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Detailed description

The full user manual for DivisionMaster can be viewed in PDF form (~200K file) by following this link

DivisionMaster has five basic operating modes, Setup Mode, Jog Mode, Division Mode, Degrees Mode, and Continuous Mode, all selectable and controllable from the keyboard, and a sixth mode, Driver Mode, that is selected at startup. The descriptions of these operating modes follow:

Setup Mode

This mode allows the operating parameters of the unit to be established. These are:

The motor current (0.1-2.0 amps per phase)
The motor idle current (as a percentage of the motor current)
The drive ratio of the dividing head or rotary table (any value from 1:1 through 5000:1)
The default direction (CW or CCW) for "+ve" moves
The default number of divisions when operating in "Division Mode" (any number of divisions from 1 to 9999)
The default angle of movement when operating in "Degrees Mode" (up to 360.000 degrees)
The starting and maximum feedrates for two speed ranges, Fast and Slow can be set in the range 3 to 9999 motor steps per second. "Degrees Mode", "Division Mode", and "Continuous Mode" can make use of both speed ranges; "Jog Mode" uses only the slow speed range.
The ramp rate used to accelerate/decelerate the motor. Separate ramp rates are available for the Fast and Slow speed ranges
The number of motor half-steps to be used for backlash compensation (0-999)
Four different sets of configuration parameters can be stored, allowing the controller to be quickly swapped between different rotary devices with different configuration needs.

Jog Mode

This mode allows the rotary axis to be jogged into its starting position. The "+ >" and "< -" keys will cause the axis to be moved in increments of 1/100th of a degree, CW or CCW; the "1" and "3" keys on the numeric keypad give + or - 1/10th of a degree increments, the "4" and "6" keys give + or - 1 degree increments, and the "7" and "9" keys give + or - 10 degree increments. The display shows the desired position (as requested via the keypad) and the actual position (as approximated by the motor moving to the nearest half-step), as seen in the next photo.

The desired position is 0.06 degrees; the actual position is 0.063 degrees, representing 5 motor half-steps using a 72:1 drive ratio.

Division Mode

This mode allows the operator to set any number of divisions in the range 1 through 9999, including all of the divisions that often cannot be easily achieved using a conventional division plate approach, for example, 43 or 127...etc., or 19 as shown in the following example:

Each stroke of the "+ >" and "< -" keys will cause the axis to be moved CW or CCW to the next division, using the fast speed range. Each stroke of the "3" and "1" keys will cause the axis to be moved CW or CCW to the next division, using the slow speed range. The following picture shows the display after completing two moves of 19 divisions, equivalent to an angular position of 37.895 degrees:

The display shows the step number (2), the total number of divisions (19) and the actual position, which is shown as 37.9 degrees, within a half-step of the desired position.

Degrees Mode

Thhis mode allows the operator to set any angle in the range 0.001 through 360.000 degrees as the angle of movement, 12.345 degrees is selected in the following example:

Each stroke of the "+ >" and "< -" keys will cause the axis to be moved CW or CCW by the specified increment, using the fast speed range. Each stroke of the "3" and "1" keys will cause the axis to be moved CW or CCW by the specified increment, using the slow speed range. The following picture shows the display after completing one move of 12.345 degrees:

The display shows on the first line (from left to right) the desired position and the number of degrees per move, and on the second line, the actual position.

Continuous Mode

In Continuous Mode, the controller can drive the rotary axis contionuously, either anticlockwise or clockwise, using either of the two speed ranges. When the operator wishes to stop the continuous drive, the motor speed is ramped back down before stopping the motor.

Emergency Stop

In Jog, Division, Degrees, and Continuous modes, pressing the STOP key (or holding the corresponding contact closure input low - see below) will cause any move that is currently in progress to stop. When this happens, the unit remembers and displays its current actual and desired positions, and subsequent use of the "<-" and "+>" keys operate using these as a starting point. This allows a sequence of moves to be interrupted and then continued without loss of position. For example, if the unit was being used to make CW moves (using the "+>" key) and was interrupted during a move by use of the STOP key, the rotary axis can be restored to its position prior to the interrupted move by pressing "<-" once.

Driver Mode

Driver mode is entered if the unit is powered on while the "STOP" key is depressed, or if one of the input pins is held low. In this mode, the keyboard and the other operating functions are disabled, and the unit operates purely as a "slave", following step-and-direction signals from an external controller. This allows the unit to be used as a rotary axis in conjunction with another CNC machine, taking its drive signals from the CNC machine's controller.

External Connections

The rear panel has 3 sockets:

The leftmost socket is a standard 2.1mm power jack socket. The unit is supplied with its own external switch-mode power supply, capable of delivering 2.9 amps at 24 volts.
The middle socket is a 9-pin "D-Type" female connector, which carries +5V and ground pins, plus external interfacing signals that allow:

The functions of the "STOP", "+ >" and "< -" keys to be replicated by external contact closures;
The unit to drive a higher power external motor drive stage, for driving motors that require more than 2A/phase;
The unit to be driven from external step-and-direction signals generated by another CNC machine;
An external machine to be notified when the unit starts and ends a move.

The motor drive connector is a 4-pin female XLR socket, which is more robust than the 6-pin DINsocket used on the earlier "plastic case" version of the controller, and incorporates a locking device to help prevent accidental disconnection of the motor during use.

Please note that we reserve the right to change the specifications of our products without notice.

Home News Detailed description Examples of use Prices DivisionMaster Press Contact details

Home News Detailed description Examples of use Prices DivisionMaster Press Contact details

Detailed description

DivisionMaster has five basic operating modes, Setup Mode, Jog Mode, Division Mode, Degrees Mode, and Continuous Mode, all selectable and controllable from the keyboard, and a sixth mode, Driver Mode, that is selected at startup. The descriptions of these operating modes follow:

Setup Mode

This mode allows the operating parameters of the unit to be established. These are:

The motor current (0.1-2.0 amps per phase)

The motor idle current (as a percentage of the motor current)

The drive ratio of the dividing head or rotary table (any value from 1:1 through 5000:1)

The default direction (CW or CCW) for "+ve" moves

The default number of divisions when operating in "Division Mode" (any number of divisions from 1 to 9999)

The default angle of movement when operating in "Degrees Mode" (up to 360.000 degrees)

The starting and maximum feedrates for two speed ranges, Fast and Slow can be set in the range 3 to 9999 motor steps per second. "Degrees Mode", "Division Mode", and "Continuous Mode" can make use of both speed ranges; "Jog Mode" uses only the slow speed range.

The ramp rate used to accelerate/decelerate the motor. Separate ramp rates are available for the Fast and Slow speed ranges

The number of motor half-steps to be used for backlash compensation (0-999)

Four different sets of configuration parameters can be stored, allowing the controller to be quickly swapped between different rotary devices with different configuration needs.

Jog Mode

The desired position is 0.06 degrees; the actual position is 0.063 degrees, representing 5 motor half-steps using a 72:1 drive ratio.

Division Mode

This mode allows the operator to set any number of divisions in the range 1 through 9999, including all of the divisions that often cannot be easily achieved using a conventional division plate approach, for example, 43 or 127...etc., or 19 as shown in the following example:

The display shows the step number (2), the total number of divisions (19) and the actual position, which is shown as 37.9 degrees, within a half-step of the desired position.

Degrees Mode

Thhis mode allows the operator to set any angle in the range 0.001 through 360.000 degrees as the angle of movement, 12.345 degrees is selected in the following example:

The display shows on the first line (from left to right) the desired position and the number of degrees per move, and on the second line, the actual position.

Continuous Mode

In Continuous Mode, the controller can drive the rotary axis contionuously, either anticlockwise or clockwise, using either of the two speed ranges. When the operator wishes to stop the continuous drive, the motor speed is ramped back down before stopping the motor.

Emergency Stop

Driver Mode

External Connections

The rear panel has 3 sockets:

The leftmost socket is a standard 2.1mm power jack socket. The unit is supplied with its own external switch-mode power supply, capable of delivering 2.9 amps at 24 volts.

The middle socket is a 9-pin "D-Type" female connector, which carries +5V and ground pins, plus external interfacing signals that allow:

The functions of the "STOP", "+ >" and "< -" keys to be replicated by external contact closures;

The unit to drive a higher power external motor drive stage, for driving motors that require more than 2A/phase;

The unit to be driven from external step-and-direction signals generated by another CNC machine;

An external machine to be notified when the unit starts and ends a move.

The motor drive connector is a 4-pin female XLR socket, which is more robust than the 6-pin DINsocket used on the earlier "plastic case" version of the controller, and incorporates a locking device to help prevent accidental disconnection of the motor during use.

Home News Detailed description Examples of use Prices DivisionMaster Press Contact details