I have inherited a project that requires a linear actuator to cycle a mechanical valve. The actuator that was purchased by the previous individual is a Robotzone 6-2 model which has positional feedback and is connected to a jrk 12v12 motor controller.
For now, I am just trying to get the Robotzone actuator to cycle using the Pololu configuration utility but so far I cannot get it to function. I’m hoping someone could help walk me through the setup in a little more detail. Here is my setup so far:
I am currently using a 12V 18 Wh Li-ion Milwaukee drill battery, just for initial testing purposes. This is connected to the 12v12 as appropriate. The other 3 wires coming out of the Robotzone (red/black/yellow) are connected to the 12v12 as follows:
Red: FB
Yellow: +5V
Black: Gnd
On the software side, I have the configuration utility running but I have had trouble finding a suitable file to load for the Robotzone model. Currently I am using the file titled jrk21v3_linear_actuator_settings however I suspect that some of the settings contained in this file are incorrect for the Robotzone model, which did not come with any documentation.
Could someone steer me in the right direction to at least get this unit to cycle?
Ultimately the plan is to use the 12v12 as an interface between the Robotzone and a National Instruments daq chassis w/ (9263) analog card to send an analog output signal to control the actuator but for now I am just trying to get it move.
We do not have any pre-configured settings files for Robotzone actuators, and it sounds like you are loading the settings file intended for the Jrk 21v3 onto a Jrk 12v12, so it will probably be better for you to start with the default settings and configure it yourself. You can find some instructions in the “Setting Up Your System” section of the Jrk user’s guide. Please note that you should start the process with nothing connected to the Jrk (i.e. no motor, feedback, or motor power).
However, before you get to that, I did a quick search to find some information about your linear actuator and found this HDA6-2 linear actuator and this HDLS-6-2 linear servo. Do you know which of those two you have? Your wire coloring sounds like it matches the HDLS-6-2 linear servo, but please note that the linear servo has control electronics built-into it, and it is not controllable from a brushed DC motor controller like the Jrk (it is intended to be used with hobby RC servo signals).
Thank you for your help, the only info on the side of the unit is model number 6-2. I’m not going to waste any more time with it and just order another new one; I’m looking at model # 2307 (I would actually prefer this slower/higher torque capacity model), can it be used together with my existing 12v12 controller or would you recommend going with the 21v3 as per your website? I would prefer to purchase a controller that already has a config file so I don’t have to customize my own, in the interest of time.
Yes, you can use the #2307 actuator with the Jrk 12v12. Since you already have the Jrk 12v12, I recommend
trying that first. We do not have a pre-configured settings file for the Jrk 12v12, but it is a simple modification to make the Jrk 21v3 settings file work for the 12v12. The main difference is the current calibration value; which should be updated from 37 (the default for the 21v3) to 149 for the 12v12. For convenience, I have modified the preconfigured Jrk 21v3 settings file (found on the “Resources” tab of the Jrk 21v3 product page) for use with the Jrk 12v12:
Please note that the preconfigured settings file for our actuators is for the feedback and feedback scaling settings; you will still need to configure the settings related to the input to match your application (as well as any additional settings you want, like acceleration limiting).
By the way, if you do decide to get a new Jrk controller instead, I recommend newer Jrk G2 21v3, which has a number of improvements over the original Jrk controllers. You can read about the differences at the bottom of the Jrk G2 21v3 product page.
