Controlling a SCARA Robot

[visionmotion]

Hi all,

I've been using LabView with Vision and the basic motion package to control a Cartesian robot using a PCI-7354 controller with stepper motors/drives.

This worked well enough, but I'd like to now control a SCARA type 4-axis robot.  I've found the robotics package which seems to let me simulate a robot of this type well, but the hooks for controlling a physical robot seem pretty limited (like for small, hobby servo robots, as opposed to a larger robot).

Can I use the Robotics package to control drives off of the PCI-7354 controller?  If not, what packages/VIs should I be using to control a SCARA robot?  Does SoftMotion allow me to simply select "SCARA"?

Hoping someone can help me get this robot up and running!

[visionmotion]

Bump.. wondering if anyone has controlled a real robot with the robotics package, or if it's just for the small hobby servo robots??

[the_mitten]

Hi visionmotion,

First of all, there's not a specific robotics module forum, and this is a LabVIEW add-on, so it makes sense to post in the LabVIEW forum. However, you may get a better response over in the Motion forum.

Secondly, no, you won't be able to use the LabVIEW Robotics Module with the PCI-7354. The Robotics Module is designed to work with the RIO product line, or communicate with third-party devices via serial or GPIB commands. See this page for a good overview of the available hardware options.

Thirdly, you can use the Robotics Module to control SCARA devices; check out this page from the manual for more information.

Finally, as for your question about if the module is just for hobby projects or for larger scale applications, I'd suggest you check out this page, which details using the Robotics Module in industrial robotics applications.

Regards,