Re: Anyone using Zaber motion controllers

["Sukhanov, Andrei via Tech-talk" <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>]

Hi Erico,

I am planning to create a python PVAccess server for Zaber X-FWR filter wheel using epicsdev and p4p.

If you are interested I can get it ready (from scratch) in couple of days.

/Andrey

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From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> on behalf of Érico Nogueira Rolim via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2026 1:03 PM
To: Ralph Lange <ralph.lange at gmx.de>; EPICS Tech Talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: Re: Anyone using Zaber motion controllers

 

Hi Ralph! We recently got a Zaber controller here, and I'd also like to avoid depending on the ZML Go stuff. Do you know if the Diagnostic system folks have developed any kind of driver for the motor? We would be interested in it, if it avoids

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Hi Ralph!

We recently got a Zaber controller here, and I'd also like to avoid depending on the ZML Go stuff.

Do you know if the Diagnostic system folks have developed any kind of driver for the motor? We would be interested in it, if it avoids the complicated dependency.

Cheers,

Érico

On 11/7/25 11:15, Ralph Lange via Tech-talk wrote:

On Fri, 7 Nov 2025 at 13:09, Torsten Bögershausen <tboegi at edom.se> wrote:

Salut,
I read the information from Matt in a completely different way.

[...]

Back to the basics. The documentation is pretty good, I think.
   For the binary format, they use 6 bytes for each message:

<https://www.zaber.com/protocolmanualprotocol=Binary#topic_message_format>

I also find the documentation looking pretty good.

Careful: Zaber calls the binary protocol "legacy". [1]

I wouldn't start a new project based on it.

So, what do you really need ?
(Send my a device, and I will implement a driverfor it ;-)

This is for ITER - which means: Personally, I don't need anything. I hardly know how to spell Zaber.

A developer of a Diagnostic system who is considering a Zaber device is asking me how to integrate it best into EPICS, given that - if they decide to use it - it needs to be supported (by us!) for the next ~30 years.

In that context, "requires a current version of Golang" sounds pretty scary, so I was asking the EPICS community what the experiences with Zaber devices are.

Based on the answers so far, I will go with:

"Looks like a reasonable device choice. Use the ASCII protocol. Based on the functionality you need, start with StreamDevice and/or write a type 3 motor support if that fits better. Try to avoid the Motion Library as introducing a new programming language would need strong justification."

Cheers,
~Ralph

[1] https://software.zaber.com/motion-library/docs/binary/introduction

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