Hello, my name is Ruben. I am a newbie to LabVIEW...well, not really; however I have not used it in so long that it feels like I'm starting from scratch.
Ok, here is my project: I'm building an A-frame that sits next to my leg. The top on the A-frame is in line with my knee. At that point, i need a motor to control, at a minimum half-degree increments, a part of the frame that lift's my leg(each side independently). The operator of the system will set one leg, lets say the left, to 19 deg. At this point, another operator will adjust the right leg via joystick. We must be able to switch from one side to another with in the program. We need to create a program that will control and monitor the two motor's position. I do not know where to begin looking for motors. My peers advised me to look for "optical encoders" on the motors(servo) to make the encode/decode part of the motor an easy task(not too sure on that??). I hope somebody out there can help me. Let me thank you in advance for any time you contribute to this post.
Really Quickly:
1) Need to control two motor with LabVIEW
2) Not to sure what motor to use or what type of communication interface to use between LabVIEW, motor, and computer
3) What type of motor...servo, step?
4) Using Mac OS X, Ver. 10.3.5, iBook 12"

PS. I included a pic to help you picture what i'm doing...

Thank You
Rubo

Ruben,

If you need torque at high speed, then servo is better than step. However, in your case I suspect you want torque at lower speeds, and holding torque, so a stepper motor is a better choice. You do not need an encoder for a stepper motor. Stepper motors have a typical resolution of 1.8deg per step, but can obtain better resolution using 'microstepping'. You can use an encoder if you want (if you overpower the stepper motor during a move, it stalls loses track of its position) but typically it is not necessary for a properly designed system.

In terms of control, your system will consist of the following:

-motor
-amplifier (converts logic volts to motor volts & current)
-indexer (takes commands from your software and translates them to meaningful pulses for your motor).
-limit switches, EPO, other inputs.

I use delta tau indexers and Compumotor amps and motors. That is, I don't have experience with NI's equipment, but it looks like they have user friendly equipment that should handle your needs.

hi man take a look in my project with step motor and you will have a ideia how you gonna make your ok but just learn with mine make one for you or you always ill need somebody to do your job ok.....goood look if you have any question call mee=...see you