Editorials
Member Since 2015
KINGSTAR Soft Motion provides all the benefits of a software solution to motion control in an automatically configured EtherCAT environment with “plug-and-play” compatibility. With the highest quality and performance of pre-integrated and pre-tested motion libraries, KINGSTAR delivers motion control at half the cost of traditional hardware platforms. Deliver Software-Only Motion Control and Positioning Systems Quickly and Affordably KINGSTAR Soft Motion is an open and standards-based, software-only solution that streamlines motor control and automation. Soft Motion runs directly on the PC, uses the NIC card for I/O, and uses the powerful EtherCAT protocol to free you from the shackles of proprietary and costly hardware. With Soft Motion, motion control engineers can design, develop and integrate PC-based machine controllers in a “plug-and-play” environment for consolidated, inexpensive and scalable motion and vision control.
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Product Release Notice: KINGSTAR 3.2
POSTED 04/09/2018
| By: Terri Hawker, Vice President Product Management
General Availability Release Date November 3, 2017
KINGSTAR products are designed for industrial machines requiring motion control and positioning systems. KINGSTAR’s all-software approach sets it apart from other machine control solutions.
Using the EtherCAT standard; the power of Industrial PCs; and the Windows operating system, enhanced by IntervalZero’s RTX64< hard real-time software that transforms Windows into a real-time operating system (RTOS), you can create software-only, PC-based machine controllers that lower the costs of industrial machines while delivering excellent precision and performance. There are two product lines: KINGSTAR Soft Motion and KINGSTAR EtherCAT.
KINGSTAR Soft Motion is a complete software solution that creates PC-based machine controllers with premium precision and performance.
KINGSTAR EtherCAT provides support for CANopen over EtherCAT and simplified configuration of EtherCAT networks.
New Features and Resolved Issues
KINGSTAR Soft Motion
- Adds Gearing functions: MC_GearIn, MC_GearOut, MC_GearInPos. [KS-23]
- Adds KINGSTAR .NET Class Sample. [KS-384]
- Adds API functions: CommandTest, GetServoAvailableControlModes, GetLinkState. [KS-393] [KS-394] [KS-396]
- Adds properties to the Axis class in the .NET Class interface: HomingMode, HomingDirection, HomingSwitch, NegativeLimit, NegativeSoftLimit, PosToVelRatio, PositiveLimit, PositiveSoftLimit, SlaveControlLimit, SlaveHomingMode, SlaveHomeOffset, TorqueReverse. [KS-420]
- Adds a method to the Axis class in the .NET Class interface: CancelHomeAsync. [KS-420]
- Adds a command-line mode to the KINGSTAR Analysis Console. [KS-427]
- Adds options in the KINGSTAR ESI Import Tool: Cycle time interval, Default resolution, MOP Display, Custom Input/Output. [KS-444]
- Adds retry capability to scanning the bus scan. If new slaves are added between the INIT and OP state, the KINGSTAR master will run the bus scan again. [KS-77]
- Contains a BETA version of a new KINGSTAR Tuning Console, that can be used to configure, test and tune devices.
- Resolves an issue regarding SanyoDenki RF2, when using SDO to write the value into the object index of the multiple axes, the address of the index was wrong. [KS-359]
- Adds custom variables into the PDO variable list. Users can use the KINGSTAR ESI Import Tool to set these variables. [KS-360]
- Resolves an issue regarding the output of the MC_GroupEnable and MC_GroupDisable function blocks influenced the power state of the single axis in the group. [KS-366]
- Resolves an issue regarding simulated axis kept running after MC_Halt in some conditions. [KS-392]
- Resolves an issue regarding incorrect Done and Busy outputs for MC_Jog and MC_Inch in the Win32 interface. [KS-398]
- Resolves an issue regarding MC_GroupSetPosition not working properly in the Win32 interface. [KS-405]
- Resolves an issue regarding Motion-card API functions returning MC_Error codes instead of ReturnCode. [KS-414]
- Resolves an issue regarding applications not catching the exception of the .NET Class functions whose return type is async void. [KS-422]
- Resolves an issue regarding memory not being cleaned up after calling the Stop function. [KS-437]
- Resolves an issue in .NET Class interface, regarding the properties Started and ProcessInitialized not changing their state as expected. [KS-451]
KINGSTAR EtherCAT
- Rewritten from a single threaded architecture to a distributed architecture to improve performance for larger number of devices.
- Provides KINGSTAR EtherCAT API functions to read and write custom variables into the PDO variable list. [KS-360]
- Adds new supported hardware:
- Servo drives
- Inovance IS620N [KS-408]
- EtherCAT coupler
- VIPA SLIO EtherCAT Coupler [KS-378]
- Servo drives
Availability
KINGSTAR 3.2 Soft Motion and KINGSTAR EtherCAT beginning November 3, 2017 through Partners and by contacting Sales: [email protected]. or (781) 996-4481.
We look forward to comments and feedback. If you have any recommendations or wish to suggest any product enhancements, please contact Product Management at: [email protected].