RMC70 Firmware Release Notes

This file contains the differences between versions back to the first official RMC70 firmware version.

RMC70 Firmware 3.72.3 (February 26, 2024)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where writing a NaN or infinity to a variable of type REAL would result in unexpected behavior.

RMC70 Firmware 3.72.2 (December 6, 2023)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for RMC75E hardware revision 3.2B and newer. There are no functional differences.

RMC70 Firmware 3.72.1 (March 1, 2023)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with RMC75E CPUs hardware revision 3.1 where the factory analog calibration would sometimes not be applied from installed analog axis modules.

RMC70 Firmware 3.72.0 (February 21, 2023)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for RMC75E hardware revision 3.0 and newer. There are no functional differences.

RMC70 Firmware 3.71.3 (September 22, 2022)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with the Curve Start Advanced (88) and Curve Start Advanced (Prs/Frc) (89) commands, in which the TGDone status bit did not turn on when the master reached the end if Absolute Master alignment was selected.
  2. Improved logging when Direct Output halts occur to an axis due to disabling the axis or issuing a Fault Controller (8) command.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.22.0 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.71.2 (March 25, 2022)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Improved the accuracy of the sample period generated by the Sine Start (72) and Sine Start (Prs/Frc) (76) command. In particular, this improves the phase alignment of sine waves of different frequencies.

RMC70 Firmware 3.71.1 (November 1, 2021)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the simulated position would jump when a Set Actual Pressure/Force (65) command was issued. This only affected axes running in Simulate Mode.

RMC70 Firmware 3.71.0 (February 23, 2021)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a set of Loop Time Used registers (in microseconds) that can be plotted and used to evaluate control loop utilization more easily.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.18.0 or newer]
  2. Added a set of System Time registers with various units to make it easier to measure elapsed time. Units include seconds, milliseconds, microseconds, nanoseconds, control loops, and 16th of a millisecond.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.18.0 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.70.1 (December 23, 2020)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which it was possible for the controller to fail to start up when very large curves had been saved to the flash. This was only known to occur on the RMC75E.

RMC70 Firmware 3.70.0 (December 1, 2020)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Valve Linearization using a curve.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.17.0 or newer]
  2. Added support for storing the new High Control Loop Utilization setting. See RMCTools documentation for more information on this setting.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.17.0 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.69.0 (June 26, 2020)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. When a task is started or stopped by a program trigger, the program trigger number is now included in the Event Log.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.16.0 or newer]
  2. Removed support for the 100 kHz SSI clock rate on the RMC70. The remaining choices for SSI clock rate are 375 kHz, 250 kHz, and 150 kHz.

RMC70 Firmware 3.68.5 (February 3, 2020)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Count Unwind parameter is incorrectly validated for absolute rotary SSI axes with 31 SSI data bits.
  2. Minor corrections to handling of two cases in which an EtherNet/IP client sends an invalid request to change the IP settings. The corrections were made to comply with recent clarifications to the EtherNet/IP specification.

RMC70 Firmware 3.68.4 (September 10, 2019)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed the event logging for DF1 PLC-5 Word Range Read and Write functions to include the file type, if known, and offset.

RMC70 Firmware 3.68.3 (April 3, 2019)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Open Loop Absolute (11) and Open Loop Relative (12) commands could not be used in Unidirectional Mode.
  2. Fixed a problem with Automatic Unidirectional Mode in which the control direction could be determined incorrectly in certain situations, including at the end of some Quick Moves.
  3. Fixed a problem with the Dynamic Plot Upload Area in which uploading multiple continuously-capturing plots could not be consistently synchronized.

RMC70 Firmware 3.68.2 (March 5, 2019)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with Negative and Bidirectional Pressure/Force Limit modes in which, when comparing against the negative limit, the Pressure/Force Feed Forward and Pressure/Force Rate Feed Forward parameters were applied backwards.

RMC70 Firmware 3.68.0 (February 21, 2018)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Greatly improved the performance and robustness of the Ethernet communications, including prioritizing and discarding frames as necessary to ensure that important Ethernet traffic is not disrupted. With these improvements, the RMC now passes the PROFINET Netload Class III test.
  2. Improved the EtherNet/IP error codes to comply with the latest EtherNet/IP Conformance Test revision (CT15). This does not otherwise affect the controller behavior.
  3. Improved Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) implementation to comply with PROFINET recommendations, such that the controller should now respond more quickly when a device it is communicating with is replaced and the IP address is now mapped to a different MAC address.
  4. Removed support for the IGMP protocol since the controller never joins any IP multicast groups as a listener. Notice that the controller does still support generating IP multicast traffic.
  5. Improved Internal Task Statistics to provide current state of each task.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.08.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed two problems in which, in rare situations, Ethernet communications could stop and require a controller reset to restart.
  2. Fixed a problem with EtherNet/IP in which, if the originator requested a non-standard UDP port for I/O traffic, the RMC still sent I/O packets to the standard UDP port. Delta knows of no actual originators that request a non-standard UDP port.
  3. Fixed a problem in which outgoing EtherNet/IP I/O packets and many outgoing PROFINET packets were counted as multicast frames in the diagnostic counters instead of unicast.
  4. Fixed a problem in which trying to read data from the Dynamic Plot Upload Area in certain cases where RMCTools downloaded an invalid plot configuration could result in the communications stopping and require a controller reset to restart. Notice that the problem where RMCTools downloads could result in an invalid plot configuration was fixed in RMCTools 4.07.4.

RMC70 Firmware 3.67.2 (November 30, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the new RMC75E revision 2.0 controllers could fail accessing analog calibration values.

RMC70 Firmware 3.67.1 (November 3, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which issuing a new Move command before a previous move was completed could cause a low deceleration to be used in certain cases.

RMC70 Firmware 3.67.0 (October 27, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for RMC75E hardware revision 2.0 controllers. There are no functional differences.

RMC70 Firmware 3.66.1 (July 28, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which Ethernet packets to be sent could be delayed unnecessarily in rare cases. This has been known to cause "Missed I/O Productions" to be reported in the Event Log and to cause EtherNet/IP and PROFINET IO connections to time out in rare cases.

RMC70 Firmware 3.66.0 (July 20, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added three new integrator modes: Always Zero, TGDone, and Decel.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.05.0 or newer]
  2. Added a new Current Integrator Mode axis status register (%MDx.47) to access the current integrator mode, and renamed the Integrator Mode axis parameter register (%MDx.60.0-3) to Default Integrator Mode.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.05.0 or newer]
  3. The Set Integrator Mode command no longer changes the Default Integrator Mode parameter, but instead only modifies the active integrator mode, available in the Current Integrator Mode axis status register.

RMC70 Firmware 3.65.2 (July 6, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which, in rare situations, Ethernet communications could stop and require a controller reset to restart.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the controller could incorrectly report that the EtherNet/IP originator (master) device was in RUN mode when it was in PROGRAM mode. This is only known to happen in a case where the originator had an anomaly.
  3. Fixed a problem with the Track Position (57) command in which re-issuing the command disrupted the command's deadband behavior.

RMC70 Firmware 3.65.1 (June 16, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved the accuracy of the target position generated by the Gear Velocity (31) command, especially at low velocities. This only applies to the RMC75E, and not the RMC75S and RMC75P.

RMC70 Firmware 3.65.0 (February 7, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Control Behavior option to the Hold Current Position (5) command. The new Maintain (2) option allows maintaining the current Control Output when transitioning from Open Loop or Pressure/Force control without being affected by the Actual Velocity at the time of the transition.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.02.0 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.64.0 (February 3, 2017)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for initializing one shots used by Program Triggers when entering RUN mode so that conditions do not trigger immediately.
    [Requires RMCTools 4.01.0 or newer]
  2. Changed the default value for the Pressure/Force Proportional Gain parameter from 1.0 to 0.001.
  3. Added support for disabling the Noise Error feature by setting the Noise Error Rate parameter to zero (0.0).
  4. Changed the default value for the Noise Error Rate parameter from 1000.0 to 0.0 (disabled).

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where I/O was shown incorrectly in the Event Log when a PROFINET connection was set up to use 256 registers of I/O data.
  2. Fixed a problem where the Target Position could momentarily step outside of the unwind region after a Set Actual Position or Offset Position command.

RMC70 Firmware 3.63.0 (May 11, 2016)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which, for the Curve Start Advanced command with a Master Scale parameter value other than 1.0, the calculated Target Velocity, Acceleration, and Jerk would be incorrect.

RMC70 Firmware 3.62.1 (February 22, 2016)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with DHCP renewal where the renewal timeout values were not recalculated when the lease time changed after renewal.
  2. Added a 100 ms delay after an Ethernet link up is detected before the Ethernet port is used. This gives both ends of the link time to stabilize before packets are sent, reducing the chance that initial packets are lost.
  3. Fixed a rare situation in which the DHCP client can lock up if the DHCP server offers us an IP address but then fails to acknowledge our request for that IP address.

RMC70 Firmware 3.62.0 (February 1, 2016)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Changed the default value for the Closed Loop Halt Deceleration parameter from 10 to 100.
  2. Made a number of improvements to the EtherNet/IP support. This updated EtherNet/IP implementation has been re-certified through the ODVA Conformance Test Labs. The following list highlights changes made to the EtherNet/IP feature set:
    1. Updated the Revision reported by the Identity object to 3.1.
    2. Updated the Device Type reported by the Identity object from 0 (Generic, non-keyable) to 43 (Generic, keyable).
    3. Updated the embedded EDS file to reflect the device's updated EtherNet/IP capabilities.
    4. Added support for the new Encapsulation Inactivity Timeout attribute in the TCP/IP Interface Object.
    5. CIP connections can now only be closed explicitly from the same IP address that established the connection.
    6. When all CIP connections on a TCP connection have timed out, the TCP connection will now be closed immediately.
    7. Added support for the new Interface Capabilities attributes in the Ethernet Link Object.
    8. Updated error handling in several cases to match the current EtherNet/IP specification.
    9. The responses to broadcast ListIdentity requests are now randomly delayed a small amount to minimize the risk of an ARP storm while browsing, as required by the current EtherNet/IP specification.
    10. The DHCP client will now include the Host Name in its request, if it has been set. This can be used by the DHCP server to update the DNS records in the DNS server.
    11. The DHCP and BOOTP clients now update the Name Servers, Domain Name, and Host Name attributes in the TCP/IP Interface Object when they are provided by the DHCP server. However, these fields are not otherwise used in the controller.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the DHCP client did not recognize valid responses from some DHCP servers, in particular, when the options field was smaller than 64 bytes.
  2. Fixed a problem with how the DHCP client notified servers when it is declining an IP address due to an address conflict.
  3. Fixed a minor problem with IP address collision detection (ACD) in which broadcast ARP probes during the initial probing phase were ignored when they should have been treated as collisions, but directed ARP probes during this phase were treated as collisions when they should have been ignored.
  4. Fixed a problem in which changing the IP address while a PROFINET connection was established caused the RMC to no longer accept new PROFINET connections.

RMC70 Firmware 3.61.1 (December 17, 2015)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed several problems that were introduced in 3.61.0, in which the sine move target position, pressure, or force could be incorrect in certain situations.
  2. Fixed a long-standing problem in which stopping a Sine Move using a Sine Stop (73/77) command with the Next Cycle (0) option when the sine was started at the positive peak would result in the sine wave stopping abruptly at the middle of the move 1/4 cycle too early.

RMC70 Firmware 3.61.0 (November 20, 2015)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for adjusting the Phase of a Sine Move using the Change Target Parameter (80) and Change Target Parameter (P/F) (81) commands.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.61.0 or newer]
  2. In Modbus/TCP, increased the maximum size of writes from 100 holding registers to 125 for the Write Multiple Registers function and to 123 holding registers for the Read/Write Multiple Registers function.
  3. In Modbus/TCP, added support for the Read Device Identification function.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which an External Halt would not correctly propagate to other axes in the same Halt Group.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Model-based Filter did not correctly apply the asymmetrical system gain in the negative direction. Instead the position system gain was used in both directions.
  3. Fixed some minor problems with handling errors in the Modbus/TCP and CSP (DF1 over Ethernet) protocols.
  4. Fixed a problem in which full-size Omron/FINS read/write requests (512 words) could lock up the Omron/FINS server.
  5. Fixed a problem with handling the Simulator position at the maximum transducer position.
  6. Fixed some problems when 802.1Q priority tagging was enabled.
  7. Fixed a small problem with compliance with the IPv4 Address Collision Detection (ACD) feature in EtherNet/IP. This is a small change that will not be noticed by users.
  8. Fixed a problem in which incoming EtherNet/IP I/O packets would get discarded if the Don't Fragment (DF) flag is set in the IP header. It is unclear which, if any, EtherNet/IP clients set this flag, since this has not been reported by users.

RMC70 Firmware 3.60.0 (June 12, 2015)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for saving the Controller Name and Axis Names in the controller itself so that they can be uploaded into a new project file.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.60.0 or newer]
  2. Added the new Set Actual Pressure/Force (65) command, which sets the Actual Pressure/Force to the specified value, and if Pressure Control or Pressure Limit modes are enabled, the Target Pressure/Force is adjusted by the same amount to avoid disrupting the control mode.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.60.0 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.59.3 (November 13, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Minor changes required by PROFINET re-certification. The PROFINET Software Release is now reported as "V1.0.1". These changes only affected behavior in certain error conditions.
  2. IP Address Collision Detection (ACD) now ignores unicast ARP packets. This prevents the IP Device Tracking feature in some Cisco switches from causing the RMC to incorrectly report a duplicate IP address detected on startup.

RMC70 Firmware 3.59.2 (August 25, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where the EtherNet/IP service could lock up in rare cases when the Dynamic Plot Upload Area was used incorrectly.

RMC70 Firmware 3.59.1 (July 18, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Limit Inputs on Position and Velocity Reference axes. Unlike control axes, the Limit Inputs will trigger the error bits to turn on regardless of the current travel direction of the axis.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with applying a controller image using the Image Area in which persistent curves were not properly loaded when the Do Not Restart Controller option was selected.

RMC70 Firmware 3.59.0 (June 17, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for user-specified engineering units.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.59.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where the position simulator could get stuck at the transducer limits. This required turning the simulator off and back on to recover.
  2. Fixed a case in which the Direct Output status bit would not be set when a Direct Output Halt is triggered after the axis is already halted by an Open Loop Halt.

RMC70 Firmware 3.58.0 (April 9, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added two new commands:
    [Both require RMCTools 3.58.0 or newer]
    Track Position (57)
    Continuously tracks the specified master register. The axis position is limited by the positive and negative travel limits, and the specified velocity, acceleration, and jerk limits.
    Track Position (I-PD) (58)
    Continuously tracks the specified master register. The axis will be controlled using the I-PD algorithm. The axis position is limited by the positive and negative travel limits and the specified velocity.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which updating the Model-based filter did not work properly when the axis had a non-zero Output Bias or Deadband.

RMC70 Firmware 3.56.3 (February 14, 2014)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Relaxed the requirements on the EtherNet/IP connection path when no configuration data is sent as part of establishing an I/O connection. This improves compatibility with other vendor's EtherNet/IP masters.
  2. Reduced the amount of time required between closing and re-opening a Mitsubishi Procedure Exist connection when the identical client TCP port number is re-used. This time was reduced from 120 seconds to 1 second.
  3. Fixed an issue in which the Advanced Gear Move could prematurely indicate that the Master Register had exceeded the initial or final position and require a new command to be issued too early.

RMC70 Firmware 3.56.2 (September 19, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Improved the accuracy of the Sine Move during logarithmic ramping of the frequency when using low frequencies (on the order of 0.001 Hz).

RMC70 Firmware 3.56.1 (September 3, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which changing the state of Discrete Outputs using both the Set/Clear/Toggle Discrete Output commands and assignment expressions could cause some state changes to be lost.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the RMC would retransmit TCP packets prematurely in certain circumstances. This did not directly cause communication problems, but caused unnecessary network traffic.

RMC70 Firmware 3.56.0 (August 6, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the new Change Master (79) command, which is used to change the Master Register of a Curve Interpolation in progress. For example, the master axis used to interpolate through a curve can be changed partway through the interpolation.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.56.0 or newer]
  2. Added a Truncate and Exit Curve (+8) Endpoint Behavior option to the Curve Start Advanced (88) and Curve Start Advanced (Prs/Frc) (89) commands. This option is used to ensure that the curve fully exits when the end is reached and does not resume if the master backs up.

RMC70 Firmware 3.55.0 (June 27, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for disabling termination on the Quadrature ±A and ±B signals on the QA1 and QA2 axis modules. A new axis parameter was introduced to control the termination.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.55.0 or newer]
  2. Added the ability to access individual Status Plot Upload Area registers in user programs.
  3. The Lock IP Settings (no changes over Ethernet) option will now lock out changes requested by the PROFINET protocol. Previously these changes were allowed.
  4. Added new Event Log entries related to the IP address settings being changed over EtherNet/IP or PROFINET. This helps track down cases where the IP address changes unexpectedly to the user.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.55.0 or newer]
  5. Minor changes to EtherNet/IP error handling.

RMC70 Firmware 3.54.0 (March 15, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Custom Feedback.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.54.0 or newer]
  2. Added two new axis status bits: Feedback OK and Prs/Frc/Acc Feedback OK. These new status bits can be used to determine the non-latched state of the feedback, which is especially useful when using the new Custom Feedback feature.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.54.0 or newer]
  3. The Input Estimated status bit will now remain set for two loop times longer when recovering from a position feedback error, since the Error Bits cannot be cleared during those loop times. This simplifies writing recovery logic in user programs.
  4. Minor changes to EtherNet/IP error handling.

RMC70 Firmware 3.53.4 (February 12, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the target profile generated by a Quick Move or Stop command or by a Closed Loop Halt could overshoot the final stop position. The behavior now returns to as it was in 3.41.0.

RMC70 Firmware 3.53.3 (February 7, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem introduced in the 3.53.2 firmware release where issuing a Pressure/Force Control command when already in Pressure/Force Control could cause the Target Pressure/Force to freeze.

RMC70 Firmware 3.53.2 (January 17, 2013)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Control Behavior parameter to the Hold Current Position (5) command. This provides the user with an alternate control behavior when this command is processed. This alternative is particularly useful when position feedback is noisy or when the Target Position is changing by a large amount.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.53.2 or newer]

RMC70 Firmware 3.53.1 (December 18, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem affecting RMC75S and RMC75P controllers in which certain integer register values would appear with the wrong values when accessed through the Indirect Data Map or Plots.

RMC70 Firmware 3.53.0 (December 7, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed several minor problems with handling EtherNet/IP error conditions.

RMC70 Firmware 3.52.0 (August 15, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved efficiency of issuing commands to a group of axes based an expression, which is a new feature as of RMCTools 3.52.0.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a regression introduced in 3.50.0 firmware in which pausing the Event Log Monitor in RMCTools would not work in some cases when new Event Log items are being reported quickly.

RMC70 Firmware 3.51.2 (July 24, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Updated the EtherNet/IP EDS files embedded in the controller to match the latest released EDS file.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which, for absolute rotary SSI inputs, the least-significant-bit (LSB) of the Counts was backwards when the Position Unwind parameter was negative. As a result the Actual Position would appear to have noise on it.

RMC70 Firmware 3.51.1 (July 5, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Target Position could jump slightly when transitioning from Open Loop to Closed Loop control during a Quick Move. This could contribute to a slight bump in the Control Output during the transition.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the RMC could unexpectedly close TCP connections in rare cases for the following protocols: DMCP, CSP, EtherNet/IP, Mitsubishi Procedure Exist, and Modbus/TCP. This can happen if the requests made to the RMC are split into multiple packets by the sender.

RMC70 Firmware 3.51.0 (June 4, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

No changes. Firmware revision updated to match changes made in the RMC150 products.

RMC70 Firmware 3.50.0 (March 26, 2012)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Reduced the length of the RMC's DHCP responses. This was necessary for compatibility with certain DHCP servers.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where RMCTools would be unable to view the Event Log in some rare cases where the Event Log had received over 2 billion entries.
  2. Minor correction to validation of EtherNet/IP's Get_Attribute_Single and Set_Attribute_Single services.

RMC70 Firmware 3.44.2 (December 21, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where the RMC could stop communicating over Ethernet and require a power cycle to resume communications.
  2. Fixed an issue where the RMC would record a Carrier Sense error on startup, which could be seen in the Communication Statistics.
  3. Fixed an issue where event log entries can be corrupted in rare cases when read by RMCTools.

RMC70 Firmware 3.44.1 (November 11, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Improved validation of extremely large requested positions (such as 1e+18) on rotary axes, including fixing a case where issuing certain move commands with an extremely large position could cause a major fault.
  2. Reduced the likelihood of an Overtravel Limit being triggered unnecessarily due to round off errors in the target generation. The target position is now allowed to exceed the limits by up to one half of a transducer count.

RMC70 Firmware 3.44.0 (October 24, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for new Pressure/Force Limit modes: Negative and Bi-directional. Also, the Set Prs/Frc Limit Mode (40) command option Enabled was renamed to Positive.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.44.0 or newer]
  2. The Pressure/Force Orientation parameter can now be changed without disabling the axis. However, the axis cannot be in Pressure/Force Limit or Control mode when this setting is changed.
  3. The Move Absolute (I-PD) (28), Move Relative (I-PD) (29), and Move Velocity (I-PD) (38) commands will now automatically transition into the I-PD control mode. Therefore, the Set Pos/Vel Ctrl Mode (68) command is not required to switch into and out of I-PD mode if these commands are used.
  4. Improved the target generation in the case where axes doing a synchronized move are commanded to move in the other direction. The axes now stop using the current sync ratio and then move to the newly-requested positions using a new sync ratio.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed two cases in which issuing a move command to an axis while it is decelerating to a position could cause the axis to overshoot its final position unnecessarily.
  2. Fixed a case where issuing Sync Move commands to some, but not all, axes in an established sync group that was currently moving could result in a step jump in the target position.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the Change Target Parameter (80/81) commands did not correctly ramp the Amplitude and Offset target parameters when using the Cycles ramp type if the frequency was not constant. This command is only used in conjunction with the Sine Start (72/76) commands.
  4. Fixed a problem in which reading 125 holding registers at once over Modbus/TCP could cause the protocol to stop working. This is an unlikely scenario in actual applications since the RMC registers are 32-bit and occupy two holding registers each. Therefore, applications typically only read even numbers of holding registers.

RMC70 Firmware 3.43.0 (September 9, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for user program Copy Protection. When enabled, this feature prevents unauthorized users from uploading the user programming.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.43.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where re-issuing the same Move Absolute or Move Relative command but with a slightly shorter final position could cause the motion profile to have an acceleration discontinuity and to potentially overshoot the original final position.

RMC70 Firmware 3.42.0 (July 15, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved recovery from a major controller fault. If the controller must be restarted due to a major fault, this event is now logged in the Event Log, and the Controller LED will flash red/green for 10 seconds after restart to visually indicate the problem. Status bits have also been added to the Controller Status register to indicate the condition. Notice that these changes require that an updated Loader be installed, otherwise, major controller faults will require cycling power to the controller to recover the controller.
    [Requires RMC75S/P Loader 1.10 or newer or RMC75E Loader 1.08 or newer]
  2. Reduced the assumed count resolution in certain situations. This affects axes with analog feedback or that use the position filter or pressure/force filter parameters. The effect is that these axes have finer grained control when the position/pressure/force error is very small.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where fluctations in the power supply could cause the controller to hold in the loader with the Controller LED flashing red until power is cycled.
  2. Fixed a situation where if an RMC has been running for days to months without a reset, then the absolute controller time for the plot may be shown incorrectly.

RMC70 Firmware 3.41.1 (June 7, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where re-issuing the same Move Absolute, Move Relative, Stop, Sync Move, or Sync Stop command could cause the motion profile to have an acceleration discontinuity and to potentially overshoot the original final position.
  2. Fixed a case where issuing a Stop or Sync Stop command while a point-to-point S-curve profile is stopping using the same specified deceleration rate could cause the motion profile to overshoot the final position.
  3. Fixed a case where re-issuing the same Move Velocity command could cause the motion profile to have an acceleration discontinuity.
  4. Fixed a case where issuing a Stop command while a velocity move is stopping with the same deceleration rate could cause an acceleration discontinuity.
  5. Fixed a problem in which, on the RMC75S and RMC75P, an error with the FILL function (added in 3.40.0 firmware) could be incorrectly reported as an error with the COPY function.

RMC70 Firmware 3.41.0 (April 27, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The RMC75E now uses DHCP instead of BOOTP as its default method of obtaining an IP address. This does not affect controllers that already have an IP address set.
  2. The RMC75E now disables the Ethernet Auto-MDIX (auto-crossover) feature when Ethernet auto negotiation is disabled. Previously there was no way to disable Auto-MDIX. Both Auto-MDIX and auto negotiation are still enabled by default.
  3. Made a number of improvements to the EtherNet/IP support. The EtherNet/IP Identity object now uses version 2.1. The following list highlights changes made to the EtherNet/IP feature set:
    1. Added the QoS Object, which introduces DSCP priority values and allows 802.1D/Q priority tagging to be selected.
    2. Improved support for IP Address Conflict Detection.
    3. Added a complete embedded EDS file and icon.
    4. Added support for Input Only and Listen Only connection points.
    5. Changes to the multicast TTL and address range settings now take effect immediately.
    6. Various improvements to comply the current version of the EtherNet/IP specifications.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which, on the RMC75E, an error with the FILL function (added in 3.40.0 firmware) could be incorrectly reported as an error with the COPY function.

RMC70 Firmware 3.40.2 (March 28, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which issuing a Closed Loop Halt (1) command to a reference input axis would fault the controller.

RMC70 Firmware 3.40.1 (March 10, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem affecting RMC75E controllers running 3.38.0 or newer firmware in which attempting to back up firmware as part of updating firmware would fail. Also, it was possible that after re- starting a controller with a very large user program saved to flash that the image could not be properly uploaded into RMCTools.

RMC70 Firmware 3.40.0 (February 22, 2011)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for User Functions. This feature allows multi-line expressions to be packaged within re-usable user functions.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer]
  2. Added support for declaring step-local variables. This allows local variables to be defined only in the step instead of requiring them to be added to the global Variable Table.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer]
  3. Added support for Single-Point Valve Linearization.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer]
  4. Added support for the new Stop (Open Loop) (22) command.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer]
  5. Doubled the storage capacity for user programming on the RMC75E version 1.1G and newer.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer]
    [Requires RMC75E CPU revision 1.1G or newer]
  6. Added support for the following new functions:
    [All require RMCTools 3.40.0 or newer unless otherwise noted]
    CEIL(a)
    Rounds a to the next greater (most positive) integer. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    FLOOR(a)
    Rounds a to the next lesser (most negative) integer. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    ROUND(a)
    ROUND(a,n)
    Rounds a to the specified number of digits. n can be between -6 and +6. If n is not provided, then a is rounded to an integer, as though n was 0. Takes a as a REAL data type and n as a DINT. Returns a REAL data type.
    MROUND(number,multiple)
    Rounds number to the desired multiple, away from zero if dividing gives a remainder greater than or equal to half the value of the multiple. Takes number and multiple as REAL data types. Returns a REAL data type.
    TRUNC_REAL(a)
    Rounds a to an integer towards zero. Takes a REAL data type. Returns a REAL data type.
    SIGNUM(a)
    Returns -1 if a is negative, +1 if a is positive, and 0 if a is zero. Takes REAL or DINT. The return type matches the input parameter type.
    CRV_EXISTS(id)
    Returns True if a curve exists with the specified id. Otherwise returns False. Takes a DINT data type. Returns a BOOL data type.
    FILL(to, value, len)
    Sets length registers starting at the to address to the specified value (value). Typically used to fill an array with values. A maximum of 32 registers can be filled.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.41.0 or newer.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which curves could not be properly added with Curve IDs greater than 32,767.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Advanced Gear Move command could fault prematurely when the master axis moved outside its expected range.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the simulator for absolute linear SSI axes would behave incorrectly if the Count Offset axis parameter was non-zero.
  4. Fixed a problem in which updating flash could cause communications to be lost in some cases.

RMC70 Firmware 3.39.1 (December 3, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Updated PROFINET IO to pass PROFINET certification testing.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.39.2 or newer]
    [Requires RMC75E CPU revision 1.1G or newer]
  2. Added the following new functions for accessing curves:
    [Requires RMCTools 3.39.2 or newer]
    CRV_FIRST_X(id)
    Returns the x value for the first point in the curve with the specified id.
    CRV_LAST_X(id)
    Returns the x value for the last point in the curve with the specified id.
    CRV_INTERP_Y(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the Y value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.
    CRV_INTERP_V(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the V (velocity) value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.
    CRV_INTERP_A(id,x,[options])
    Interpolates the curve with the specified id at the given value of x, and returns the A (acceleration) value of the curve at that point. The optional options parameter determines the behavior beyond the endpoints of the curve.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue where the Curve Start Advanced command's Extrapolate endpoint behavior option did not work properly for curves with the Linear interpolation type.

RMC70 Firmware 3.39.0 (October 29, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added PROFINET IO support. Notice that the product has not yet been submitted for PROFINET certification, and as such should not be used in final applications.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.39.0 or newer]
    [Requires RMC75E CPU revision 1.1G or newer]
  2. Added an option to EtherNet/IP in which the Sync Register is not used.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.39.0 or newer]
  3. Changes to the EtherNet/IP Consumer and Producer addresses now take effect immediately instead of waiting for the I/O connection to be re-established.
  4. Cyclic curves can now have different starting and ending positions.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.39.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which small Modbus/RTU packets sent to other devices on a multidrop network could incorrectly be reported as errors in the RMC event log.

RMC70 Firmware 3.38.0 (July 30, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for upload and downloading curves from the Curve Tool.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.38.0 or newer]
  2. For the Curve Add (82) command, the new value Permanent (3) was added to the Life Cycle parameter. Curves with this Life Cycle type are saved to flash when the flash is updated and are included in the Image Upload/Download Area. Curves downloaded from the Curve Tool always have a 'Permanent' Life Cycle.
  3. For RMC75E CPUs with hardware revision 1.1G or later, the maximum non-volatile (flash) data storage size was increased from 256KB to 1MB. For older RMC75E CPUs, the size remains at 256KB, and for RMC75S and RMC75P CPUs, the non-volatile data storage size remains at 96KB.
  4. Changed the default plot configuration for Position-Pressure axes to include the auxiliary Pressure/Force.
  5. Changed the Net LED behavior to match the current EtherNet/IP specification, which clarified the Net LED behavior in its 1.8 revision.
  6. Added support for Type 0 Pressure/Force model parameters.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which in rare cases, error messages regarding model-based filtering could show up in the Event Log for an axis whose filter type was set to 'Low Pass'.

RMC70 Firmware 3.37.0 (May 14, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Changed the default starting address for the Consumed EtherNet/IP I/O data from the Command Area (%MD25.0) to the middle of the Indirect Data Map (%MD18.32).

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which setting the logging detail level for EtherNet/IP I/O to 'All' did not log all data changes.

RMC70 Firmware 3.36.2 (April 6, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem introduced by the 3.36.1 firmware update in which the RMC70/150 could stop receiving Ethernet packets in other situations.

RMC70 Firmware 3.36.1 (March 27, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where the RMC70/150 could stop receiving Ethernet packets in an environment with very specific broadcast traffic.

RMC70 Firmware 3.36.0 (February 12, 2010)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Outer Loop axes, for use in cascading control loops.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.36.0 or newer]
  2. Changed the behavior of the Output Filter axis parameter slightly with respect to Pressure/Force control. Prior to this release, the Output Filter parameter applied to all types of closed loop control, including Position, Velocity, Pressure, and Force. With this release, the existing Output Filter parameter has been renamed Position/Velocity Output Filter and no longer applies to Pressure/Force control. Instead a new Pressure/Force Output Filter parameter was added which applies only to Pressure/Force control.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.36.0 or newer to use the new parameter]
  3. Added new axis parameters to axes with Pressure/Force control to hold the current system model, which is used by the Pressure/Force Tuning Wizard in RMCTools.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.36.0 or newer to use these new parameters]

RMC70 Firmware 3.35.0 (November 12, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Direction parameter to the Transition Rate (56) command. This makes the command more flexible on rotary axes.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.35.0 or newer]
  2. The following commands now accept a Requested Speed parameter of the value zero (0):
    Move Absolute (20)
    Move Relative (21)
    Ramp Pressure/Force (Rate) (18)
    Move Absolute (I-PD) (28)
    Move Relative (I-PD) (29)
  3. Added 100 kHz to the list of available SSI data clock rates.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.35.0 or newer]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where there could be a discontinuity in the Target Position when using a Transition with a sine or curve move, if the sine or curve completed prior to the transition completing.
  2. Fixed an issue in which for Velocity Inputs (such as tachometer feedback), the Velocity and Acceleration Filter Type parameters could not be set to Low Pass.
  3. Fixed an issue in which for Velocity Inputs (such as tachometer feedback), the Noise Error Rate parameter was compared directly the current Actual Velocity rather than the change in Actual Velocity from one control loop to the next.

RMC70 Firmware 3.34.1 (October 5, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue on the RMC75S and RMC75P in which it would report a task being on the incorrect step after the PreScan table starts a task and until that task transitions to another step. This affected the current step displayed in the Program Monitor, in the Step Editor, and in the Task status registers. However, the Event Log reported the transitions correctly. This problem was introduced in 3.31.0 firmware.

RMC70 Firmware 3.34.0 (September 30, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the Image Area, used to back up, restore, and copy complete controller images.
  2. Added the Analog Input file, used to access unassigned analog input values.
  3. Added support for the following mathematical functions in User Program expressions: SINH, COSH, and TANH.
    [RMCTools 3.34.0 or newer is required to enter these functions.]
  4. The EtherNet/IP Identity object now reports the product version version as 1.2. This reflects the changes made to the EtherNet/IP Ethernet Link object made in firmware release 3.32.0.
  5. Changed the default value for the Count Unwind axis parameter from 1000 to 1024. This ensures that it is a valid value even for SSI absolute rotary axes, but should not otherwse affect any users since this value must be set up prior to using rotary axis feedback.
  6. For linear axes, removed limitations on acceptable values for the Direction parameter on many move commands, including Move Absolute (20). Previously only Nearest (0) was accepted. However, this could make it difficult to re-use some User Programs on both linear and rotary axes. Therefore, for the affected commands, all Direction options that are available on rotary axes are now accepted on linear axes, with all values being handled the same.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where the IP settings for an RMC75E could be changed through the RMCTools browse window, even if the settings were locked.
  2. Fixed several minor issues to conform with version 1.7 of the EtherNet/IP specification.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the Open Loop Absolute (11) command could generate the wrong Control Output voltage in some rare cases.

RMC70 Firmware 3.33.1 (August 17, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which an Internal Target Generator Fault could occur when re-issuing point-to-point move commands in some rare cases.

RMC70 Firmware 3.33.0 (June 3, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the default plot sample period was set to 0 seconds. This problem was introduced in 3.32.0 firmware.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Actual Pressure Rate and Actual Force Rate status registers could be stuck at zero (0) on RMC75P and RMC75S controllers.

RMC70 Firmware 3.32.0 (April 23, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Increased the size of the Indirect Data Map from 32 to 64 registers.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.32.0 or newer]
  2. We no longer log RMCTools Ethernet traffic by default when all Ethernet transactions are enabled.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.32.0 or newer]
  3. Short point-to-point moves are now smoother, following the Requested Jerk axis parameter.
  4. Point-to-point moves as short as one-half feedback count are now allowed. Previously, moves shorter than 0.0005 position units were stepped immediately to the setpoint.
  5. Improved data consistency guarantees for consumed EtherNet/IP I/O data.
  6. Upgraded EtherNet/IP's Ethernet Link object to Revision 3 (included four new attributes).
  7. Increased the available capacity of the flash data storage area on the RMC75E from 128KB to 256KB.

RMC70 Firmware 3.31.2 (March 6, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with the RMC75P that was introduced in 3.31.0 in which the PROFIBUS Station Address could not be set, and therefore no PROFIBUS communication could be done.
  2. Fixed a problem with the RMC75P in which changing the PROFIBUS mode with an online controller could cause the PROFIBUS connection to fail to re-connect without restarting the controller.

RMC70 Firmware 3.31.1 (March 4, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem introduced in the 3.31.0 firmware in which controllers did not show up in the RMCTools Ethernet browse selection.

RMC70 Firmware 3.31.0 (February 25, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Pause/Resume Log command:
    [RMCTools 3.31.0 or newer required to issue this command from RMCTools]
    Pause/Resume Log (95)
    Use this command to pause and resume the Event Log capturing. This makes the Event Log more powerful, especially when tracking down evasive problems.
  2. Added support for controlling which programs can be run on which tasks.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.31.0 or newer]
  3. Added support for a new COPY function in expressions.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.31.0 or newer]
  4. Invalid inputs to numerical functions (SQRT, LN, LOG, ASIN, and ACOS) and operators (/ and MOD) in expressions are now caught and fault the offending task.
  5. Axes are no longer required to be stopped at the start of a Synchronized Move command. However, notice that this may cause a step jump one or more axes' velocities.
  6. Changing the final position of an in-progress Synchronized Move is now supported. However, notice that this may cause a step jump one or more axes' velocities.
  7. Added support for the DMCP/UDP and DMCP/TCP protocols over Ethernet.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the RMC70's SSI clock output frequency differed from the selected frequency.
  2. Fixed two minor EtherNet/IP issues found by the latest EtherNet/IP conformance tests.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the ROL and ROR functions did not function properly in expressions on the RMC75E.
  4. Fixed a problem in the ** operator did not work properly in some cases on the RMC75S and RMC75P.

RMC70 Firmware 3.30.4 (January 8, 2009)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. An entry is now added to the Event Log if the control loop cannot be completed in the requested loop time.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem on the RMC75E CPUs in which it was possible to occasionally have writes to the NVRAM fail.
  2. Fixed a problem in which RMC75E CPUs prior to revision 1.4A would report an error on startup about the NVRAM hardware not functioning. This was expected behavior, since NVRAM was not introduced to the RMC75E until revision 1.4A, and therefore should not have been reported as an error.
  3. Fixed a problem on the RMC75S and RMC75P where issuing immediate commands to multiple axes from User Programs could work incorrectly in some cases.
  4. Fixed a problem in which an Internal Target Generator Fault could occur in rare cases with the Quick Move command.

RMC70 Firmware 3.30.3 (November 5, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Enhanced implementation of Allen-Bradley CIP and CSP protocols to be compatible with Wonderware device drivers, which utilize undocumented functionality.

RMC70 Firmware 3.30.2 (October 24, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. In the Curve Start Advanced (88) and Curve Start Advanced (P/F) (89) commands, added support using the Truncate endpoint behavior even when Relative Master Alignment is selected.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which entering RUN mode using a RUN/PROGRAM discrete input did not enable all axes.

RMC70 Firmware 3.30.1 (September 30, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Force Orientation setting was not taken into account when using Active Damping with force feedback.
  2. Fixed a problem in Unidirectional Mode, in which the feed forward ratio was not applied correctly for moves in the negative direction.
  3. Fixed a problem in Unidirectional Mode, switching control modes could cause the Integrator to be loaded with the wrong value.
  4. Fixed a problem in which Unidirectional Mode could not be enabled for axes with only Pressure or Force feedback.
  5. Fixed a problem with the Gear Velocity (Clutch by Time) (31) command when issued with position control in which the Target Position was not properly updated causing the Proportional and Integral Gains to have no effect.

RMC70 Firmware 3.30.0 (August 20, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for retentive variables on the RMC75E. This feature is only supported on RMC75E hardware revision 1.4A or newer.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.30.0 or newer]
  2. Added the ability to update firmware over Ethernet. This capability can be disabled using a new Ethernet setting.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.30.0 or newer]
  3. The algorithm for saving settings to flash now uses a double-buffered scheme which prevents the settings from reverting to defaults if the controller is powered off or restarted during a flash update.
  4. Added a third level (patch) to the firmware version.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which it was possible to reset the IP settings to defaults over Ethernet using the Reset Controller to Defaults option in RMCTools even though the IP settings were set to be locked over Ethernet.

RMC70 Firmware 3.21 (May 30, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem on the RMC75E in which issuing the Curve Start Advanced (88) command from a User Program would reset the controller.
  2. Fixed a problem on the RMC75S and RMC75P in which issuing the Curve Start Advanced (88) command from a User Program could overwrite another axis command issued by the same step.

RMC70 Firmware 3.20 (May 22, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new Feed Forward Adjust command:
    [RMCTools 3.20.0 or newer required to issue these commands from RMCTools]
    Feed Forward Adjust (69)
    Issuing this command will immediately adjust the appropriate Velocity Feed Forward gain for the last constant-velocity move that was made. It can be used to simplify manual tuning or for automatically adjusting the system gain for minor changes in system dynamics.
  2. Added Curve Start Advanced commands for position and pressure/force target profiles:
    [RMCTools 3.20.0 or newer required to issue these commands from RMCTools]
    Curve Start Advanced (88)
    This command provides additional options not available with the existing Curve Start (86) command, including relative curve alignment, absolute master alignment, adjustable curve scale and offset, adjustable master scale and offset, and an optional status block.
    Curve Start Advanced (Prs/Frc) (89)
    This command provides additional options over the Curve Start (Prs/Frc) (87) command in the same way that Curve Start Advanced (88) does for a position target profile.
  3. Added a new Unidirectional Mode option. This mode can be enabled to handle systems requiring a unipolar control output. Examples include unidirectional belts and hydraulic systems that use a flow control valve and, optionally, a separate direction valve. This mode provides the following new axis parameter register:
    [Requires RMCTools 3.20.0 or newer to use this feature]
    Unidirectional Mode (Fx:60/12-14)
    This register is used to enable and disable Unidirectional Mode, select the default control direction, and to select whether the control direction should automatically be changed when the Target Velocity changes direction.
    Additionally, some systems may use the following new command:
    Set Control Direction (96)
    This command is used in systems where the control direction changes during system operation, such as a hydraulic system with separate flow control and direction valves. When the direction valve is changed, the user can indicate the new direction to the RMC using this command. This command only affects axes with Unidirectional Mode enabled.

RMC70 Firmware 3.11 (May 8, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem introduced in the 2.70 firmware, which could cause jumps in the target profile when stopping a target profile moving in the negative direction. Specifically, the following cases were subject to this problem:
    1. Stopping an axis in position control using a Stop (6) command or a Closed Loop Halt, provided the axis was moving in the negative direction and had a zero Requested Jerk axis parameter.
    2. Using a Quick Move (15/16) command to move in the negative direction, provided the axis had a zero Requested Jerk axis parameter.
    3. Stopping a pressure/force target profile using the Stop Pressure/Force (43) command, provided the target pressure/force was currently decreasing, and the Pressure/Force Accel Rate command parameter was non-zero.
  2. Fixed a problem in which stopping a velocity control move using either a Stop (6) command or a Closed Loop Halt could cause only a temporary stop, with the axis ramping back up to a non-zero velocity. This would occur if the Requested Jerk parameter was zero.

RMC70 Firmware 3.10 (May 1, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added new PROFIBUS I/O modes for simplified communication over PROFIBUS.
  2. Added additional diagnostic logging for PROFIBUS.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.10.0 or newer to view]
  3. Added a PROFIBUS Connection Status register for use by User Programs in detecting broken connections.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.10.0 or newer to use]
  4. Added communication statistics for PROFIBUS.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.10.0 or newer to view]
  5. Added additional communication statistics for Ethernet on the RMC75E.
    [Requires RMCTools 3.10.0 or newer to view]

RMC70 Firmware 3.01 (April 30, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where the RMC75E could be significantly delayed in receiving an Ethernet packet from time to time. This typically occurred in high-speed Ethernet applications.

RMC70 Firmware 3.00 (April 2, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 3.00.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Programming Security.
  2. Added new Synchronized Motion commands:
    Sync Move Absolute (13)
    By issuing this command to two or more axes, the axes will move from stop to the commanded positions such that the axes profiles are ratioed throughout the move and none of the axes exceed the command parameters.
    Sync Move Relative (14)
    Same as Sync Move Absolute (13), but allows specifying the command position relative to the current axis position.
    Sync Stop (17)
    This command will stop all axes in the specified sync group such that all axes in the group retain their ratioed move until stopped.
  3. Increased the acceptable range for the Halt Group axis parameter to 0-8, with zero (0) still meaning not grouped.
  4. Improved the handling of halt groups with respect to issuing commands at the same time when one or more axes have a command error. The RMC now ensures that none of the axes in the halt group start moving if any axes in the halt group had a command error.
  5. Removed support for the following RMC70 hardware revisions:
    RMC75S revisions 1.0 through 2.1C
    RMC75P revisions 1.0 through 2.1D
    The feature set for these controllers has been frozen since the 2.30 firmware release. A separate firmware branch is available for download in these controllers. This branch will be denoted by the "S4" designation. For example, the first "S4" release will be version "2.72-S4". Bugs affecting these controllers will be made in the "S4" firmware and updated on the web site.

RMC70 Firmware 2.71 (March 20, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a regression introduced in 2.70 in which issuing either a Gear Pos (Time) or Gear Vel (Time) command would reset the controller into the loader.

RMC70 Firmware 2.70 (March 5, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added two new commands for absolutely tracking a master axis or register:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to issue these commands from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Gear Absolute (25)
    The commanded axis will be geared absolutely over a specified range with the master register. The master register will most often be the Target or Actual Position of another control or reference axis.
    Gear Absolute (Prs/Frc) (59)
    The commanded axis's Pressure/Force target will be geared absolutely over a specified range with the master register. The master register will most often be the Target or Actual Pressure or Force of another control or reference axis.
  2. Added new Transition commands. These commands allow an axis to transition into a curve, sine move, or absolute gearing, when the axis is not already at the correct starting location:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to issue these commands from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Transition Disable (55)
    Disables automatic position transitions on this axis.
    Transition Rate (56)
    Enabled automatic rate-based position transitions on this axis. The parameters to use for the transition are specified as command parameters.
    Transition Disable (Prs/Frc) (63)
    Disables automatic pressure/force transitions on this axis.
    Transition Rate (Prs/Frc) (64)
    Enabled automatic rate-based pressure/force transitions on this axis.
  3. Added two new rate-based pressure/force commands:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to issue these commands from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Ramp Pressure/Force (Rate) (18)
    Ramps the current pressure/force to the specified setpointusing the specified rate and, optionally, acceleration.
    Enter Pressure/Force Control (Rate) (46)
    Enters Pressure/Force control at the current actual pressure/force and ramps to the requested pressure/force setpoint using the specified rate and, optionally, acceleration.
  4. Added a new command to adjust the integrator:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to issue this command from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: This new command is not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Integrator Adjust (70)
    Sets the Integral Output term to the specified value. This can be used on advanced control applications when the integral output needs to be cleared in some cases.
  5. Added a new "Integral Preload" command parameter to the following commands:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to use this new parameter from RMCTools]
    Hold Current Pressure/Force (19)
    Enter Pressure/Force Control (Auto) (44)
    Enter Pressure/Force Control (Time) (45)
    This parameter can be used to optimize the transition from other control modes into Pressure/Force Control.
    Notice that the new Enter Pressure/Force Control (Rate) (46) command also has an "Integrator Preload" parameter.
  6. Added additional options when restarting the controller remotely. This is necessary to be able to change the control loop time or axis definitions over RMCLink or programmatically from within a User Program.
  7. Added additional Event Log entries on startup when the saved axis definitions are not valid for the current hardware configuration. This can occur when an expansion module is removed from an RMC70.
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to view these entries]
  8. Added a new axis status register:
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to view this register in RMCTools]
    Target Pressure/Force Rate (F8:63, F9:63, ...)
    This register shows the current rate of change for the Target Pressure/Force of the axis.
  9. Added a new "Pressure/Force Accel Rate" parameter to the Stop Pressure/ Force (43) command. The default value of zero (0) matches previous firmware behavior. The behavior of the At Pressure/Force status bit and the Command Pressure/Force status register also changes with this command.
    [RMCTools 2.70.0 or newer required to use this new parameter from RMCTools]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Primary Target Generator Done status bit came on prematurely for the Quick Move commands.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32) command did not clutch properly when a negative gear ratio was used.

RMC70 Firmware 2.62 (February 13, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which manually writing to the Axis Definition registers did not work properly. This did not affect changing axis definitions using the RMCTools Axis Definitions tool.
  2. Fixed a problem in which feed forwards were calculated incorrectly for curves when geared to an arbitrary register. This did not affect curves geared to an axis or non-geared curves.

RMC70 Firmware 2.61 (February 7, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Changed how the Pressure/Force integrator is initialized when the controller enters Pressure/Force Control mode. The integrator is now cleared on the transition.

    WARNING: Upgrading from 2.50 or 2.60 firmware to 2.61 or later firmware will change the behavior of Pressure/Force Control transitions. We feel this change is for the better, but please be aware of the change, and contact Delta technical support if you have questions before updating your firmware.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Pressure/Force integrator would be set to non-zero values when enabling Pressure/Force Limit. This problem was introduced in 2.50 firmware.

    WARNING: Upgrading from 2.50 or 2.60 firmware to 2.61 or later firmware will change the behavior of Pressure/Force Limit mode. We feel this change is for the better, and returns to 2.40 and earlier behavior. However, please be aware of the change, and contact Delta technical support if you have questions before updating your firmware.

RMC70 Firmware 2.60 (January 18, 2008)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The RMC75E now defaults to having 16 data items allocated per plot rather than the 4 it had in previous firmware revisions. This reduces the likelihood that this setting must be changed by the user.

RMC70 Firmware 2.50 (December 14, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for Pressure/Force Control mode. In this new mode, an axis controls solely based on the Pressure/Force feedback, complementing our existing Pressure/Force Limit mode. This mode is entered using the following new commands:
    [RMCTools 2.50.0 or newer required to issue commands from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Hold Current Pressure/Force (19)
    Enters Pressure/Force control mode and holds the current pressure or force.
    Enter Pressure/Force Control (Auto) (44)
    Enters Pressure/Force control mode, and ramps the pressure/force from its current value and rate to the requested pressure/force setpoint. The ramp rate is determined automatically based on the current rate and distance to the setpoint. Both linear and S-curve ramps are supported.
    Enter Pressure/Force Control (Time) (45)
    Enters Pressure/Force control mode, and ramps the pressure/force from its current value and rate to the requested pressure/force setpoint over the specified time. Both linear and S-curve ramps are supported.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Improved transitions when switching between some control modes.
  2. Fixed a problem where some control status registers were not set to zero when unused.

RMC70 Firmware 2.40 (November 21, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for new curve/spline/cam commands:
    [RMCTools 2.40.0 or newer required to issue from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Curve Add (82)
    Add one or more curves to the controller.
    Curve Delete (83)
    Delete all curves in the controller in the specified range.
    Curve Delete Except (84)
    Delete all curves in the controller except for the specified range.
    Curve Delete All (85)
    Delete all curves in the controller.
    Curve Start (86)
    Start a curve or curve position move.
    Curve Start (Pressure/Force) (87)
    Start a curve or curve pressure/force move.
  2. Added support for rotary virtual axes.
  3. Expanded the acceptable range for the Output Filter parameter to include values down to 0.01 Hz.

RMC70 Firmware 2.32 (November 19, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which using the Deadband Eliminator on pressure/force control axes could cause the controller to reset.

RMC70 Firmware 2.31 (October 24, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which attempting to read a plot using the Static or Dynamic Plot Upload Areas could yield unexpected plot values or restart the controller if the plot had been stopped using the Stop Plot command while the capture was in progress.

RMC70 Firmware 2.30 (September 25, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for new sine commands:
    [RMCTools 2.30.0 or newer required to issue from RMCTools]
    [NOTE: These new commands are not supported on older RMC75S and RMC75P modules. RMC75S 2.1D or newer or RMC75P 2.1E or newer is required.]
    Sine Start (72)
    Starts a sinusoidal position move.
    Sine Stop (73)
    Stops an in-progress sinusoidal position move at the top, bottom, or middle of the sine move.
    Sine Start (Pressure/Force) (76)
    Starts a sinusoidal pressure/force move.
    Sine Stop (Pressure/Force) (77)
    Stops an in-progress sinusoidal pressure/force move at the top, bottom, or middle of the sine move.
    Change Target Parameter (80)
    Allow changing an in-progress sinusoidal position move's parameters, including the frequency, amplitude, offset ,and the total number of cycles.
    Change Target Parameter (Pressure/Force) (81)
    Allow changing an in-progress sinusoidal pressure/force move's parameters, including the frequency, amplitude, offset ,and the total number of cycles.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in the internal simulator where, for some rare cases, the simulated actual position could jump unexpected.

RMC70 Firmware 2.21 (September 6, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Minor changes to achieve the EtherNet/IP Conformance Tested mark.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the RMC75E Controller LED did not blink to indicate that the controller was in PROGRAM mode on startup. This regression was introduced in 2.20.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the RMC75S and RMC75P could fail to communicate when configured with certain axis configurations.
  4. Fixed a couple of minor problems with handling errors on the Mitsubishi Ethernet protocol.

RMC70 Firmware 2.20 (August 23, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for EtherNet/IP I/O messaging.
  2. Added an LED test to the startup of the controller.
  3. Added additional communication statistics for EtherNet/IP and for internal CPU usage.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where it was possible for the Flash Update to never complete after some Ethernet communication errors.

RMC70 Firmware 2.10 (July 26, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The limit for available EtherNet/IP CIP connections was increased from 8 to 32.
  2. Added support for the POLY function in expressions. This function provides an easy and efficient way to compute a polynomial.
  3. Made the following improvements to the built-in simulator:
    1. The simulator model now supports both 1st and 2nd order models.
    2. The second order simulator model is now stable for higher frequencies and damping factors.
    3. Force limiting at the simulator limits can now be disabled by selecting a Max Force of zero (0). In this case the simulator will stop abruptly at the limits.
    4. Removed the Transducer Overflow error from simulated linear feedback. The feedback will be truncated at its limits with no error. This makes it easier to recover from overrange.
    5. Limited the model parameters to prevent unstable simulator models.
  4. The Model-based Position Filter can now be enabled for axes with a first order model.
  5. We now log when the PreScan table is disabled.
  6. The Set Pressure/Force Mode (40) command will no longer displace motion commands to the next control loop.
  7. Improved the handling of task faults, such as array index out-of-range. All task errors will stop the task and log an error in the Event Log.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Trigger Plot (102) command would trigger the plot even if triggers were disabled. We now log an entry in the Event Log but otherwise ignore the command in this situation.
  2. Several minor EtherNet/IP corrections, in preparation for certification:
    1. Fixed a problem where the Ethernet speed could not be forced to 10 Mb/s using the Ethernet Link object.
    2. Fixed several cases where the Fwd_Open error response was not built correctly.
    3. Added support for the Get_Attribute_Single service on the Identity object, which is a required service.
    4. Fixed a problem where there could be extra data at the end of the response to the Set_Attribute_Single service.
    5. Fixed a problem with parsing some EtherNet/IP path segments.
    6. Fixed a problem where there could be extra data at the end of a Message Router error response.
  3. Corrected several problems when controlling with Pressure/Force limiting.
  4. Corrected behavior of the expression logging filter.
  5. Fixed a problem where some User Program storage space could be used up permanently by the Tuning Wizard.
  6. Fixed a problem where re-establishing an Ethernet connection from some older Allen-Bradley PLC's could take over a minute in some cases.
  7. Fixed a problem in which some controller error notifications to RMCTools were missed. This was introduced in version 2.00.

RMC70 Firmware 2.03 (July 12, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Increased the storage area for User Programs from 64KB to 256KB on the RMC75E.
    [RMCTools 2.10.0 or newer required to build programs larger than 64KB.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with how the Position Error is updated when a rotary axis is moving faster than the Noise Error Rate.

RMC70 Firmware 2.02 (July 9, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem where, if the post-trigger capturing of a plot was stopped using a Stop Plot (101) command, the plot could not be viewed.
  2. Optimized the command queue so that simple low priority commands can no longer displace motion commands to the next control loop.
  3. Corrected the anti-hunting behavior of the integrator when controlling using the I-PD control algorithm. First, it is now enabled even when the Deadband Tolerance parameter is zero, using an implied tolerance of 1/2 position transducer count. Second, it now only prevents integrator wind-up, rather than freezing the integrator. And third, it is only active when the target position is stopped.
  4. Fixed a problem in which immediate commands issued by a User Program to any axis other than the first were not issued correctly.
  5. Fixed a problem with the Position and Velocity PID algorithms in which the integrator value could be incorrectly adjusted during saturation conditions.

RMC70 Firmware 2.01 (June 15, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a memory leak that would occur every time a PROFIBUS connection is lost and re-established. This only caused a problem if this was repeated hundreds of times.
  2. Fixed a problem with the target generation during acceleration in the negative direction when using the Gear (Clutch by Rate) command.
  3. We now accept extra PROFIBUS parameterization bytes, as long as they are zero. This is a workaround for an apparent bug in the COM PROFIBUS 5.x setup software package by Siemens. These extra bytes must be 0.
  4. Fixed a situation where analog feedback could appear to have large noise spikes when there was no signal noise. This was a regression introduced in the 2.00 firmware.
  5. Fixed a problem where a plot could be retriggered when RMCTools had just stopped a trending plot. This caused RMCTools to be unable to backfill gaps in the trend plot.
  6. Fixed a problem where the Actual Velocity was incorrectly set to zero when recovering from an intermittent (one or two control loop in duration) Transducer Overflow or No Transducer error. This resulted in an incorrect Differential Gain output term.

RMC70 Firmware 2.00 (March 20, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the Omron FINS Ethernet protocol to the RMC75E.
  2. Added support for issuing 10-register commands. As part of this change, two additional command parameters were added to the Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32) and Advanced Gear Move (33) commands. A new register file (%MD25.x) was added to support the new 10-register commands. The original axis command file (%MD16.x) retains its original format for backward compatilibity.
    [RMCTools 2.00.0 or newer supports 10-register commands.]
  3. Increase the amount of plot storage area dramatically on the RMC75E. The old storage area held 32,768 samples. The new storage area size depends on the RMC75E loader version. For version 1.02 or newer, the plot storage area holds over 12,000,000 samples. Otherwise, the limit is just over 4,000,000.
    [Requires RMCTools 2.00.0 or newer.]
  4. Improved the maximum packet size for communication with the RMC75E. This improves communication performance in many areas, most notably plot trends are less susceptible to gaps during upload.
    [Requires RMCTools 2.00.0 or newer to experience benefits.]
  5. Added a special address range for Modbus/RTU and Modbus/TCP. This area duplicates some higher-addressed, but commonly used areas. This allows some PLCs and HMIs with limited communication capability to communicate with RMC70 controllers. The new Omron FINS protocol also uses this new range.
  6. For the Advanced Gear Move (33) commands, it is now allowed that the Master Sync Position parameter match the current Master Position. A constant Gear Ratio Rate is assumed in this case.
  7. Changed the value returned by the "Maximum Samples At Once" register from 32 to 128. This reflects that the firmware allows the maximum number of plot items (16) even when the maximum number of plots (8) is selected.
  8. Invalid floating point values written as parameters or command parameters are now rejected with the appropriate error.
  9. Added support for reading the exact CPU hardware revision. This can help Delta technical support in troubleshooting problems.
  10. Added the ability to restart the controller remotely. This is necessary to be able to change the control loop time or axis definitions over RMCLink.
  11. Improved the processing of commands from multiple sources.
  12. Changed the behavior of the Stop Plot (101) command. It will now stop the capture immediately, even if the plot buffer had not yet been filled. This allows for immediate re-arming of the plot.
  13. Improved the notifications to RMCTools of controller errors so that only new errors are displayed.

RMC70 Firmware 1.71 (February 5, 2007)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Speed at Position (36) command always caused a command error if the axis was stopped.
  2. Improved the error handling of a zero master distance for the Phasing (34), Geared Slave Offset (35), Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32), and Advanced Gear Move (33) commands.
  3. Fixed a problem in which the Index (Z) Edge Mode parameter was cleared when an axis was in simulate mode.
  4. Fixed a problem in which an axis in Direct Output mode would stop ignoring Auto Stop errors if a Direct Output command that generated a command error was issued.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the Hold Current Position (5) command could trigger a Pos/Neg Limit Input error or a Soft Pos/Neg Overtravel Error, which it should not be able to do, since these errors are directional, and the Hold Current Position command is, by definition, not directional.

RMC70 Firmware 1.70 (December 21, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for new gearing commands:
    [RMC70Tools 1.70.0 or newer required to issue from RMC70Tools]
    Gear Pos (Clutch by Distance) (32)
    Simplies flying-cutoff applications by synchronizing the slave axis to the master axis at specified slave and master positions.
    Advanced Gear Move (33)
    An advanced command for generating arbitrary motion profiles dependent on a master axis position.
    Phasing (34)
    Adjust the phase between a slave axis its master axis.
    Geared Slave Offset (35)
    Offset the slave axis position by a specified amount.
    Gear Pos (Clutch by Rate) (39)
    Start gearing with the specified ratio, using requested acceleration and jerk parameters to control the transition.
    These are in addition to the two gearing commands added in the 1.30 firmware:
    Gear Pos (Clutch by Time) (30)
    Gear Vel (Clutch by Time) (31)

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem with using the internal simulator on rotary axes. The positions would get more and more coarse over time in some cases.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the Target Position could bounce across the unwind position when very nearly at the unwind position.
  3. Fixed a problem in which immediate commands could be logged as coming from a different task than actually issued them.
  4. Fixed a problem in which filtered position inputs would drop to a zero velocity temporarily before filtering up to the actual velocity.
  5. Fixed a problem in which redefining the position on a simulated absolute linear axis using one of the Offset Position (47), Set Actual Position (48), or Set Target Position (49) commands did not work properly.

RMC70 Firmware 1.60 (November 7, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Event Log Enhancements:
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer is required for all of these features]
    1. Added Event Log filtering. This greatly enhances the ability to focus on the needed information, and allows us to offer more logging options without risk of flooding the event log.
    2. Assignment Expressions in user programs are now logged. This, like all informational log entries can be filtered out by the user.
    3. Added logging of Set/Clear/Toggle Discrete Output commands when issued from the User Programs.
    4. Added support for clearing the Event Log from RMC70Tools.
    5. Added error logging for all serial and Ethernet protocols.
    6. Added transaction logging for all serial and Ethernet protocols. Notice that this logging is filtered out by default, but can be turned on.
  2. Expanded the acceptable values for the Requested Position command parameter on rotary axes for the following commands:
    Open Loop Absolute (11)
    Quick Move Absolute (15)
    Move Absolute (20)
    Time Move Absolute (23)
    Move Absolute (I-PD) (28)
    Advanced Time Move Absolute (26)

    Previously, if the Direction parameter was one of Nearest, Current, Positive and Negative, then the Requested Position was required to fall between the Position Offset and the Position Offset plus Position Unwind (for example, 0 to 360 on an axis scaled for degrees).

    Now, the Requested Position can be outside that range. It will be unwound to fit within the current rotation, and then have the Direction applied to it.

    For example, if the position range is 0 to 360 degrees, then a Requested Position of 365, -355, and 725 are all equivalent to a Requested Position of 5. Therefore if the current position is 30, and the direction is Positive, then the new target Position will be 5 degrees in the next rotation.

  3. Added a new status register to position axes:
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer is required to view this register in RMC70Tools]
    Target Jerk (Fn:58) - (n is file 8-11 for axes 0-3 respectively)
    This value holds the target profile's current jerk value. The jerk is defined as the rate that the acceleration is changing in position-units per second per second per second. This value can be used to troubleshoot control problems.
  4. Added support for two new task status registers:
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer required to view these registers in RMC70Tools]
    Current Program (F24:3 for Task 0, F24:19 for Task 1, etc.)
    Current Step (F24:4 for Task 0, F24:20 for Task 1, etc.)
    This information is still available the Current Program/Step register, but has been divided out for easy access from many PLC and HMI devices.
  5. Added the ability to issue some commands from User Programs immediately, without waiting for the next control loop before issuing another command. The following commands can be issued in this way:
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer is required]
    Set Discrete Output (60)
    Clear Discrete Output (61)
    Toggle Discrete Output (62)
    Set Pos/Vel Ctrl Mode (68)
  6. Added the Mitsubishi Ethernet protocol.
  7. Added the Mitsubishi Bi-directional protocol.
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer is required]
  8. Added a new axis parameter for SSI feedback: SSI Overflow Mode. This can be used to select which, if any, SSI reading is treated like a Transducer Overflow using the following options:
    [RMC70Tools 1.60.0 or newer is required]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the Ramp Pressure/Force commands did not change the Target Pressure/Force when the Ramp Time was zero (0).
  2. Fixed a problem where LEDs associated with unused inputs or outputs could turn on, which was confusing.

RMC70 Firmware 1.54 (October 13, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the integrator would get cleared incorrectly in some cases during an open loop move when Pressure/Force Limiting was enabled.

RMC70 Firmware 1.53 (October 3, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a regression introduced in the 1.52 release in which RMCTools could no longer browse controllers without an IP address.

RMC70 Firmware 1.52 (September 21, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved the reliability of browsing for RMC75E controllers from RMCTools on PCs with multiple Ethernet interfaces.

RMC70 Firmware 1.51 (September 5, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Revised the Adv Time Move Absolute (26) and Relative (27) commands so that if they are not followed by another motion command within two control loops the axis will halt. Previously, this timeout was set to 10 milliseconds.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which firmware newer than 1.43 was not supported by revision 1.0A RMC75S and RMC75P controllers.

RMC70 Firmware 1.50 (August 17, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.50.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added new control modes: Velocity PID, Position I-PD, and Velocity I-PD. These augment the existing Position PID control mode.
    1. Added the a new "Default Pos/Vel Control Mode" parameter, which controls what the default control mode is on power-up.
    2. Added the Set Pos/Vel Control Mode (68) command. This command is used to switch between the above control modes. The switch actually takes place when the next motion command is issued.
    3. Position PID control mode is supported by the following commands:
      Hold Current Position (5)
      Stop (6)
      Quick Move Absolute (15)
      Quick Move Relative (16)
      Move Absolute (20)
      Move Relative (21)
      Time Move Absolute (23)
      Time Move Relative (24)
      Adv Time Move Absolute (26)
      Adv Time Move Relative (27)
      Gear Position (30)
      Gear Velocity (31)
      Speed at Position (36)
      Move Velocity (37)
      Position PID now supports two types of advanced control: Active Damping and Acceleration Control, which each use two new gains.
    4. Position I-PD control mode is supported by the following commands:
      Hold Current Position (5)
      Stop (6)
      Quick Move Absolute (15)
      Quick Move Relative (16)
      Move Absolute (20)
      Move Relative (21)
      Time Move Absolute (23)
      Time Move Relative (24)
      Adv Time Move Absolute (26)
      Adv Time Move Relative (27)
      Move Absolute (I-PD) (28) (new command, see below)
      Move Relative (I-PD) (29) (new command, see below)
      Gear Position (30)
      Gear Velocity (31)
      Speed at Position (36)
      Move Velocity (37)
      Position I-PD also supports the Active Damping advanced control mode.
    5. Velocity PID control mode is supported by the following commands:
      Stop (6)
      Gear Velocity (31)
      Move Velocity (37)
      Velocity PID also supports the Active Damping and Acceleration Control advanced control modes.
    6. Velocity I-PD control mode is supported by the following commands:
      Stop (6)
      Gear Velocity (31)
      Move Velocity (37)
      Move Velocity (I-PD) (38) (new command, see below)
      Velocity I-PD also supports the Active Damping advanced control mode.
    7. Added new commands specific to the new control modes:
      Move Velocity (I-PD) (38)
      Sets the Target Velocity immediately to the Requested Velocity and holds that velocity until commanded otherwise. The axis will be controlled using the I-PD algorithm.
      Move Absolute (I-PD) (28)
      Sets the Target Position immediately to the Requested Position. Control is done using the I-PD algorithm, with the speed limited by the Maximum Speed parameter.
      Move Relative (I-PD) (29)
      Sets the Target Position immediately to the Requested Distance from the indicated position (Command or Actual). Control is done using the I-PD algorithm, with the speed limited by the Maximum Speed parameter.
  2. Added two new pressure/force control commands:
    Ramp Pressure/Force (Linear) (42)
    Ramps the Pressure/Force Limit or Setpoint to the specified value in the specified time, using a linear profile.
    Stop Pressure/Force (43)
    Stop the Pressure/Force target immediately at its current value.
  3. Changed how directionally-ratioed control gains are configured. The Directional Gain Ratio parameter has been removed, and a second Velocity Feed Forward gain for the negative direction was added. The user can also now select to use symmetrical gains, and will only have a single Velocity Feed Forward gain.
  4. Improved the internal position simulator.
    1. Resetting the simulator will now reset the simulated position.
    2. Added the optional simulation of hard stops at the ends of a linear simulation.
    3. Improved the simulation model.
    4. The hard stop simulation allows for simulating pressure/force applications.
    5. Improved the handling of transducer overflows while simulating to ensure quicker recovery.
  5. Added Request and Acknowledge bits for synchronizing communications to commands being issued. This affects serial and Ethernet protocols.
  6. Added a new command parameter to the relative move commands. This parameter selects which position the requested distance is relative to: Command, Actual, or Target Position. The affected commands include:
    Quick Move Relative (16)
    Move Relative (21)
    Time Move Relative (24)
    Adv Time Move Relative (27)
    Move Relative (I-PD) (29)
  7. Added the ability to have separate Gain Sets for Position and Velocity Control or PID and I-PD Control. This allows for switching control modes on the fly.
  8. Improved the Position-Pressure/Force transition between limited and not limited by making it more smooth.
  9. Added advanced filtering options for actual position, velocity, and acceleration terms:
    1. The filtered values can now optionally be used by the control algorithm.
    2. In additional to using a low-pass filter on these quantities, a model can be used to filter the inputs.
  10. Added support for an Acceleration Input. This acceleration input can be used as a secondary input to aid in Acceleration Control or Active Damping.
  11. Added support for Active Damping. This requires a secondary Force or Acceleration Input.
  12. Added support for accessing array elements in expressions.
  13. Added support for the Tuning Wizard.
  14. Improved the accuracy of the Input filters, especially at high and low cut-off frequencies. These frequencies are now limited at 0.01 Hz. Also, it is now possible to disable any of these filters.
  15. The Bi-directional Pressure/Force control option has been removed.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Clarified the Event Log entry when the user writes to an unused Indirect Data Map register.
  2. Fixed a problem in which the simulator didn't work with a negative scale or when the Reverse Output Polarity parameter was set.
  3. We no longer override the Current Value for variables when a Default Value for that variable is written, unless the Default Value changes.
  4. Fixed a case where the Fault Controller (9) command did not exit Pressure/ Force Limit mode.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the variable data types could be incorrect in some cases on the RMC75E.
  6. Fixed a case where the control output could be set to "NaN".
  7. Fixed a case where USB transaction errors could be introduced.
  8. Fixed a problem in which the Target Acceleration and Jerk were always zero when gearing.
  9. Fixed problems with closing Modbus/TCP and CSP connections over Ethernet.

RMC70 Firmware 1.47 (June 28, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which the polarity of the dedicated physical limit inputs on the QA1 and QA2 modules could not be reversed in software.

RMC70 Firmware 1.46 (April 13, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which variables F56:24-28 were stuck at 0, and could not be changed.
  2. Fixed a bug in which the Speed at Position (36) command incorrectly faulted if it was not followed up with another command within 10ms of completion.

RMC70 Firmware 1.45 (March 23, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the QA1 and QA2 one- and two-axis modules with quadrature feedback and analog control output. Each axis interface includes A, B, and Z differential inputs, two registration or physical limit inputs, home input, fault input, enable output, and control output.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required]
  2. Added support for the EXP70-Q1 quadrature reference expansion module. Each module includes A and B differential quadrature inputs, a single registration/home input, and selectable termination.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required]
  3. The variable table now holds 1024 user variables.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to access more than 64 variables.]
  4. Added support for homing incremental axes. This applies to not only the QA1/QA2 and Q1 modules, but also the incremental SSI interfaces.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to use this feature.]
  5. Added support for assigning physical overtravel limit switches to an axis. Axes based on a QA1/QA2 quadrature axis module can use its dedicated physical limit inputs, but any axis can assign its Fault input and/or generic inputs (from the EXP70-D8) to this task.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to use this feature.]
  6. Added support for two new motion commands: Advanced Time Move Absolute (26), and Advanced Time Move Additive (27). Notice that these are advanced command for advanced users only.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to send these commands.]
  7. Changed the way that Soft Overtravel limits work while monitoring an axis for going outside the limits; their behavior with respect to validating a new command's requested position has not changed. A transition to outside either limit is now always an error, regardless of what direction the controller is trying to move the axis. Once outside the limits, we still fault only on the directional limit in order to simplify getting back inside limits.
  8. Added support for reading and writing from odd addresses over the Modbus/RTU and Modbus/TCP serial and Ethernet protocols. This is required by some Modbus-based HMIs in order to access bit fields.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which changing the position filter value on a rotary axis would effectively disable the filter until the first position unwind.
  2. Changed the maximum Force Rate Filter value on Differential Force inputs to 500 Hz. The default is now set at this new upper limit.
  3. Fixed a bug in which the data type for plotted variables was likely wrong if the variable type was changed after the plot addresses are written to, as they are on controller startup.
  4. Fixed a bug in which the target generator could stall for a single control loop (1 ms typical) when changing closed loop commands in some cases. This is primarily limited to handling a Closed Loop Halt on an input fault.
  5. Fixed a problem in which the Stop and Closed Loop Halt target generators used an S-curve profile even when the Maximum Jerk parameter was set to zero (0), which indicates that a Trapezoidal profile should be used.

RMC70 Firmware 1.43 (February 16, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the ability to lock the RMC75E's IP configuration, in that it can only be changed through the USB port.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to change this option.]
  2. Added logging of PROFIBUS parameters and configuration when it is rejected.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to view these log entries.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which the Actual Position would not recover from a Noise Error in some cases.
  2. Fixed an issue in which there could be one or more "Invalid bit field" configuration errors reported in the Event Log on startup. The addresses would be F32:0, F33:0, on up to F39:0.
  3. Runtime and Configuration errors were logged after any resulting halts were logged. This was confusing in that it made the cause look like the consequence and vice versa.
  4. Fixed a problem in which a negative Position Unwind parameter could cause positions to be handled incorrectly.
  5. Fixed a problem in which a task could issue one last set of commands after the task is stopped. This only took place if commands were being issued at an extremely high rate.
  6. Fixed a problem in which unused axis/input LEDs might be turned on.

RMC70 Firmware 1.42 (January 18, 2006)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. The Time Move Absolute (23) and Time Move Additive (24) commands now accept a Time parameter of 0. This will step the Target Position immediately to the requested position.
  2. Improved the Feed Forward handling of Time Moves (Advanced or standard) for short (1-2 control loops) moves.
  3. Added enhanced RMC70Tools Tuning Tools support.
    [RMC70Tools 1.45.0 or newer is required to use the Tuning Tools.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a case where a plot was re-enabled each time a plot is re-armed.
  2. Fixed a bug in which for Open Loop Absolute (11) and Relative (12) commands, if the effective requested position was behind the current position, but the final output was 0V, the results were unexpected. This now triggers a Command Error.
  3. Fixed a bug in the Speed at Position (36) command, in which attempting to move to a position behind the current position (assuming a non-zero current velocity) had unexpected results. This now triggers a Command Error.
  4. Fixed a case where the Control Output could be stuck at an invalid value.
  5. When an MDT or linear SSI transducer was simulated, the overflow conditions did not correctly trigger a Transducer Overflow error.
  6. Fixed the handling of when the pressure or force (P/F) requested by the Ramp Pressure/Force (41) command is outside the Pressure/Force Limits. This only affects the case where the current Command P/F is already outside the limits and the newly-requested P/F is further outside the limits.
  7. Corrected the position estimations after a transducer error was triggered.

RMC70 Firmware 1.41 (October 4, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added Plot Status registers (F32:8-13, F33:8-13, ..., F39:8-13). These can be used to determine when a plot has been fully captured.
  2. Added the Static Plot Upload Area. These files (F48-F55) allow limited uploading of the plot data.
  3. Added the Dynamic Plot Upload Area. These files (F40-F47) cover the ability to upload ALL plot data, plus an advanced capability to upload continuous plot data.

RMC70 Firmware 1.40 (September 19, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the RMC75E Ethernet/USB CPU.
  2. Multiple commands being issued to the same command by the same Step is now logged as an error to the event log.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which trying to write to Command Registers (F16:0-23) through the Indirect Data Map was rejected.
  2. Trying to point an Indirect Data Map entry to the Indirect Data Map is now prevented.
  3. Writing to Command Registers (F16:0-23) from a User Task directly (not using a Command instruction) is no longer allowed.
  4. The current axis for all tasks incorrectly defaulted to Axis0. Task 0 should default to Axis 0, Task 1 should default to Axis 1, and so on. Tasks with no associated axes default to Axis 0.
  5. Fixed a problem in which issuing the Requested Position was not truncated on linear axes to the Position Overtravel Limits if it was out of range. This only affected axes with the Command Modified auto stop was set to 'Status Only'.
  6. Fixed a problem in which relative move commands did not check to see if the resulting requested position was outside the position limits on linear axes.
  7. Fixed a problem in which moves on rotary axes using a direction of Positive, Negative, or Nearest could use the wrong direction if the axis was in motion.
  8. Fixed a target generation fault that could occur if a command was given with a requested speed that exactly matched the current speed.

RMC70 Firmware 1.32 (May 27, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added a new motion command:
    [RMC70Tools 1.31.0 or newer is required to issue this command.]
    Move Velocity (37):
    This command makes the axis ramp up to and hold a continuous velocity motion profile. Notice that the Target Position is updated at this velocity, and a Position PID is used for the control algorithm.
  2. Added a DF1 protocol option to ignore duplicate packets. By default this option is enabled, as it was in previous firmware releases. Some HMIs require disabling this option.
    [RMC70Tools 1.31.0 or newer is required to change this option.]
  3. Added logging for DF1 requests made on the second serial port.
    [RMC70Tools 1.31.0 or newer is required to view these log entries.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a target generation problem where the target position could overshoot the requested position in cases with low Accel and Decel.
  2. Fixed a problem in which changing a System Tag bit from the User Programs did not work correctly. For example, the following expression did not work:
    _Axis[0].SimulationBits.0 := True
  3. Fixed a problem in which the controller would not communicate with RMC70Tools in some cases where two control axes plus two reference axes were configured.

RMC70 Firmware 1.31 (March 7, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for PLC-5 DF1 communication commands, including PLC-5 Typed Read, PLC-5 Typed Write, PLC-5 Word Range Read, and PLC-5 Word Range Write.

RMC70 Firmware 1.30 (March 4, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.30.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for rotary axes. This is current available on axes with SSI feedback. Each SSI-feedback axis can be configured to be either linear or rotary.
  2. Updated the Move Absolute (20), Time Move Absolute (30), Quick Move Absolute (15), and Open Loop Absolute (11) commands now support different values for their Direction parameter. For linear axes, only Nearest (0) is supported. For rotary axes, Nearest (0), Positive (+1), Negative (-1), and Absolute (+3) are all supported. See the online help for details.
  3. Added support for configuring SSI feedback to be treated as an absolute encoder or as an incremental encoder. Previously, it was always treated as an absolute encoder.
  4. Added a new SSI Count Offset axis parameter. It is intended to be used for adjusting the zero count position on SSI absolute rotary encoders, but can be used on SSI linear encoders as well.
  5. Added several new commands:
    Offset Position (47)
    This allows shifting the Target and Actual Positions simultaneously by a set amount.
    Gear Position (30)
    This command allows gearing a position axis to another axis's position or any other arbitrary register, including User Variables.
    Gear Velocity (31)
    This command allows gearing a position axis to another axis's velocity or any other arbitrary register, including User Variables.
    Enable/Disable Axis (97)
    This command can be used to manually disable an axis. This is necessary when editing certain interrelated parameters directly from the PLC. It is also useful to lock out all motion commands on an axis.
  6. Improvements to Modbus/RTU protocol:
    1. Removed the Preset Single Register (0x06) Modbus/RTU function. This only applies to 16-bit values, which are not present on the RMC70.
    2. Improved Modbus/RTU error checking.
    3. Fixed a bug with the Read/Write Multiple Registers (0x17) Modbus/RTU function, in which the response would have an invalid length.
  7. Improved the Target Generator to take a more direct route in cases where the current axis acceleration was non-zero. This was noticeable in certain Quick Moves and when issuing motion commands while accelerating or decelerating.
  8. Added a Requested Jerk axis parameter. This parameter is currently only used by the Target Generator to choose between S-curve and trapezoidal velocity profiles. To select trapezoidal velocity profiles, set the Requested Jerk parameter to 0. Otherwise, S-curves will be used.
  9. Added limiting of the simulated positions to the limits of the simulated transducer. For example, a simulated MDT-feedback axis will never go under 0 counts.
  10. Added a Direct Output status bit. This bit is set when the axis is disabled or in the Direct Output state.
  11. Certain axis parameters affecting the feedback can now only be changed when the axis is disabled or in Direct Output state. This prevents the axis from reacting to large changes in Actual Position.
  12. Improved the handling of Quick Moves for short distances.
  13. Changed the data type of the Raw Counts axis status register from a REAL to a DINT. This prevents overflows on SSI encoders with a large number of data bits.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Issuing a RUN Mode (98) command while the controller was already in RUN mode incorrectly reset the one-shot states.

RMC70 Firmware 1.25 (February 7, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which reading and writing to DINT variables through the Indirect Data Map yielded incorrect values in both directions.
  2. Fixed a bug in which a superfluous "Value out of range" error could show up in the Event Log on startup.

RMC70 Firmware 1.24 (January 14, 2005)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Writing to the low 16-bits using DF1 is now accepted. This non-standard feature allows EZTouch displays to modify a single bit in a Variable Table register.
  2. Added support for instant error notification in RMC70Tools.
    [RMC70Tools 1.30.0 or newer is required to use this feature.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which downloading parameters from RMC70Tools to a Reference Axis would generate errors in the Event Log.

RMC70 Firmware 1.23 (November 24, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Improved the noise immunity of the position inputs. Intermittent glitches lasting two (2) or fewer control loops are now ignored. Notice that it is still possible to detect when these glitches occur by monitoring the Input Estimated status bit.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which the controller could reset during Modbus/RTU communications.
  2. Fixed a problem in which Quick Moves could switch to closed loop at the wrong time with an unreasonable acceleration and velocity when transducer noise occurred.

RMC70 Firmware 1.22 (October 27, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Corrected the behavior of the Integrator when returning from an Output Saturated condition.

RMC70 Firmware 1.21 (October 22, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Corrected a problem in which transitioning from open to closed loop control did not correctly set up the initial integral drive. This results in a potentially large drive discontinuity, and, if no Integral Gain was used, a drive term that would not correct itself.

RMC70 Firmware 1.20 (October 15, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added the Set Discrete Output (60), Clear Discrete Output (61), and Toggle Discrete Output (62) commands.
    [RMC70Tools 1.20.0 or newer is required to issue these commands.]
  2. Added support for reporting the current time in the Event Log in order to help identify the age of entries in the log.
    [RMC70Tools 1.20.0 or newer is required to make use of this feature.]
  3. Added Event Log entries for DF1 application-level errors to help troubleshoot DF1 problems.
    [RMC70Tools 1.20.0 or newer is required to correctly view these entries.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. The PROFIBUS Basic+ and Enhanced+ modes did not require consistency over the entire block for the expanded readback registers. This is required for 32-bit registers, and is now required by the RMC75P.
    [Requires version 1.1 or new of the GSD files (DELT07E1.GSD).]

RMC70 Firmware 1.14 (September 21, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for release RMC75P CPU modules.
  2. Introduced a PC serial overrun avoidance feature that should allow RMC70Tools to communicate, albeit more slowly, with PCs that are susceptible to serial overruns at 38400 baud.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which the Opposite Pressure/Force Orientation mode did not work correctly.
  2. Fixed the computation of the Pressure/Force Integral Output Term status register.
  3. Fixed the handling of one DF1 full-duplex serial protocol error to match the DF1 specification and ensure better recovery.

RMC70 Firmware 1.13 (August 26, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug that kept PROFIBUS communications from working in Beta RMC75P CPU modules.

RMC70 Firmware 1.12 (July 29, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for a large number of axis types:
    Control Axis Types
    1. Position Control
    2. Position-Pressure Control
    3. Position-Force (single-input) Control*
    4. Position-Force (dual-input, differential) Control*
    5. Pressure Control*
    6. Force (single-input) Control*
    7. Force (dual-input, differential) Control*
    8. Output Only*
    Reference Axis Types
    1. Position Reference*
    2. Velocity Reference*
    3. Pressure Reference*
    4. Force (single-input) Reference*
    5. Force (dual-input, differential) Reference*
    [*RMC70Tools 1.15.0 or newer is required to select these types.]
  2. Added support for the EXP70-AP2 and EXP70-A2 expansion modules.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which a plot being uploaded by RMC70Tools could be interrupted before completion.
  2. Fixed a bug in which the state for a Task could be reported incorrectly.
  3. Fixed a bug in which the Output Saturated error bit did not get set when in closed loop control, even when the output was saturated at the limit.

RMC70 Firmware 1.11 (June 15, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.11.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for the EXP70-D8 expansion module. See the RMC70Tools release notes and/or User Manual for details on using this module.
  2. Added support for assigning a discrete input to control whether the controller is in RUN or PROGRAM mode. A rising edge on this input will put the controller in RUN mode and a falling edge on this input will put the controller in PROGRAM mode. Notice that this input may either be any general discrete input (for example, from a D8 expansion module), OR any otherwise unused axis Fault input.
  3. Added a new system tag named "_FirstScan". This tag can be used in the PreScan Table to start one or more tasks when the controller enters RUN mode.
  4. Added support for accessing individual bits within any register with a DWORD type from the User Programs. Examples of registers with this type include Axis Status and Error Bits, discrete I/O state and setup registers, and variables set up with the DWORD data type.
  5. Added support for the "ROL" and "ROR" operators in User Program expressions.
  6. Added support for the following mathematical functions in User Program expressions: LN, LOG, EXP, SIN, COS, TAN, ASIN, ACOS, and ATAN. All are IEC 61131-3 compliant.
    [RMC70Tools 1.15.0 or newer is required to enter these functions.]

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a problem in which certain Users Programs could cause the RMC70 controller to restart into the loader.

RMC70 Firmware 1.10 (May 7, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.10.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Enhanced the Event Log to include entries for (1) axes halts, (2) User Program activities.
  2. Added two new Programming options: (1) optionally stop all tasks when any axis is halted, and (2) selection for whether the controller powers up in RUN or PROGRAM mode.
  3. Changed the Initialize Axis (7) command to Initialize Axes (7) so that the command only needs to be issued once to initialize all axes.
  4. Added several commands:
    RUN Mode (98)
    This command puts the controller in RUN mode. When the controller is in RUN mode, the Controller LED is solid Green, the PreScan table is scanned, and tasks can be started and stopped. This command also performs the equivalent of a Initialize Axes (7) command.
    PROGRAM Mode (99)
    This command puts the controller in PROGRAM mode. When the controller is in PROGRAM mode, the Controller LED flashes Green, the PreScan table is inactive, and no tasks are allowed to run.
    Fault Controller (8)
    This command puts the controller in PROGRAM mode and halts all axes using an Open Loop with Disable Output halt.
  5. Changed the method in which the input feedback polarity is reversed. Previously, a separate Axis Parameter controlled this, but in 1.10 and newer firmware, the Position Scale is simply negated.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed an issue in which an Open Loop Rate (10) command could proceed even if all halt conditions could not be cleared.
  2. For analog feedback transducers, the Actual Position did not saturate when there was a Transducer Overflow error. This was primarily cosmetic, as the error bit would still turn on correctly.
  3. Halt-conscious move commands could be prevented even if the Auto Stop behaviors for all currently-set error bits are all set to Status Only.

RMC70 Firmware 1.04 (April 15, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.03.0 or newer.

New or Enhanced Features:

  1. Added support for RMC75S 2.0 CPU modules.
  2. Improved the smoothness of the Control Output during a transition from Open Loop to Closed Loop.

RMC70 Firmware 1.03 (March 10, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.03.0 or newer.

Bugs Fixed:

  1. Fixed a bug in which writing to a Variable could cause unexpected behavior from the controller.

RMC70 Firmware 1.02 (March 5, 2004)

NOTE: Requires RMCTools 1.03.0 or newer.

First official release.