XMatrix Command Interface: one line of text commands the whole motor

What it does

The XMatrix Command Interface opens the motion-command interpreter inside the device, so motion can be programmed and called from code, repetitive work can be automated, and a longer workflow can be built. One line of ordinary text moves the motor, homes it, stops it, reads status, or addresses several devices. You do not start from motor parameters, drive parameters, and low-level motion-controller code.

It addresses the usual motor-control stack: an external motion controller, a complicated pulse harness, a different interface on every drive, and commissioning and integration done over again. The published implementation carries ASCII commands over UDP. It fits a host application, industrial software, a script, an embedded system, an IoT device, or a local AI tool.

• Absolute position, relative move, continuous run, and homing.
• Change speed, acceleration, enable, and emergency stop.
• Read current position, limits, alarms, and whether the axis has been homed.
• Daisy-chain several units over Ethernet and separate axes by address.
• Combine loops, waits, and I/O so a repeated move is a short command sequence.

How to do it

1. Put the PC or host and the MSP device on the same network, and switch the device to the UDP mode used by the command interface.
2. Send an ASCII string to the programming port on the device IP. The usual factory port is 6000.
3. First send h to confirm communication and device status, then enable, home, and send a motion command.
4. Daisy-chain several devices over Ethernet. Prefix the command with /address to choose the axis that executes it.

Short commands and a first example

On the first link, send in this order. Wait for the reply before the next command:

h               # query status and confirm the network is up
E1              # enable the drive
v50Z1000        # home at 50 rpm and offset 1000 as the zero
V200A10000      # move to absolute position 10000 at 200 rpm

Common sequence patterns

A0 A1000                 # go to 0, then to 1000, once
g A0 A1000 G10           # loop between 0 and 1000, 10 times
g A0 A1000 G             # loop until a separate stop command
A0 W1000 A1000 W500      # go to 0, wait 1 s, go to 1000, wait 0.5 s
/0 A0 /1 A100 /2 A200    # several axes arrive at different positions

Detail

The XMatrix Command Interface keeps the motion-control detail inside the device. Below: network setup, commissioning steps, command rules, multi-axis daisy chain, program access, and what the site needs.

Shared configuration, commissioning, and parameters

This software function shares the MSP device foundation with the other XMatrix entries. Configure groups, axes, and motion modules, check home, limits, direction, and homing, then set speed, acceleration, travel, and protection. Enter the software mode on this page only after that foundation is done.

Where it sits

The XMatrix Command Interface puts industrial motion control, a command interpreter, and network communication in the same MSP hardware. The controller side only states where to move, how fast, and when to stop. The device handles acceleration, homing, limits, and errors.

• Simpler integration: No extra motion card or pulse module. An Ethernet command runs the motor.
• More freedom on the development side: The programming language and the shape of the host are not fixed. Existing software, an IoT system, or a local AI tool can connect.
• One multi-axis logic: Stepper, servo, and the MSP1001 path use the same commands and the same addressing, so the integration is not repeated for each path.
• Room to extend: Beyond the standard commands you can request the full protocol, or a command set and software interface for the project.

How to connect the network

Use an ordinary Ethernet cable and put the PC and the device on the same subnet. A direct cable or a switch both work.

Set the PC IP on the same subnet, for example 192.168.1.100. Ping the device first, then send text with a network tool to 192.168.1.199:6000 send text.

Commissioning steps, short form

1. Unpack the commissioning software and install WinPcap the network driver first (once per PC; if you use a USB Ethernet adapter, plug it in before installing). Then start the commissioning software.
2. Choose the motor-module count, refresh, and store in the background. If a confirmation password is requested, enter what the software on site asks for.
3. Open parameters and set Mode to 1 = UDP. After you confirm, the device restarts.
4. Global settings: check axis count, controller IP (default 192.168.1.199), and programming port (6000). After an IP or port change, power-cycle the controller or the new value does not apply.
5. Create a connection in a UDP network tool (type UDP, target IP, port 6000). First send h to read status, then send a motion command to verify.

How a command is written

• One command = one letter + an optional integer. Commands can be concatenated. Spaces are optional.
• Case sensitive: V is move speed, v is homing speed; Z homes, z changes the current-position count.
• The position unit is pulses, the speed unit is revolutions per minute (rpm), and wait time is milliseconds.
• One datagram holds about thirty commands at most. Wait for the reply. Do not stream the next datagram immediately.
• An unrecognized letter fails the whole datagram, and the motor stops.

A10000P500          # absolute 10000, then a positive relative move of 500
V100 A1000          # the space does not matter
V1000A1000          # same result as the line above

Command list (the common ones)

One unit and several units

Each device has a station address in the commissioning software. The factory value is usually 0. Several units must all differ.

• Prefix the command with /station. Only that unit runs what follows, until the next /.
• Without /, this unit (and any axis that receives the broadcast) runs the command.

/0 A0 /1 A100 /2 A200    # three units move to 0, 100, and 200
V150 /1 A5000            # set one speed, then move only station 1 to 5000

Integration example

Any language: what leaves the socket is one line of ordinary text. The Python below is the minimum flow. A network test tool (a TCP and UDP tester) is the same: create a UDP connection, fill in the device IP and 6000, and send the command from the send pane.

import socket

device = ("192.168.1.199", 6000)
s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_DGRAM)
s.settimeout(1.0)

def send(command):
    s.sendto(command.encode("ascii"), device)
    reply, _ = s.recvfrom(1024)
    return reply.decode("ascii", errors="replace")

print(send("h"))
print(send("E1"))
print(send("v50Z1000"))
print(send("V200A10000"))

Matching hardware

The XMatrix Command Interface covers how the command is sent. For the command to move the axis, and to move it safely, the site still needs the items below.

The full map is in XMatrix Features × MSP Hardware. Accessory categories and models are in Accessories and matching parts.

Common questions