Page 1 LYNCA VA6F Amplifier Board for Two Servo Solenoid Valves and Two Pressure Valves USER MANUAL General Information VA6F is a multichannel valve amplifier module developed to drive hydraulic valve coils with LVDT feedbacks. It suits particularly well to control Hoerbiger valves of a press brake. VA6F may also be used to control valves without feedback. In any case it s important to check the compatibility of the LVTD feedbacks signals and the output currents used by the coils. It s very important to validate the usage by a specialist. VA6F controls simultaneously: two proportional servo solenoid valves, one pressure valve and one proportional valve for crowning. The package includes the following items: Board Software Documentation VA6F Amplifier Board VA6 Programming Software used to calibrate the current control parameters The VA6 Programming SW can be downloaded from www.lynca.com web site This manual
Page 2 System Specification Technical Specification Power Supply (Logic) Power Supply (Valves) Power Consumption Dimensions Weight 15 30V DC + 24V DC ~ 150mA @24V DC (Logic supply) 122mm x 250mm x 70mm, DIN rail mounting 400 gr Temperature Range 0º... +60 ºC Voltage reference Inputs Digital input LVDT Input Digital Output Output Channels Programming Interfaces Features LED indicators Protection Wire Connections 2 set values: ± 10V, 10bits ADC 2 set values: 0..+10V, 10bits ADC 2 set values from LVDT displacement sensor: +3V.. +12V, 10bit ADC Enable control (24VDC) 2 x LVDT inputs: 3V..12V Error output (24VDC) 6 channels 4.5A outputs with software configurable currentlimit and shortcircuit protection per channel RS232 SubD connector for PC communication Individually adjustable current limits by software Software programmable PID closed loop parameters Individually adjustable Dither : 0 to 250Hz and 0 to 20% of max current Output currentoverload LEDs Status Error LED Enable input (24VDC) with LED indication LED indication when LVDT cable is disconnected LED indication in case of emergency condition for each output LED indication of power on/off condition Short circuit proof Reverse polarity protection Coil connections may be disconnected when VA6F is powered (Caution : outputs must be previously disabled) Screw terminals for AWG 1630 Wire Cabinet Mounting The board must be mounted into a ventilated electrical cabinet. The following installation instructions must be followed strictly. The data and analog signal cables must be shielded on their entire length. The mass braid must be connected to the connector housing. The data and analog signal cables must be separated from the high voltage cables and transformers (electromagnetic disturbances) with a minimum distance of 30cm
Page 3 PC Software connection via RS232 Serial Line To calibrate the LVDT signals, set the valve current limits and controller parameters, the LYNCA VA6F must be connected to a PC via the standard serial RS232 interface. The DB9 connector of the VA66 is used for this purpose. The data signals comply with the RS232 PC standard. Only TX, RX and GND signals are used. The interface cable should have standard DB9 female connector at each side. The interface cable wiring should be as follows : Pin 2 wired to Pin 3 Pin 3 wired to Pin 2 Pin 5 wired to Pin 5 (Gnd) LEDs Coil Control Failure LEDS : There are seven F LEDs on the front panel of the board indicating visually the state of each amplifier channel separately. As soon as there is a problem to control the coil (current overload), the respective LED is illuminated. The LED correspondence is as follows : F1 LED : Y1 Up fault, F2 LED : Y1 Down fault, F3 LED : Y2 Up fault, F4 LED : Y2 Down fault, F5 LED : Pressure valve fault, F6 LED : Crowning valve fault, Note : In normal function the LED F1 to F7 are scanned permanently. This helps to recognize that everything is running normally and LEDs are not defect. LVDT Feedback Error LED : The LVDT feedback signals failures are also indicated with a LED. F7 Led is used for this purpose. If this led is illuminated, stop the press brake and check the LVDT wires connections. You can also test the LVDT signals with the VA6 Programming Software. F7 LED : LVDT Feedback Error LED Internal Power LEDs : The LYNCAVA6 Amplifier s main logic power supply is 24VDC. The internal power LEDS just indicate a diagnosis on the board (5V, 12V, +12V).
Page 4 Enable LED : Error LED : The External Enable signal input is indicated with a LED. If the input is activated the led will be illuminated. If any error occurs in the amplifier board the Error led will be activated in the same time as the Digital Error signal in the output. Figure 1. VA6F LEDs Power Supply LYNCA VA6 board has 2 different power 24VDC power supplies isolated internally from each other. The 24VDC Logic Power Supply is used to power only the board electronics circuits. The 24VDC Valve Power Supply is used to deliver the coil control currents. The reason of this double power supply is to isolate the coil power circuits from the logic power supply. Connecting Logic Power Supply If the electrical cabinet has a separated 24VDC power supply for logical devices, it s recommended to use it to power the LYNCA VA6F logical board. The LOGIC PWR connector is situated on the right top of the board as shown in Fig. 2.
Page 5 Connecting Valve Power Supply The power supply voltage should be in the range between +15V and +32V DC. Power rating must be determined according to the valves used in the machine. It is recommended to use at least 150 W Power supplies. The Valve Power Supply connector VALVE PWR is situated on the top middle of the board as shown in Fig. 2. Valve Connections for Hydraulic Press Brakes The VA6F has 6 channels to control : 2 proportional valves for Y1 and Y2 Cylinders over 4 channels, as well as the Pressure and Crowning proportional valves. Y1 and Y2 valves spool positions are controlled with a feedback loop, whereas the Pressure and the Crowning valves are controlled in open loop. Valve Coil Connections Y1 and Y2 valves has each 2 coils, controlling the spool positions for positive (UP) and negative (DOWN) directions, respectively Pressure valve has only one coil Crowning valve has only one coil Valve Coil Connectors are presented in Figure 2. LVDT Feedback Connections for Y1 and Y2 Valves Y1 and Y2 valves are controlled with a feedback loop. The valve spool positions are measured using an LVDT sensor. LVDT sensors are powered from the VA6F board. The LVDT sensor has 3 wires as shown in Figure 2. : LVDT Power input (24V) LVDT Measurement Signal (IN) LVDT Ground (GND)
Y1 Up coil + Y1 Down coil + Pressure coil + Power Supply Input for Valves Gnd +24VDC Y2 Up coil + Y2 Down coil + Crowning coil + Page 6 Error Output Enable Input LVDT Y2 Gnd Measurement 24VDC Gnd LVDT Y1 Gnd Measurement 24VDC Figure 2. VA6F Valve Connections for Hydraulic Press Brake Control Reference Inputs The control signals references coming from the CNC must be connected to the respective reference inputs of the board (bottomleft area of the board) as shown in Figure 3. The polarity of the control signals minus/plus must be respected. Figure 3. VA6F Valve Reference Control Input Connections
Page 7 Cautions To prevent unexpected behavior and damages, please consider the following instructions before running the system. Make sure that : the VA6F boards has the right parameters set adapted to the valves. The valve coils current limits are adjusted to respect the valve coils current limits. Y1 and Y2 channels wiring, as well as the UP and DOWN senses wirings are respected. Control reference inputs and their signal polarities are respected. You will find all the necessary information on the following chapter devoted to the PC Tuning Software and Parameter Lists. IMPORTANT RULE FOR SAFETY AND PREVENTING DAMAGES Using the VA6F PC Software it s possible to apply some diagnosis and LVDT calibrating tests using the excitations signals generated by the Amplifier. Those tests doesn t need any physical beam motion. Diagnosis Software activates only one valve coils during the test and measures the spool positions. If the main pump is working during the impulse test, catastrophic results may occur in the machine. Therefore, it is strictly forbidden to run the impulse test if the main pump is active. The LVDT Calibrating or Unit impulse test may be applied only when the MAIN PUMP IS NOT ACTIVE, otherwise you will damage your machine. Running the Press Brake If the security conditions above are respected, before running the system make sure that : The Enable signal (+24V DC) from the Logical Control Unit is applied to the ENB pin of the VA6F amplifier board and LVDT sensor cables from both Y1 and Y2 valves are connected to VA6F amplifier board. If the above two conditions are not satisfied, the VA6F amplifier outputs will not be activated.
Page 8 LYNCA VA6F PC Software in USER MODE Valve Amplifier PC program modifies factorydefault PID parameters of VA6F board amplifier for each Servo Solenoid Valve. The following steps are required for update process. 1. Run the Valve Amplifier VA6F program. 2. Ensure that the RS232 cable is connected between PC and amplifier board. 3. User can see the current status of the VA6F board amplifier on the top left corner of the VA6F Program. 4. If there is no communication established yet between the VA6F board amplifier board and VA6F Program in the PC (Personal Computer), this is indicated as No Communication in purple back color in the program as shown in Figure 4. Figure 4. Communication status with VA6F 5. VA6F board amplifier board communicates with the VA6F amplifier board with the following communication parameters: 9600 bps 8 Data bits No Parity No Software flow control 6. In order to communicate with VA6F board amplifier board, user should choose the communication port. Figure 5 shows the screenshot of the program as soon as communication is established.
Page 9 Figure 5. Selecting the Serial Communication Port. 7. Although communication is Ok, system will not be READY to run until the Enable Input Signal is received from the logic control circuit of the cabinet. However, this is not a requirement to update parameters. 8. Open the VA6F parameters file by clicking Load Parameters button. The parameter files are stored by default in the following path : C:\Program Files\Bilko AS\Lynca VA6 Valve Amplifier Software\Parameters Figure 6. Loading and saving Parameter Files on PC Memory.
Page 10 9. Choose the appropriate file from this dialog window. As soon as the file is selected, click on Open button. The parameters on the selected file will be loaded automatically to the program as shown in Figure 7. Figure 7. PID parameters and LVDT limits are loaded into the program. 10. At this step, the parameters are ready to be downloaded into the nonvolatile flash memory of the VA6F amplifier board. a. In order to send the parameters to the VA6F amplifier board, click on Send Parameters button to store the parameters into the volatile RAM. b. Then, click on the Write to Flash button to write all parameters into the nonvolatile flash memory of the VA6F. 11. At any time, user can return back to default factory setting by clicking on Reset to Factory Settings button on the Parameters Update Group. 12. If the Enable input signal is not yet active, user can connect +24V Enable signal to the VA6 F amplifier board. The status of the VA6F amplifier board will change to default state. 13. In the default state, Error LED should not be illuminated and seven LEDs F1 to F7 should flash sequentially. Now, the system is ready to run.
Page 11 14. Finally, you can click on Start button to activate the system. In order to stop the system to return back to default state, user can click on Stop button. 15. If the LVDT limits of the valve spool positions have not yet known by the VA6F amplifier board, you can automatically measure their values by simply clicking on the LVDT Auto Scaling button. Figure 8 shows the initial screen look as soon as LVDT Auto Scaling button is clicked. Figure 8. Autoscaling the LVDT limit values automatically. As shown in Figure 8, a black text screen appears on the left hand side of the program. The maximum and the minimum valve spool positions are shown on this black text screen. The chart on the right hand side shows the measurement of the LVDT sensors. Horizontal scale on this chart goes up to 1024 positions. The first half of this horizontal scale is for LVDT Y1, and the second half is for LVDT Y2. The null position of the VA6F is approximately at 512 ADC units. For the example shown in Figure 8, the null position of the LVDT Y1 is at 509, whereas the null position for LVDT Y2 is at 507. The user should be careful about automatic limit measurement system. The following table summarizes the error conditions:
Page 12 Max Limit should always be greater than both Middle(Null) and Min limit. Middle Limit should always be greater than Min limit. All limits should be greater than 50. (That indicates broken cable!) They should not be equal to each other. (That indicates power stage is not activated) In Figure 8, by looking black text screen, one can easily says that Y2 amplifier stage is either not connected or not activated. This condition is also shown in the chart on the right hand side. Second part of the horizontal scale is a horizontal line meaning that no spool movement is detected by the VA6F board during the automatic LVDT limits measurement. At the end of the measurement, the program presents two alternatives to the user. a. User can click on Cancel button, to discard all measurements. b. User can choose Update button to update the program values on PC side. Note : This choice does not affect VA6F amplifier board parameters. Later on, if user wants to update the VA6F amplifier board with the values in the PC program, s/he can follow the instructions at step 10. 16. Once the parameter values are found the current machine, the parameters can be saved on PC for future reference by clicking Save Parameters button as shown in Figure 9. Figure 9. Saving Parameters on PC Memory
Page 13 17. User can also test the response of each valve, Y1 or Y2 by clicking on Start Test button. VA6F amplifier board will move the spool position at the value given in Amplitude field. An example step response screen is shown in Figure 10. CAUTION : This is a very dangerous operation. To prevent damages, when testing the step response of a valve, the Main Pump should NOT be activated. Figure 10. Closedloop Step Response of Valve Y1. 18. The graphical display window shows the measured spool position. Clear button clears the chart and Save button saves the contents of the chart as a text file. It s also possible to display the control signal used in the closed step response. Get Control button is used to display the control current sent to the coil. 19. The step response test may be done in Open loop. For this purpose the Closed Loop case must be unselected. 20. Finally, if all parameters of the system are determined, user can click on Start Button. Figure 11 depicts the status of VA6F amplifier while running.
Page 14 Figure11. Status of VA6F amplifier while running.
Page 15 VA6F Programming Software in DEVELOPER MODE User can also run the Valve Amplifier VA6F Program in Developer Mode. The default mode of the program is User Mode. In order to enter in Developer mode, user should click on User Mode button and enter the developer password correctly in the developer password form as shown in Figure 12. Figure12. Switching to Developer Mode. The Developer Mode proposes two more options as shown in Figure 13 and Figure 14. Factory Settings Copy The first one concerns Factory Settings safety copy for all Amplifier Parameters. To create a Factory Settings Copy inside the VA6F amplifier, Set as Factory Settings button must be used. This option saves the current parameter configuration of the program as default factory settings.
Page 16 Figure13. Saving Factory Settings Copy on VA6F. Testing the LVDT signals In advanced mode it s possible to test the Y1 and Y2 coils in up and down directions and measure the LVDT signals individually. To perform those tests you can use the four buttons situated in the bottom- left area of the user interface. Figure14. Tesing LVDT signals of Y1 and Y2 valves. Important Caution : LVDT tests is a dangerous operation. When Testing the LVDT signals, to avoid damages, the Main Pump Must be imperatively Deactivated.
Page 17 Step Responses To calibrate the PID parameters and observe the coil currents controlloop performance it s possible to apply a step response to the coil position. CAUTION : Step response tests are dangerous operation if executed when the main pump is active. When doing those step response tests the main pump MUST be deactivated. To realize an individual Y1 or Y2 step response test, you can enter a spool reference position value to the selected valves. The target spool reference values must be inside the MIN and MAX values defined in the LVDT Limits Tabs respectively. The step responses are graphically displayed, Get Control button allows to display also the the control signal applied to the coil. Those signals should not have an oscillating behavior. If this happens you should reduce controller proportional or integral gains. Figure15. Step response for LVTD tests.
P a g e 18 Valve Amplifier VA6F Board without LVDT Feedback The VA6F Valve Amplifier board can also be run without feedback in open loop configuration. In order to run the system in open loop mode, the Jumper 1 (program) should be connected together as shown in Figure 16. Default configuration of VA6F is with feedback (jumper 1 not mounted). Caution : When using the valves without feedback, the maximum current limits of the valve is used as the output value corresponding to the maximum control value received from the CNC controller. If the maximum current value is not well adapted the coil will heat and may be damaged. Figure16. All rights reserved Open Loop Mode Jumper (prog) March 2012, Version 1.4
Page 19 Typical Parameter Values for Different Valves For Hoerbiger PIL500PC06P12 Kp Feedforward 1024 Kp 2000 Ki 45 Kd 0 LVDT Max Limit 788 LVDT Middle Limit 512 LVDT Min Limit 236
Page 20 Warranty and Disclaimer All the products owned by Bilko Automation are protected by copyright law and international copyright treaty. Therefore, this manual is to be treated as any other copyright material. No part of this manual, including product and software described herein, may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, translated or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of Bilko Automation. The manual PDF edition can be printed for private or local use, but not for distribution. Any modification of this manual is prohibited. Bilko Automation provides this manual as is without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties or conditions of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Bilko Automation shall assume no responsibility or liability for any errors, omissions and inaccuracies that may appear in this manual. In no event shall Bilko Automation, its directors, officers, employees or distributors be liable for any indirect, specific, incidental or consequential damages (including damages for loss of business profits and business information, business interruption or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the use of this manual or product, even if Bilko Automation has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Bilko Automation reserves the right to change information contained in this manual at any time without prior notice, if necessary. HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES The products of Bilko Automation are not fault tolerant nor designed, manufactured or intended for use or resale as on line control equipment in hazardous environments requiring fail safe performance, such as in the operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation or communication systems, air traffic control, direct life support machines or weapons systems in which the failure of Software could lead directly to death, personal injury or severe physical or environmental damage ( High Risk Activities ). Bilko Automation and its suppliers specifically disclaim any expressed or implied warranty of fitness for High Risk Activities. TRADEMARKS VA6F name is a trademark of Bilko Automation. VA6F is designed by Bilko Automation Co. Istanbul. All rights of the Hardware and Software design belongs to Bilko Automation Co. VA6F is distributed worldwide by Bilko Automation. All other trademarks mentioned herein are property of their respective companies. All other product and corporate names appearing in this manual may or may not be registered trademarks or copyrights of their respective companies, and are only used for identification or explanation and to the owners benefit, with no intent to infringe.