05/06/2025
How-to | ROKIT Motor | ctrlX CORE

How to setup a connection between ROKIT Motor and ctrlX CORE with Motion Interface and PLC

Versions Used and required Software

 

HW Setup & Prerequisites

  • ctrlX CORE Device (X3, X5, X7) + Power Supply

  • ROKIT Motor + Power Supply + HW STO

    • ROKIT Motor parametrized for HW STO and in Remote Mode (EASII)

  • PC with the above mentioned Software installed

HW Setup of ROKIT Motor and ctrlX Core


Step-by-Step guide

1. Configure the EtherCat Communication

1.1 Log In to the web interface of your ctrlX OS which has the apps for EtherCat Master, Motion and PLC installed.
Configure the EtherCat Master

Landing page ctrlX OS web interface

 

1.2 Add EtherCat Master

Configure the EtherCat Master app

 

1.3 Choose the right Port – see HW setup

Add EtherCat Master with a physical port


1.4 Open ctrlX I/O Engineering (upper right corner or manual)
Hint for diagnostics: Topology not OK – because not yet configured

Overview of EtherCat Master - Open ctrlX I/O Engineering


1.5 Create a new project and connect to the IP address of your ctrlX Core

Connect to your ctrlX Core in the ctrlX I/O Engineering


1.6 Right click on ethercatmaster and "Scan for Devices..."

Scan the EtherCat network for devices


1.7 If you did not yet install the device description for the ELMO drives, it will show an error. You must now install the device description. (See "Versions used and required Software" in the beginning of the article)

Window "Scan for Devices..." in ctrlX I/O Engineering

 

1.8 Hit "Install..." and choose the ElmoPlatinum device description.

Intall the ESI device despriction


1.9 After installation, the device is recognized, and you can insert the devices.

Insert the scanned devices to your EtherCat network


As the ELMO Platinum in the ROKIT Motor is a single axis controller, the ESI File for single axis was chosen.

Axis1_Slot1 is for safety – this is not covered in this How-to.
Axis1_Slot2 is for standard communication. We will now change the drive to cyclic velocity mode. Right click on Axis1_Slot2 and “Plug device...”

Change drive mode of ROKIT Motor

 

1.10 Choose the "Cyclic Velocity Mode" and hit "Plug Device"

Plug device in ctrlX I/O Engineering


1.11 Double click on the Platinum Drive and enable the "Expert Settings"

Enable the "Expert Settings" of the Platinum drive



1.12 Move to the tab "Expert Process Data", choose the "Cyclic Velocity Mode Outputs" and "Insert" the "Target Position 0x607A" and the "Mode of Operation 0x6060" as a new PDO.

Insert new PDO's to the cyclic velocity mode outputs


Insert the target position to the cyclic velocity mode outputs


Overview of the configured cyclic velocity mode outputs



1.13 Do the same for the "Cyclic Velocity Mode Inputs" and add the "Velocity actual value 0x606C" and the "Modes of operation display 0x6061"

Overview of the configured cyclic velocity mode inputs


1.14 Download the Project to the Control

Download the project to the ctrlX Core


 

Your EtherCat Master App on the ctrlX OS Web UI should now look like the following:

EtherCat Master App in the ctrlX OS Web UI

 
🚀 You are done with the EtherCat Communication. Your ctrlX Core is now able to communicate with the ROKIT Motor.

  1. Configure the Motion App

2.1 In ctrlX OS Web UI change to "Motion" --> "Axis Profiles" and add a new Axis Profile

Axis Profiles in ctrlX OS Web UI

 

2.2 Choose the field bus device, the profile gets linked to:

Add a new axis profile to the ctrlX OS Motion App


2.3 Edit the axis profile

Edit the new created axis profile


2.4 Move to the tab "Scaling" and edit the scaling entry to the following:

Scaling variables in the axis profile

 

Under the tab "Variables", the mapping is found automatically (just for Information)

The variables from the ctrlX I/O Engineering are automatically mapped in the axis profile


2.5 You can now switch to "Motion" --> "Axes" and add a new axis.

Add a new axis in the ctrlX OS Motion App


 

2.6 Add the axes without a profile

Add a new axis in the ctrlX OS Motion App


2.7 When editing the axis, the profile is selected in the tab "General" --> "Connection to physical drive"

Select the axis profile for the new axis


2.8 In the tab "Limits" , change the limits to the following values

Change the motion limits of the new axis


2.9 You are now ready to change the ctrlX OS Motion from "Configuration" to "Running"

Swtich the state of the ctrlX OS Motion App from "Configuration" to "Running"


2.10 Go to "Axis commissioning"

Open the "Axis commissioning" dialog of the new axis


 

2.11 In velocity mode, you are now ready to enable the axis

❗ Before moving the axis make sure it is safe to turn the axis!❗

Turn on the axis in the commissioning dialog


2.12 The axis is now powered on and ready to move. Enter a target velocity and press "Start"

Start the movement of the axis in the commissioning dialog


If an error occurs when turning on the Axis, check the STO and the remote mode of the ROKIT Motor. The Elmo drive must be in the remote mode, AF=1.

Error message in the ctrlX OS Motion App


Screenshot from ELMO Application Studio:

Screenshot form ELMO Application Studio. Drive has to be in remote mode to get controlled form the ctrlX Core

🚀 You are done adding the ROKIT Motor to the ctrlX OS Motion App

  1. Integrating the Axis Interface in the PLC Programm

3.1 Open ctrlX PLC Engineering, start a new project & connect to your ctrlX Core device

3.2 Right click on "Application" --> "Insert templates…"

In ctrlX PLC Engineering insert a new template


3.3 In the tab "MotionInterface" choose the template "AxisInterface" and "Insert"

In ctrlX PLC Engineering insert the "AxisInterface" template

The scripts for the motion interface are added automatically.

3.4 "Log In"

"Log In" the ctrlX Core

There are several demo programs available that show how to use the axis interface in the PLC program.

3.5 Open one of them, right click on the variable "arAxisCtrl_gb" and "Add to Watchlist": (This is only used for debugging and understanding the required commands)

Add variables to the "Watchlist"

 

3.6 Underneath the sample programs, a visual overview of the axis is available. Open it with a double click on "OverviewAxes". Open the visual overview of axis 1 by clicking the arrows next to "Axis: 1"

Visual overview of the axis in the ctrlX PLC Engineering


3.7 In the "Axis Overview" of Axis_1 switch to "Velocity Mode"

In the "Axis Overview" of Axis_1 switch to "Velocity Mode"


3.8 Open the watch and check what happens to the variables when changing something in the visual overview of "Velocity Mode":

ctrlX PLC Engineering with visual overview of axis1 and the opened watchlist

You can now write your own PLC program and use the arAxisCtrl_gb variable to write to the axis. With arAxisStatus_gb you can read variables from the drive.

 

As an example, here is a short PLC program where you can turn on and off the drive unit, send a velocity command to the drive unit and read its current velocity.

Example PLC program for turning the ROKIT Motor on and off

 

 🚀 You are ready with integrating the ROKIT Motor in the ctrlX Solution and can proceed to develop your own Application 🚀


Attachments

  • Example Project I/O Engineering

  • Example Project PLC Engineering

1
HOW_TO_DR1N_IO_V3R6.project
290.14KB
How_To_DR1N_PLC_Motioninterface_V3R6.project
357.47KB
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