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5-6 Operation MN1921
5.3 Configuring an axis
The NextMove ST is capable of controlling up to four stepper axes. This section describes the
basic setup for these axes. Commands typed in the Command window have immediate ef fect
- they do not need to be separately downloaded to the NextMove ST.
5.3.1 Selecting a scale
When controlling stepper motors, MintMT defines all positional and speed related motion
keywords in terms of steps. The number of steps is divided by the SCALE factor allowing you
to use units more suitable for your application. The unit defined by setting a value for scale is
called the user unit (uu).
Consider a motor with a 1.8° step angle. The NextMove ST operates in half step mode, so
there will be 400 steps per revolution. If SCALE is not set, a MintMT command that involves
distance, speed, or acceleration may need to use a large number to specify a significant
move. For example MOVER=1600 (Move Relative) would rotate the motor by 1600 steps - only
four revolutions. By setting a SCALE factor of 400, the user unit becomes revolutions. The
more understandable command MOVER=4 could now be used to move the motor four
revolutions.
In applications involving linear motion a suitable value for SCALE would allow commands to
express values in linear distance, for example inches, feet or millimetres.
1. In the Toolbox, click Setup, then click
the Parameters icon.
2. Click the Scale tab.
3. Click in the Axis drop down box to select the
axis. Each axis can have a dif ferent scale if
required.
4. Click in the Scale box and type a value.