Geckodrive G540 4-AXIS DRIVE Manual

Thank you for choosing to purchase the G540 4-Axis Drive System. If you are dissatisfied with it for any reason at
all within two weeks of its purchase date, you may return it for a full refund provided it is cosmetically unmarred
and undamaged electrically in any way. Geckodrive Inc. fully warranties the G540 against workmanship defects for
1 year after its purchase date.
Before beginning, be sure to have a suitable step motor, a DC power supply suitable for the motor and a current
set resistor. The motor's rated phase current must be between 0 Amps and 3.5 Amps. Using a motor with a higher
current rating will cause a proportional loss in torque, meaning a 5A motor will get 3.5/5 (70%) of its maximum
torque. The power supply voltage must be determined by the inductance equation listed later or be between 4
times and 20 times the motor's rated voltage. The current set resistor may be a 1/4 Watt, 5% part. Finally have a
STEP and DIRECTION pulse source available.
STEP 1: CONNECT POWER
Connect your power supply positive to TERMINAL 11 and negative to TERMINAL 12. The power supply voltage is
determined by multiplying the square root of the motor's inductance by 32, as in the example below for a 2mH
rated motor:
Be sure that your power supply is turned OFF when connecting or disconnecting it from the G540. Failure to do
so may result in physical damage to the connectors.
CAUTION! Never put a switch on the DC side of the power supply! This will damage, if not destroy, your drive due
CAUTION! Power supply voltage in excess of 50 VDC will damage the G540.
Turn the power supply on and make sure that a red LED comes on. Once you have verified that the drive lights up
turn your power supply off before continuing.
STEP 2: INSERT E-STOP OR JUMPER
The G540 is designed to fault unless there is a normally closed switch (functionally identical to a jumper wire)
between TERMINAL 10 and TERMINAL 12 on the 12-PIN TERMINAL BLOCK. Without TERMINAL 10 shorted to
ground the G540 will remain disengaged to the motors and will not respond to commands. The red LED will be
illuminated if there is no jumper connecting these two terminals.
STEP 3: DISABLE CHARGE PUMP
The G540 has a switch allowing you to disable the charge pump feature, which makes it possible to verify the
G540 works without having to have your DB25 cable plugged in. The switch is located near the 12-PIN TERMINAL
STRIP on the top of the drive. Flip the switch to DISABLE and apply power to the G540; you should have a green
LED lit indicating that setup is successful thus far.
G540 4-AXIS DRIVE
REV 4: MAY 28, 2010
PLEASE READ FIRST BEFORE USING THE G540
32 * (√2) = 45VDC
to a current inrush when the switch is first thrown.
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