Trinamic 3 stepper motor controller TMCM-310 ?

[Jacouille]

Hi,

I am trying to pilot 3 stepper motor with a Trinamic card controller.

Has anybody developed a labview driver ?

many thanks

[demux]

Hey Jacouille,

Unfortunately we do not have a driver available for the card that you are using. Maybe the link below can provide you with more information if you decide to develop your driver yourself.

http://www.ni.com/devzone/idnet/development.htm#labview

Regards,
Wouter, AE
National Instruments

[Andrew_DLL]

Back in September of 2007 I have developed a software, named TMCM-DLL. It controls any TMC module, which has TMC Language (TMCL).
Please see my personal profile here for an introduction. Then contact me via e-mail, and we settle the rest.

You still may see a description of my software TMCM-DLL, and other articles of mine on Trinamic support forum. I am sure you know how to find it. My profile on Trinamic forum is blocked for no reason. So, I cannot update the description of TMCM-DLL. Since then I have extended and enhanced the software. It has a few new functions, and software items:

• Troubleshooting (remote and local)
• Trajectories (arc, circles, lines)
• TMCM-Loader. A small troubleshooting and upload tool for remote users of your products.

All are customizable.

You may operate the TMCM-DLL software in several ways:

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
  This involves operation, inspection, uploads, downloads, running programs, and much more.
• Programmatic DLL.
  Run commands, programs, and access the GUI of TMCM-DLL.

In September 2007 I submitted my software to Trinamic for evaluation (free of charge), and inclusion into their list of products. Unfortunately, Trinamic has dragged its feet, and deprived all users of this product. Maybe they used it for their own learning...
For 3 months Trinamic communicated with me on about any topic. But they deliberately ignored my repeated questions about the status of the evaluation. Finally, in December 2007 Trinamic has betrayed me by terminating my distributorship, and blocking on the forum. This way they have essentially hijacked my customers, and my articles.
They gave only one excuse: that we had some small and unrelated argument shortly prior to that. No real reason was given.
They still keep my software.

Hence the lesson: all distributors, and users of Trinamic are under a threat of becoming dependent on Trinamic. This is a real threat, because you spend time on attaining the mastery of their devices, and you don't want to be subject to arbitrary termination of your supply. This is a fear, which several distributors, and even end-users have actually confirmed to me. All must be afraid to contradict Trinamic in any argument... All must pamper to their caprice, and nodd heads to whatever Trinamic says...

That is why Trinamic had no other distributor, who criticised them honestly. And I did criticise them on the Forum quite openly several times. For that I even received an angry reproach from Trinamic once. Now, after termination of my distributorship, there's no distributor of their's, who dares to speak an unconvenient truth.

Users of Trinamic are disadvantaged, even if they do not fear reprisals from the manufacturer. That's because Trinamic does not allow competitive products to reach them, and it stifles makers of such products. Who knows? Maybe I am not the only one, who did not make one's way to your workshelf.

For me this ordeal means a waste of 4 years of work on TMC microchips and modules, and 2 years of investment in the software.

Trinamic told me not to complain. And I do not. Here I describe why you do not have the proper tools.
I have not even started to talk about the fact that some of their products (including the one you have) are defective by design.

[Andrew_DLL]

I forgot to generalize on this topic. I tried to edit my previous message to add this comment. But LabView forum does not allow editing after 10 minutes of initial posting.
Hence I have to add a new article now.
I suggest the administrator of the forum removes the resttriction on time of messages to be edited (or even removed) by authors.

Usually TMC modules do not require special drivers.
If any driver is required, then it is just for the communicaton line (RS232/485, USB, or CAN).

• Any operating system has built-in drivers for a serial port.
• In case of USB, you need to install a driver for USB from the manufacturer of the adapter, which Trinamic uses in their modules.

  Currently it is Future Domain (FTDI).

  I recommend downloading the virtual COM driver from FTDI. In theory it provies no real drawback compared to direct USB drivers.
  The advantage is that it provides compatibility with software, which recognizes only serial ports.
  The software still may need adaptation, because some modules, like TMCM610, have a special format (more complex) of data for USB. Other modules may work in their USB version the same way as in COM (serial).

  Later I may post here a link to relevant messages on Trinamic forum, which say what kind of chip Trinamic uses from FTDI. Now I am too lazy for this. It is Sunday, afterall.
• A CAN interface also requires a driver. But you obtain it from a manufacturer of your own CAN adapter. It is not specific to Trinamic.

A DLL my be considered a driver. It is an abbreviation for Dynamic Link Library - a programmatic collection of functions.
I offer my DLL (see my previous message). Trinamic offers their's. My DLL is advanced. It may actually replace your whole program.
A DLL from Trinamic simply wraps one function (or a couple of functions) into another. Hence the name - a Wrapper DLL.
My DLL still provides a degree of wrapping as well. And it is customizable. Just it comes at some extra price, with full my support - an unlimited support on all matters Trinamic, and even beyond.

The distinction between a driver and a library (DLL) is subtle.
It basically pertains to permissions a user has when running them.
A DLL acts as part of a user software (it loads into user memory space).
A driver is provided by the system. It may allow access to resources of a computer, or adapters, which are not accessible otherwise.
If we are talking about Windows, then in versions 95 and 98 you could have a DLL in many situations. In Windows NT/2000/XP and the rest of latest versions, drivers are required in most cases.
In fact, as I mentioned, an RS232 driver is readily available on any OS. That's how you are able to access the port sometimes without even knowing you have a driver.

[ysjman]

I am trying to use TMCM-3110 for closed loop control Ludl SL50. I also need a position sinchronized trigger. Do you know if it is possible (may be different firmware?)