Opening Page
Commander Motion Controller Core is an advanced, self-contained, and programmable four-axis hybrid motion controller. The basic design of the Commander offers OEMs the convenience of a standard controller and the technology of a fully engineered controller.
The Commander series offers several communication methods to assist you in developing your project. Communication to the Commander core is possible over USB or Serial communication (RS-485). This manual reviews each of these methods.
Identification Number
Each Commander core has an identification number, allowing up to sixty-four devices to connect to a single host. In systems with multiple devices connected to a single host, the identification number for each device should be unique.
USB
The Commander core is an HID device and is USB 2.0 compliant. The USB port is the primary communication method of the Commander core. Nippon Pulse provides a dynamic link library (DLLs), but no additional USB drivers are needed to communicate with the Commander core.
All firmware updates for the Commander core require a USB connection between the computer running the update software and the Commander core. Nippon Pulse strongly recommended that your design includes a USB 2.0 connection to the Commander to allow for future updates.
DLL
Nippon Pulse provides a dynamic link library (DLLs) for fast and secure USB communication. A DLL is a file containing a shared library of functions that Windows programs can use. This DLL is being used by all Nippon Pulse provided software and is freely provided to you for use with your software. The DLL must be included in the application's program folder where it is being called. Our setup procedures install the required DLLs in almost all cases.
Serial communication (RS-485)
The Commander core can communicate over a serial communication interface using an ASCII protocol. Various serial interfaces can be used, depending on the specifications of the breakout board.
Windows GUI software
Nippon Pulse has made two Windows GUI programs available with the Commander core series at no cost.
Example Source Code
Nippon Pulse has made example connection code available in many different languages
The following topics and chapters can be found in this manual: