Status: Tested with one and two motors, with threaded computer-side PD torque controllers

This package implements control interfaces for SimplexMotion servo motors. It was developed on a standard Linux (Ubuntu) and tested for SH100B, but some interface implementations should be crossplattform (in particular via the hdiapi library). For Linux, there are 4 alternative communication options:

• via hidraw, using the direct kernel modul (based on https://github.com/torvalds/linux/blob/master/samples/hidraw/hid-example.c)
• via the hidapi library, https://github.com/libusb/hidapi, crossplatform, on Linux largely equivalent to the above
• using the modbus protocol over serial (not yet implemented)
• using the modbus protocol over CAN (not yet implemented)

The SimplexMotion class provides high-level methods (e.g. setPID or runSpeed or running a torque-control loop with your own torque-computation callback). The SimplexMotion_Communication class provides direct write/read access to all SimplexMotion registers, but still agnostic to the choice of communication/implementation.

• SimplexMotion manual (including register documentation): https://www.simplexmotion.com/documentation/manual/SimplexMotionManual.pdf
• SimplexMotion servo motors: https://simplexmotion.com/products/simplex-motion-servomotors/
• Python package using the Modbus RTU protocol: https://github.com/srikanthsrnvs/pysimplex

• standard cmake build:

git clone https://github.com/MarcToussaint/SimplexMotion-driver.git

cd SimplexMotion-driver
mkdir build
cd build
# by default, the hdiapi is compiled call `ccmake ..` to switch to another implementation

cmake ..
make

• Plug in the motor via USB, check dmesg, device paths need general write permission

sudo chmod a+rw /dev/hidraw*

The test/test.cpp implements basic testing of the motors, including simple methods to calibrate cogging, rund constant speed, run direct torque controllers, run the threaded computer-side torque controller. Please look into the source code.

A basic test (running small constant speed) is

./simplexMotionTest /dev/hidraw0

Cogging calibration is

./simplexMotionTest /dev/hidraw0 cogging

To test threads and multi-motors, change the source directly.