SiUtils - Applied Motion Products Si Microstep Drive API

Version 1.3

Author:

R. Pogge, OSU Astronomy Dept. (pogge@astronomy.ohio-state.edu)

Date:

2004 July 16

Overview

C-language API for Applied Motion Products Si Microstep Drive family using the SiNet Command Language (SCL). See the SiNet Command Language Software Manual (www.applied-motion.com) for details of the language. AMP provides no Linux API for its drives, so we rolled our own. These routines provide a mid-level application programming interface for SCL operations of interest to us at OSU. It is self-contained, with no code dependent on any of our instrument or data-taking system code. This should make it generically useful for any stepper motor controller application using these drives.

Compilation and Dependencies

The Makefile compiles libscl.a using g++. Applications linking to the SiUtils API do not need to link with any other special libraries for this version if using g++. If libscl.a was compiled with gcc, applications will also need to link with the C math libaries (-lm).

Notes

This is very much beta code, so as we work our way through the initial prototyping phases, some things are bound to change, perhaps radically. Please view this as a work in progress, not a complete package. Yet. We're getting there. Really. Real Soon Now...

Modification History

2003 Oct 22 - created prototype routines [rwp/osu]
2003 Nov 02 - better handling of NULLs and other pathologies [rwp/osu]
2004 Apr 16 - added SCLStatus() helper function [rwp/osu]
2004 Apr 18 - added SCLTimeStamp() helper function [rwp/osu]
2004 May 26 - added SCLGetParams() and the si_drivepars struct [rwp/osu]
2004 Jun 15 - incorporated si_mechanism struct and functions [rwp/osu]
2004 Jul 16 - modifications to si_mechanism struct [rwp/osu]

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