Custom motion db and CMF file format Kinetix 6k / Rsl5k v18+

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Hello,

I'm trying to use third party motors with kinetix 6000 drives (2094-BC/BM 01/02), instead of MPL-Bxxx. I discovered that the motion db import tool can be used with Rslogix5k motion db from v12 to v20. We have licences for v16 and v18 and use multiple L60M03SE/L61/L43 PLCs with those firmwares and we purchased a shitload of PLCs and MPL-B motors since we soooo much love rockwell PLCs over Omron or Siemens for motion control. All our kinetix drives are linked with Sercos optical fiber bus to the Sercos cards.

We have some machines that we would like to retrofit, for exemple one with elau SM and SH series motors (SM have almost identical caracteristics and encoder to MPL-B motors). We also have older brushless motors with incremental encoders or analog cos/sin ol'sh*ts, but I won't dream for those. Problem is, in our country, rockwell never told us openly that the motor database could be opened and their speech still almost hasn't changed since v20.xx releases and Kinetix 6200/6500 used in ethernet/IP on RJ45 media instead of Sercos.

I'm not sure Kinetix 6000 are able to handle custom databases so I tried a few test. I found after searching a while a valid motor .CMF file that I could import in a v18 motion database. I can select the motor in the catalog in my axis properties. Then I downloaded the program to the PLC. I looked the IAM and motor properties with a rockwell serial adapter to miniDIN-whatever adapter and DriveExplorer, but I can't exactly find the values of the custom motor imported, I see "Custom motor" in motor type but sinces units are not all the same I can't confirm the values are downloaded successfully. I didn't had time to load a MPL-B and check the values to compare...

Have a few mad industrial sorcerers out there managed to use third party motors and import custom profiles ? Does someone else from Rockwell knows about the CMF XML based format specifications (some values are... disturbingly dark) ? Rockwell seems to keep all that under cover. If someone can comfirme me kinetix 6000 drives with fw 18 can very well handle custom motors I will contact Rockwell and insist to see If they accept to create us CMFs for our motors.

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After more tests : both MPL-B and elau SM are so much similar that they both use a similar or identical Sick SRM/SRS multiturn absolute coder with a EEPROM storing an electronic ID of the motor model (MDL, serial, fab date, lot#). When linked to a SM, the kinetix automatically detects an SRM MT ABS type feedback and show the coder temp and motor rad correctly. But it seems the motor selected on the catalog must match the ID returned by the coder or the kinetix returns an error in Rslogix with something like a invalid or mismatch data. The kinetix then stay stuck in state 3 and doesn't load the motor config and data values from the catalog.

Since the Sick datasheet tells the command code to send on the RS-485 link to get the ID string, I will try to get the one from the SM. Meanwhile we will try with a motor and catalog that doesn't have this kind of coder, that should prove a bit less difficult for starters (until we come to position ajustement and offset...)

But still it doesn't solve the main issue : no specs of the .cmf file format to make a custom profile with both elec ID and motor electrical and mechanical parameters from the datasheets.