eXMP-SynqNet FAQs

- Does the Compact Flash card have a lifetime expectancy?

- What steps should I take if I am unable to ping my eXMP?

- What should I do if I can ping the controller, but I am unable to run my application?

- How do I download Firmware to the controller?

- How do I change the IP address of my eXMP?

- How can I put files on my eXMP-XPe over the network?

- How come nothing appears on the HyperTerminal window or the output is undecipherable when I try to connect to the COM1 port?

- Why do none of the LEDs turn on?

- Can I run MEI tool on my PC over the network?

Does the Compact Flash card have a lifetime expectancy?

According to Lexar Media, their Compact Flash card has a lifetime expectancy of 500,000 to one million writes on a single bit before failure. Therefore, if your application needs to write to the eXMP-SynqNet every sample period, MEI recommends that such information is read over the network or loaded onto the RAM instead of the Flash card.

What steps should I take if I am unable to ping my eXMP?

If you are unable to ping your eXMP, first make sure that your Ethernet cable is in tact and that the LINK/ACT led to the left of the Ethernet RJ-45 Connector is either solid or blinking. For a complete guide to the led status indicators, go to Ethernet LEDs.

If you are still unable to ping the eXMP, check your IP address to ensure that you are on the same network as the eXMP. Check the IP address of the eXMP at the boot parameter screen. The first 3 sets of numbers should match those of your computer’s IP address.

What should I do if I can ping the controller, but I am unable to run my application?

To run your application, you need to run server.exe from your eXMP and indicate that you’re running your program over server in your command line arguments. Follow the directions below for your OS. XPe and VxWorks.

In XPe: In Windows XPe, open a command prompt window at C:\mei\xmp\bin\winnt\ (default location) and type “server” in the command prompt. Hit “Enter,” and server will then run from your eXMP.

In VxWorks: Once VxWorks has loaded, type “sp server” in the command prompt to spawn a new server task.

Press return after “Press ESC to quit…” appears, and the command prompt will reappear. To ensure that server is running, type “i” in the command prompt to see the tasks that are currently running.

To spawn server every time you run VxWorks, include the line “sp server” in your startup script.

To run your application program:

Once you’ve run server from the eXMP, you need to indicate the host in your command line arguments to run your program.

You need to include the “argControl” function in order to recognize the server command line argument. This must be called at the very beginning of your program, before you begin initializing your controller. You may include the example code below:

If you’re running your application from Command Prompt, you simply need to type in the name of your executable followed by -server <eXMPaddress>, where eXMPaddress is the IP address of your eXMP.

If you’re running your application from Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0, you can indicate your command line arguments in the Settings menu.

In your Workspace view window, select the File View tab.

Next, right click on the application program you want to run, and select Settings.

The Project Settings window will pop up, and you will select the Debug tab. Under Debug, you can specify your program arguments. Type in -server eXMPip, under “Program Arguments,” where eXMPip, is the IP address of your eXMP.

How do I download Firmware to the controller?

To download firmware to the controller, you can use either Flash.exe or Motion Console.

How do I change the IP address of my eXMP?

In VxWorks, type bootChange from the VxWorks command prompt. Hit Enter until you reach inet on ethernet (e). Type in the desired ip address. Then press Enter twice to change the IP address of your host PC.

Press Enter to see the ip address of your host PC. Finally, you can either press Enter until you exit out of bootChange, or you can press CTRL+D to save your changes and exit.

In Windows XPe, open a Remote Desktop Connection on your PC (Start Menu > Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection).

At the prompt, type in the ip address of your eXMP and click on Connect.

Next, type in the eXMP’s User Name and Password.

Now open the Network Connection window (Start > Control Panel > Network Connections > Local Area Connection). Right-click on Local Area Connection and select Properties.

Select Internet Protocol, and click the Properties button.

Select the Use the following IP address radio button, and type in the IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway numbers to specify your eXMP settings.

Click OK.

How can I put files on my eXMP-XPe over the network?

XPe:
When accessing the eXMP through Remote Desktop, go to your C:\ directory and add a new folder for sharing purposes. Let's call the folder "shared."

Right click on the folder and select Properties.

Under the Sharing tab, select Share this folder. Then, click on the Permissions button.

Under the “Permissions for Everyone” section, check the Full Control box under the “Allow” column.

Open up an explorer window and enter the IP address of the controller. When prompted, enter the username and password of the controller. All the shared folders, including the one you created, should appear in the explorer window.

Open the folder, and then drag and drop the file(s) in.

How come nothing appears on the HyperTerminal window or the output is undecipherable when I try to connect to the COM1 port?

First, make sure that the RS-232 cable is correctly wired to the COM1 connector. If it is necessary to create a custom console cable, see the eXMP Console Cable Wiring Diagram.

Check the settings on the Hyperterminal. Follow the setup procedure for your OS.
VxWorks | XPe

If the hardware and wiring appears to be set up correctly, try power cycling the eXMP.
NOTE: If you connect to COM1 when the eXMP is already ON, a blank screen will appear and you will not see the initialization script.

When you perform a power cycle, all the settings should print to the screen while it is rebooting.

The following screenshots illustrate the kind of scripts you should be seeing when using VxWorks or XPe.

VxWorks Output:

XPE Output:

Why do none of the LEDs turn on?

Note: When the eXMP is going through its boot sequence, the LEDs will turn ON an OFF. However, once the eXMP is booted, the following rules should apply.

To ensure that your eXMP is connected to the network, the Link/Act LED to the left of the Ethernet port should either be blinking or solid. If it is not, check your boot parameters and see if your operating system booted over the COM1 port on Hyperterminal. If it did not, first make sure that you are on the same network at your eXMP and that your IP settings in your boot parameters are correct. Next, verify that your Ethernet cables are not damaged. If they’re intact, try power cycling the controller. See Ethernet LEDs for more information.

When you connect nodes to your network, the associated LEDs turn ON to indicate the state of the network. If none of the LEDs are turning ON, make sure that your nodes are turned ON and that the Ethernet cables are intact. If the LEDs are blinking, the eXMP is searching for the node configuration, so try resetting your controller from Motion Console. If the LEDs still are blinking, try power cycling the eXMP. See SynqNet LEDs for more information.

Can I run the MEI tools from my PC over the network?

Yes. First, you need to run Server.exe from the eXMP.

Windows: This program can be found on the eXMP using the following path: <where MPI is installed>/xmp/bin/winnt/server.exe. You can run server.exe from the Command Prompt.

VxWorks: Connect to your eXMP with Hyperterminal over the COM1 port. To connect to Hyperterminal follow the procedure on Host-Side Configuration. At the command prompt, type “sp server” to spawn server.exe.

When adding a new controller to Motion Scope or Motion Console, select “Client” and type in the IP address of your eXMP.

NOTE: You must be using the same MPI version as on the eXMP. In VxWorks, type “ver” in the command prompt in Hyperterminal to find the MPI version. In Windows, type <where MPI is installed>/xmp/ bin/winnt/version.exe –server “eXMPaddress” in the command prompt to view the MPI version. (For “eXMPaddress,” type the IP address of your eXMP.)