Reference Manual
PMAC 2 Software Reference 
PMAC I-Variable Specification  99 
Note: 
The units of this parameter are 1/16 of a count, so the value should 
be 16 times the number of counts in the limit. 
See Also 
I-variables Ix11, Ix12, Ix68 
Ix68  Motor x Friction Feedforward 
Range 
-32,768 .. 32,767 
Units 
DAC bits 
Default 
0 
Remarks 
Ix68 adds a bias term to the servo loop output of Motor x that is proportional to the sign of 
the commanded velocity. That is, if the commanded velocity is positive, Ix68 is added to 
the output. If the commanded velocity is negative, Ix68 is subtracted from the output. If 
the commanded velocity is zero, no value is added to or subtracted from the output. 
This parameter is intended primarily to help overcome errors due to mechanical friction. It 
can be thought of as a “friction feedforward” term. Because it is a feedforward term that 
does not utilize any feedback information, it has no direct effect on system stability. It can 
be used to correct the error resulting from friction, especially on turnaround, without the 
time constant and potential stability problems of integral gain. 
If PMAC is commutating this motor, this correction is applied before the commutation 
algorithm, and so will affect the magnitude of both analog outputs. 
Note: 
This direction-sensitive bias term is independent of the constant 
bias introduced by Ix29 and/or Ix79. 
Example 
Starting with a motor at rest, if Ix68 = 1600, then as soon as a commanded move in the 
positive direction is started, a value of +1600 (~0.5V) is added to the servo loop output. 
As soon as the commanded velocity goes negative, a value of -1600 is added to the output. 
When the commanded velocity becomes zero again, no bias is added to the servo output as 
a result of this term. 
See Also 
Closing the Servo Loop 
I-Variables Ix01, Ix29, Ix32, Ix35, Ix79 
Ix69  Motor x Output Command Limit 
Range 
0 .. 32,767 (0 to 10V or equivalent) 
Units 
16-bit DAC bits 
Default 
20,480 (6.25V or equivalent) 
Remarks 
Ix69 defines the magnitude of the largest output that can be sent from PMAC’s PID 
position/velocity servo loop. If the servo loop computes a larger value, PMAC clips it to 
this value. When the PID output has saturated at the Ix69 limit, the integrated error value 
will not increase, providing anti-windup protection. 
For the Extended Servo Algorithm (ESA) that with the Option 6 firmware version, Ix69 is 
used to multiply a normalized command (-1.0 <= Normalized Command < +1.0) before 
outputting it or using it for commutation. As such, it acts as both a scale factor and an 
output command limit for the ESA. 
Ix69 is always in units of a 16-bit DAC, even if the actual output device is of a different 
resolution, or the command value is used for PMAC’s own internal current loop 
commands. 










