Re: SmarPod with EPICS

["Knap, Giles \(DLSLtd,RAL,LSCI\) via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hi Bahareh,

We have Smarpods at DLS. We use a smaract ECM https://www.smaract.com/control-systems-and-software/product/ecm to drive them. This provides a relatively straightforward API and the necessary kinematics. The API is quite different to the MCS2 one as far as I recall.

We have written an EPICS support module for the ECM and have the Smarpods working well on BLI21. We don't currently have the module in a public repo but could share if needed.

I believe this is the best way to drive a Smarpod from EPICS. I recall that Smaract did provide some Windows software to do the kinematics and drive the Smarpod directly using MCS2. It may be that they provide an API to drive that software, but I chose ECM when I looked at this several years ago.

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From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> on behalf of Mark Rivers via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Sent: 17 January 2022 15:04
To: Bahareh Shidrang <bahareh.shidrang at helmholtz-berlin.de>; tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Re: SmarPod with EPICS

 

Hi Bahareh,

I don't think the MCS2 controller itself does the transformation from Cartesian coordinates to individual axis motion.  Their Web site (https://www.smaract.com/smarpod) says:

Control in Cartesian Coordinates

Calculation of the kinematics model and device control is encapsulated in a software package. Programming interfaces and graphical user interfaces allow to move the SMARPOD in Cartesian coordinates (X, Y, Z, roll, pitch and yaw) and to adjust the systems pivot point and coordinate system.

So it appears that you need to get that software package from them.  The question is whether that software package can be easily called from the EPICS motor driver (e.g. C or C++ callable), or if it is written in Python, for example.

Mark

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From: Bahareh Shidrang <bahareh.shidrang at helmholtz-berlin.de>
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2022 8:39 AM
To: Mark Rivers <rivers at cars.uchicago.edu>; tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Re: SmarPod with EPICS

 

Hi Mark,

We are unsure whether the SmarAct epics motor record will work in our
case because we are using the SmarPod hexapod. We are unsure how the
MCS2 exposes each of the pseudo axes and whether we might break
something by driving one motor and not the others if the individual axes
were exposed instead.

We wondered if anybody else had experience driving a SmarPod with an
MCS2 with the EPICS motor record.

Thanks

Bahareh

On 1/17/22 14:27, Mark Rivers wrote:
>> Where to find ASCII commands for the SmarPod or the MSC2 of it which the USB is connected to?
> EPICS support for the SmarAct MCS and MCS2 controllers is here:
>
> https://github.com/epics-motor/motorSmarAct
>
> Mark
>
> ________________________________
> From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> on behalf of Bahareh Shidrang via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
> Sent: Monday, January 17, 2022 6:17 AM
> To: tech-talk at aps.anl.gov <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
> Subject: SmarPod with EPICS
>
> Hello,
>
> Is there anybody that had experience connecting to a SmarPod with EPICS?
>
> Where to find ASCII commands for the SmarPod or the MSC2 of it which the
> USB is connected to?
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Bahareh Shidrang
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH
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> Mitglied der Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.
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>
> Sitz Berlin, AG Charlottenburg, 89 HRB 5583
>
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________________________________

Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie GmbH

Mitglied der Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren e.V.

Aufsichtsrat: Vorsitzender Dr. Volkmar Dietz, stv. Vorsitzende Dr. Jutta Koch-Unterseher
Geschäftsführung: Prof. Dr. Jan Lüning (Sprecher), Prof. Dr. Bernd Rech, Thomas Frederking

Sitz Berlin, AG Charlottenburg, 89 HRB 5583

Postadresse:
Hahn-Meitner-Platz 1
14109 Berlin
Deutschland

 

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