Introduction
Stall detection is a feature used in motors to detect when a motor is unable to move despite being commanded to do so. This situation, known as a “stall,” can occur if the motor encounters an obstacle, if there’s too much load or friction, or if the motor is overdriven beyond its capacity.
How Stall Detection Works:
- Current Monitoring: The motor controller monitors the current being drawn by the motor. If the motor’s current spikes without corresponding movement (indicating that the motor is trying to work harder but not succeeding), the system interprets this as a stall.
- Position Feedback: In some systems, stall detection may also involve monitoring feedback from an encoder or position sensor. If the motor’s position doesn’t change as expected, this can trigger a stall detection.
Purpose:
- Protection: Stall detection helps protect the motor and the mechanical system from damage. For example, if a motor is stuck but continues to try to move, it can overheat or cause mechanical strain.
- System Integrity: By detecting stalls, the system can stop operation or trigger an alert, allowing operators to investigate and fix the underlying issue before it causes further problems.
When to Adjust or Disable Stall Detection:
- False Positives: In some scenarios, like homing at high speed or moving through a particularly tight spot, the system might falsely detect a stall even when the motor is functioning correctly. In such cases, adjusting or temporarily disabling stall detection might be necessary, but it should be done with caution to avoid damaging the motor or system.
Step 1 : Navigate to 192.168.7.2:3000 (or Cloud9). Log in with the username: debian and your password. If you haven’t set up a password yet, try temppwd or temppwd1 .
Step 2 : Once inside the backend environment, expand “Vention Controls” on the left-hand side.
Step 3 : Locate the file named mm-config.json in the file-tree.
Step 4 : Double-click into mm-config.json to access various configurations. One key configuration you might want to adjust is the stall detection setting.
Important : The stall detection settings are Boolean values, meaning they require either true or false . Don’t forget the comma (, ) at the end of the line!
Note : Make sure not to make any other changes unless you fully understand their functions.
When to Turn Off Stall Detection :
If the stall detection error de-energizes your motor after every movement, and troubleshooting shows no other issues (for example, this sometimes occurs when homing at high speed), you may consider turning it off.