Motor | Drives

The Motor view is used to configure the parameters of the motor conforming the actuator.

Depending on the Motor Type, the information available for editing will change in the Motor Parameters area. Check the motor datasheet to determine the appropriate values.

Parameter	Motor types	Description
Phase2Phase inductance	Rotary, Linear	Motor phase to phase inductance in mH
Phase2Phase resistance	Rotary, Linear	Motor phase to phase winding resistance in mOhm
Phase inductance	Stepper	Motor phase inductance in mH
Phase resistance	Stepper	Motor phase winding resistance in mOhm
Stroke	Linear	Motor stroke in mm
Rated torque	Rotary	Motor rated torque in mNm
Holding torque	Stepper	Holding torque when the motor is at standstill.
Continuous force	Linear	Motor continuos force in mN
Torque constant	Rotary	Motor torque contant
Force sensitivity	Linear	Force sensitivity of the motor
Continuous current	Rotary, Linear	Motor continuous current rating in mA peak of sine wave
Peak current	Rotary, Stepper	Motor peak current rating in mA peak of sine wave
Current@Force peak	Linear	Motor current in mA peak of sine wave at force peak
Peak time	Rotary, Linear	Peak time duration in ms
Max permissible speed	Rotary, Linear	Motor maximum permissible rated speed
Motor pair poles	Rotary Brushless	Number of motor pole pairs per revolution (for rotary brushless motors)
Pole pitch	Linear Brushless	Pole pitch of the linear brushless motor in mm (this equals 2x pole pitch).
Full step/revolution	Stepper	Number of full steps per mechanical revolution. For example a 1.8º resolution stepper motor will have 200 steps per revolution (360º/1.8º).
Step mode	Stepper	Select the excitation mode for the step motor among Full Step, Half Step or Microstepping (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32). In full step operation, the motor will move through its basic step angle, i.e., a 1.8° step motor takes 200 steps per motor revolution. In half-step, the motor will move though half the basic step angle. Microstepping is a technique that increases motor resolution by controlling both the direction and amplitude of current flow in each winding. Current is proportioned in the windings according to sine and cosine functions. Microstepping can divide a motor’s basic step up to 32 times. Microstepping improves low speed smoothness and minimizes low speed resonance effects.
Run current	Stepper	Current applied to the phases of the motor when it is moving in mA
Standby current	Stepper	Current applied to the phases of the motor in standby situation in mA

Related parameters will appear with a link diagram next to their values. They can be entered manually or calculated automatically through the formula relating them.

Linked parameters	Linked parameters
Unlinked parameters	Unlinked parameters

Some motor parameters are used for auto-calculators of other settings so it is important to set them accurately.

Foldback

The foldback feature protects both the motor and the drive from overheating. Two current foldback algorithms run in parallel in the drive: the drive foldback algorithm and the motor foldback algorithm. Each algorithm uses different sets of parameters and uses its own foldback current limit. The overall foldback current limit is the minimum of the two at any given moment.

Foldback is not the same as current limits. Instantaneous current limits for the drive are set by the Max system current in the system Limits view in MotionLab. The foldback algorithms may reduce the current output to the motor in spite of the current limit settings.

Drive Foldback

The drive foldback algorithm monitors current feedback; since this is a monitoring function, the drive foldback parameters are not user configurable.

Setting up motor foldback

The parameter entries required for the drive to apply motor foldback protection properly are Cycle Time, Peak current of the motor, and continuous current of the motor. These values are used to setup the algorithm for motor foldback.