bug fixes.

New features

• Handle application state after emergency stop event :
  • All the applications (MachineLogic, Python) launched via the Application Launcher or the MachineLogic page can be automatically stopped uppon an e-Stop event
  • This auto-stop can be configured via the file vention-control/mm-config.json.
• Support the new actuators :
  • The new rotary actuator v2
  • Enclosed timing belt actuator.
• A new shortcut to Cloud9 is offered in the main page of the ControlCenter, only on laptop.
• Ability to control IO and E-stop in the Low Level Socket API.

MachineLogic

1. Actuator-based programming :
   • for the motion commands, select the actuator before the instruction. Only the instructions compatible with the chosen actuator's type are displayed
   • the move combined instructions are now accessible through the "+ Axis" button
   • the new "All Axis" option encompasses the following motion commands : Set System Speed, Set System Acceleration and Stop All Motion.
2. IO-friendly name programming :
   • define inputs and outputs in the Configuration Page, with a friendly name referring to the Digital IO Module number and pin number
   • when programming, use those friendly names instead of the {Digital IO Module number, pin number} pair.
3. Application parameters :
   • ability to define and use constant numbers global to the scope of the application, called "application parameters".
4. Rotary actuator support :
   • units displayed in deg instead of mm when relevant
   • deprecated the Set Indexer Angle instruction
   • new instructions Define Angle and Move to Closest Angle.
5. Conveyor support :
   • new instructions Set Continuous Move and Stop Continuous Move.
6. New instruction called Terminate that stops the application.
7. Renaming :
   • Call and Execute instructions to Execute in Parallel and Execute in Series, as well as the Trigger category to Execute.
   • Home to Move To Home.
   • Move Absolute to Move to Position.

Bug fixes

• Python API v3.1:
  • The acceleration is now mandatory in all continuous move commands. This affects the commands MachineMotion.setContinuousMove and MachineMotion.stopContinuousMove.
• At bootup, the Application Launcher now waits on the motion controller to be reachable before starting the auto-launched Python script if there is one.
• In MachineLogic and Configuration Page, the "Invalid application identifier" error message should appear less frequently.
• On the Manual Mode page, the "stop" button is able to stop "Home" commands as well.