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How To Tune Servos Without Scope?

RyanT

Aluminum
Joined
Jan 1, 2013
Location
Canada
Hi, I have a couple of https://www.parkermotion.com/manuals/Digiplan/ViX-IH_UG_7-03.pdf which I am trying to tune. The PID and various smoothing parameters can be adjusted over serial, but the drives are quite old and have no provision for plotting actual vs commanded position.

I'd like to get these servos tuned very tightly but have no idea how to evaluate their performance.

Do I just tape a pen to the end-effector and run the charts on paper? There is technically a velocity analog-out pin on the drives but I'd have to take apart the servo cables to get at it with an oscilloscope.
 
A string pot works well. Attach the string to the spindle and clamp the pot to the table, supply 5v and read out the position on your scope that way.
 
A string pot works well. Attach the string to the spindle and clamp the pot to the table, supply 5v and read out the position on your scope that way.

Amazing that I never thought of that, should be perfect. Any idea how fast the average stringpot response is? Is there a level of acceleration at which they will no longer keep up?
 








 
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