Command Format And Controller Response - Galil Motion Control DMC-18 2 Series User Manual

Linux
Galil has developed code examples for the Linux operating system. The installation includes sample
drivers to establish communication with Galil PCI and ISA controllers. The current version of the
software has been tested under Redhat 6.X O.S. All source codes for the drivers and other utilities
developed for Linux are available to customers upon request. Linux drivers are available for ISA and
PCI cards under Kernel 2.2. Drivers are also available for the PCI card only for Kernel 2.4.
For more information on downloading and installing the Linux drivers for Galil controllers, download
the Linux manual at: http://www.galilmc.com/support/manuals/lnxmanual.pdf.
QNX
Galil offers sample drivers for ISA and PCI cards for the QNX 4.24 operating system. We also offer
drivers and utilities for QNX 6.2 for PCI only. Download at
http://www.galilmc.com/support/download.html#linux.

Command Format and Controller Response

Instructions to the DMC-18x2 may be sent in Binary or ASCII format. Binary communication allows
for faster data processing since the controller does not have to first decode the ASCII characters.
ASCII Command mode
In the ASCII mode, instructions are represented by two characters followed by the appropriate
parameters. Each instruction must be terminated by a carriage return or semicolon.
The DMC-18x2 decodes each ASCII character (one byte) one at a time. It takes approximately .350
msec for the controller to decode each command and execute it.
After the instruction is decoded, the DMC-18x2 returns a colon (:) if the instruction was valid or a
question mark (?) if the instruction was not valid.
For instructions that return data, such as Tell Position (TP), the DMC-18x2 will return the data
followed by a carriage return, line feed, and colon (:).
An echo function is also provided to enable associating the DMC-18x2 response with the command
sent. The echo is enabled by sending the command EO 1 to the controller
Binary Command Mode
Some commands have an equivalent binary value for the controllers. These values are listed in the
Command Reference next to the command in parentheses in hexadecimal format . Binary
communication mode can be executed much faster than ASCII commands since the controller does not
have to first decode the ASCII characters. Binary format can only be used when commands are sent
from the PC and cannot be embedded in an application program.
DMC-18x2
Artisan Technology Group - Quality Instrumentation ... Guaranteed | (888) 88-SOURCE | www.artisantg.com
.
Chapter 4 - Software Tools and Communications • 49