How to configure the brake of your motor

How to configure the brake of your motor

Problem

I have a brake in my application and I don't know how to configure its enabling/disabling from the software point of view according to my requirements. What steps do I need to follow?

Steps

  • The first step that needs to be done is to assign a digital output to the "Brake" functionality in the Inputs Outputs window. An example would be the following:

  • Then, we need to set all the brake options correctly which are split in the Actuator and Brake windows. The first parameter to be set is the Mode which leads to 2 possible configurations:

Automatic mode

When working in automatic mode, the drive directly controls the brake and its activation and deactivation when necessary. This mode is firstly selected in the Actuator window like it is shown in the following picture:


In addition to this, there are 2 different modes of operation within the automatic mode, which are:

Constant voltage mode

In constant voltage mode, no modulation of the DC bus main power supply is done so make sure that the drive's DC supply voltage does not exceed the ratings of the brake or otherwise you can significantly damage the brake very easily. In this mode then, only the delays between the activation/deactivation of the brake with respect to the enabling/disabling of the power stage of drive can be configured like it is shown in the following picture:


Variable voltage mode

In variable voltage mode, a modulation of the DC drive voltage is done in order to activate/deactivate the brake. Therefore, one can configure the initial amount of time in which the brake will be at full voltage (always be careful depending on the voltage level) and what duty cycle % will be applied when modulated. In addition to this, the both delays can also be configured like in the previous mode of operation. An example of a brake of this type is the following:


Manual mode

In manual mode, the brake must be externally operated by using the Digital outputs register. In this mode of operation, be aware that the specified duty cycle in the brake options register will be applied always, so it must be modified manually (using the Register Watcher for example) in order to variate from full brake release (DC 100%) to modulated brake (i.e. DC 50%).

If you don't know exactly how to operate the digital outputs in order to trigger the brake activation/deactivation you can take a look at this article: How do I know if my digital output is working properly?