User manual
TMCM-6110 TMCL Firmware V1.19 Manual (Rev. 1.03 / 2012-JUL-31)  20 
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5.5  The ASCII Interface 
There  is  also  an  ASCII  interface  that  can be  used to  communicate  with  the  module  and  to  send  some 
commands as text strings.  
  The ASCII command line interface is entered by sending the binary command 139 (enter ASCII 
mode).  
  Afterwards the commands are entered as in the TMCL-IDE. Please note that only those commands, 
which can be used in direct mode, also can be entered in ASCII mode.  
  For leaving the ASCII mode and re-enter the binary mode enter the command BIN. 
5.5.1  Format of the Command Line 
As the first character, the address character has to be sent. The address character is A when the module 
address is 1, B  for modules with  address 2 and  so on. After the address  character there  may be spaces 
(but this is not necessary). Then, send the command with its parameters. At the end of a command line a 
<CR> character has to be sent.  
Here are some examples for valid command lines: 
AMVP ABS, 1, 50000 
A MVP ABS, 1, 50000 
AROL 2, 500 
A MST 1 
ABIN 
These command lines would address the module with address 1. To address e.g. module 3, use address 
character  C  instead  of  A.  The  last  command  line  shown  above  will  make  the  module  return  to  binary 
mode. 
5.5.2  Format of a Reply 
After executing the command the module sends back a reply in ASCII format. This reply consists of: 
  the address character of the host (host address that can be set in the module) 
  the address character of the module 
  the status code as a decimal number 
  the return value of the command as a decimal number 
  a <CR> character 
So, after sending AGAP 0, 1 the reply would be BA 100 –5000 if the actual position of axis 1 is –5000, 
the host address is set to 2 and the module address is 1. The value 100 is the status code 100 that means 
command successfully executed. 
5.5.3  Commands That Can be Used in ASCII Mode 
The  following  commands  can be  used  in ASCII  mode: ROL,  ROR, MST,  MVP,  SAP, GAP,  STAP,  RSAP, SGP, 
GGP, STGP, RSGP, RFS, SIO, GIO, SCO, GCO, CCO, UF0, UF1, UF2, UF3, UF4, UF5, UF6, and UF7. 
There are also special commands that are only available in ASCII mode: 
  BIN: This command quits ASCII mode and returns to binary TMCL mode. 
  RUN: This command can be used to start a TMCL program in memory. 
  STOP: Stops a running TMCL application. 
5.5.4  Configuring the ASCII Interface 
The  module  can  be  configured  so  that  it  starts  up  either  in  binary  mode  or  in  ASCII  mode.  Global 
parameter 67 is used for this purpose (please see also chapter 7.1).  
Bit 0 determines the startup mode: if this bit is set, the module starts up in ASCII mode, else it will start 
up in binary mode (default).  










