Curve Tool: Uploading and Downloading Curves

Note: Uploading and downloading are available only when RMCWin is online with an RMC CPU that has firmware supporting curves. Firmware dated 19971204 or later supports this feature.

Note: Downloading enhanced curves requires RMC CPU firmware dated 20010208 or later. See Standard vs. Enhanced Curves for details.

The Curve Tool allows downloading or uploading curves to or from the RMC. It will only upload or download a curve to a single axis. Downloading a curve to an axis from RMCWin will erase all existing curves on that axis in the RMC. You should not download a curve while that axis is running a spline. Uploading a curve from an axis that has more than one spline segment will upload the first, or oldest, curve. It is only possible to have multiple spline segments per axis by downloading them through the communication module such as Ethernet, Modbus Plus, Serial, or PROFIBUS. See Downloading Splines to the RMC for details.

Each curve that is downloaded is stored in the RAM memory. Downloading a curve does not automatically save the curve to Flash memory. The Curve Tool offers a command to save all curves in the RMC to Flash memory. This command is described below. Without saving the curves to Flash, the curves will be lost when the RMC loses power.

To upload a curve from the RMC:

Select the axis you want to upload, as described in Selecting the Active Axis.
On the Online menu, click Upload from Motion Controller, or use the corresponding toolbar button ( $image\BUT_UL.gif$ ).
The curve currently in the RMC for the active axis will be uploaded to the Curve Tool.

To download a curve to the RMC:

Select the axis of the curve you want to download, as described in Selecting the Active Axis.
On the Online menu, click Download to Motion Controller, or use the corresponding toolbar button ( $image\but_dl.gif$ ).
If the curve you are downloading is an Enhanced curve, but the RMC does not have firmware that supports Enhanced curves, then you will be given two options. First, you can convert the curve to a Standard curve and proceed with the download. Second, you can cancel the download.
The curve for the active axis will be downloaded to the RMC.
If you want to save this and all other splines to Flash memory, then proceed with the steps below for saving all splines to Flash.

To save all curves in the RMC to Flash:

On the Online menu, click Save Splines to Flash, or use the corresponding toolbar button ( $image\BUT_FLSH.gif$ ).
Wait until the Flash operation is complete, as is indicated by the progress window. If power to the RMC is lost while the Flash operation is in progress, the RMC will lose both old and new curves.