Data Sheet

Operating the Controller In Analog Mode

Advanced Digital Motor Controller User Manual 79

Analog command inputs. Which channel and which pin on the input connector depends on

the controller model and can be found in the controller’s datasheet.

Changing the input assignment is done using the PC Conﬁguration utility. See “Analog In-

puts Conﬁgurations and Use” on page 59.

Input Analog Channel Conﬁguration

An Analog input can be Enabled or Disabled. When enabled, it can be conﬁgured to cap-

ture absolute voltage or voltage relative to the 5V output that is present on the connector.

See “Analog Inputs Conﬁgurations and Use” on page 59

Analog Range Calibration

If the joystick movement does not reach full 0V and 5V, and/or if the joystick center point

does not exactly output 2.5V, the analog inputs can be calibrated to compensate for this.

See “Min, Max and Center adjustment” on page 60 and “Deadband Selection”on

page 61.

Using Digital Input for Inverting direction

Any digital input can be conﬁgured to change the motor direction when activated. See

“Digital Inputs Conﬁgurations and Uses” on page 58. Inverting the direction has the

same effect as instantly moving the command potentiometer to the same level the oppo-

site direction. The motor will ﬁrst return to 0 at the conﬁgured deceleration rate and go to

the inverted speed using the conﬁgured acceleration rate.

Safe Start in Analog Mode

By default, the controller is conﬁgured so that in Analog command mode, no motor will

start until all command joysticks are centered. The center position is the one where the

input equals the conﬁgured Center voltage plus the deadband.

After that, the controller will respond to changes to the analog input. The safe start check

is not performed again until power is turned off.

Protecting against Loss of Command Device

By default, the controller is protected against the accidental loss of connection to the

command potentiometer. This is achieved by adding resistors in series with the poten-

tiometer that reduce the range to a bit less than the full 0V to 5V swing. If one or more

wires to the potentiometer are cut, the voltage will actually reach 0V and 5V and be con-

sidered a fault condition, if that protection is enabled. See “Connecting Potentiometers for

Commands with Safety band guards” on page 49.

Safety Switches

Any Digital input can be used to add switch-activated protection features. For example,

the motor(s) can be made to activate only if a key switch is turned On, and a passenger

is present on the driver’s seat. This is done using by conﬁguring the controller’s Digital in-

puts. See “Digital Inputs Conﬁgurations and Uses” page 58.