SDC 2130 Emergency Stop Doesn't Lock Motor Controller Ops

I have an SDC 2130 controller set up in according to the attached image (simple test setup: motors are only hardware connected and input is only sent via USB. No other inputs/pins are connected or used).
In attempting to test the motor\'s functions, particularly the functionality of the !EX and !MG commands to enable and disable the emergency stop state respectively, I have noticed that sending the !EX command will result in the following:


Situation 1:
!EX //Emergency Stop command sent to controller
- //Command received but failed, nothing happens
!MG //Emergency Stop Release command sent to controller
- //Command received but failed, nothing happens

Situation 2:
!G 1 1000 //Full speed command sent to motor 1
+ //Command received and motor successfully updates speed
!EX //Emergency Stop command sent to controller
- //Command received but failed, but MOTORS TURN AT SPEED SPECIFIED BY LAST !G COMMAND
!G 1 1000 //Full speed command sent to motor 1
+ //Command received and motor successfully updates speed even though E Stop is supposed to be active
!MG //Emergency Stop Release command sent to controller
- //Command received but failed, but again MOTORS TURN AT SPEED SPECIFIED BY LAST !G COMMAND

I am very new to the world of motor controllers, and so I hope this is a simple question to answer. This just doesn\'t seem like this is how the emergency stop state should operate. Please don\'t spare any details though :)

I tried this with my unit here and it works. My question is what version firmware are you using? You can use this command in the console tab ?fid.

Also, are these the commands you are using in the console tab?

Hmm...the firmware is at v1.2, which I am under the impression that that is the most recent version for this model.
As for issuing commands, I have tried the Windows Utility Console Tab, as well as a command line interface (picocom) through Ubuntu. In every situation, whether it is pushing the big red stop sign in the console tab, or directly issuing the !EX command, I get the same strange result. It always sends back the \"-\" response and decides to set a speed to the motors...

Firmware date code? 120412. Console tab ?fid gives you this or look on bottom right corner of rhte browser.

If you use the command !EX and it reports a - then it means the command was not accepted.

You can verify if the command was accpeted(+) and go to the run tab and the emergency stop led status light should be displayed on red.

This is what I get:
?FID
FID=Roboteq v1.2 RCB100 07/27/2012

I understand that the \"-\" indicates a failed command. However, I have never been able to get the motor controller to accept this command in any environment. As for the red LED icon in the run tab, this is not on, and I have never seen it on. I assume that this is due to the fact that the EX! command has never been accepted.

Is there perhaps an issue with how I am connected tot he controller? Again, I\'m connected via USB and my only other connections are connections from the controller to the motors

The latest version is 120412. You can get this on the website.

Ah! Very good. Thank you for finding that. However this seems to have brought about a different complication:

In attempting to update the controller, we continue to run into snags.

-Update via USB: Starting the update using the DFU client seems to bring up a window that, even after browsing and loading the correct file, crashes doesn\'t seem to do anything at all

-Update via COM: Seems to go smoothly, after loading the correct file, it goes through \"Checking the Controller\", \"Resting the Controller\", but then it stops at \"Device is Restarting\" and then an error is thrown up saying the update was unsuccessful.

Any ideas??

Not sure why it doesn\'t work via USB. But in the com update, sometimes it says unsuccessful. When that happens, just hit program again, and I think what happens is it waits for controller to reset but never manages. Wait for that error message, click ok, and then program again, it should be successful this time.

Unfortunately, when I click \"Program\" directly after this error has popped up, the utility says that the controller cannot be found.
Just to be sure: I am programming \"via COM\", however I\'m still hooked up to the controller using a USB cable. This makes me think that maybe I\'m missing something more fundamental...what\'s the difference between the USB option and the COM option?.
Regardless, both options seem to make the controller disconnect and the main utility doesn\'t see it anymore once a firmware update option has been selected/started.

This \"reset\" that it is waiting for isn\'t a hard or manual reset is it?

If the controller is lost while powered up, try restarting roborun+ and reset power to controller.

The usb update uses a different file extension, while the com update is available for all controllers.

If the controller shows upon power up that it is the 120412, then the only thing in mind is that upon reading back the update, that it failed to see the flag saying the date I think.

The controller does a soft reset.