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Transferring Settings from MAX to Motion Controller's Flash Memory

Hardware: Motion Control>>Controllers

Problem:
Is there a way to transfer the motion controller settings I specify in Measurement and Automation Explorer (MAX) to its onboard flash so that next time it is powered up, it comes up in that particular state? Or, what does the option Save Initialization Settings as Controller Defaults do when selected?

Solution:
By default, the motion controller powers up in its factory default settings. The most relevant of these settings is the initial direction and state of DIO lines (as inputs or outputs) on the controller programs run before the controller is initialized.

Simply specifying new configuration settings and then initializing the controller does not change the controller's power-up defaults. To change those, you must transfer the current initialization settings you have specified in MAX to the onboard flash memory of the motion controller. The next time it is powered on, the motion controller will startup with those newly saved settings preloaded.

Follow the instructions below to transfer the initialization settings to the onboard flash:

In MAX, specify and save all the motion controller settings that you want the controller to start up with, including polarity of I/O lines.
Right click on your motion controller listed under Devices and Interfaces and from the popup menu select Save Initialization Settings as Controller Defaults to download the settings to the onboard flash memory of the motion controller.

After downloading settings to flash, the motion controller will start up next time with the downloaded settings already loaded. (Note: there will be a slight delay after the controller powers on before the settings are read from the flash memory).

Usually, initializing the controller is all you need to do in order to operate the controller after that. In some cases, you may have to clear the power up reset state of the controller before using it in your application. In LabVIEW, you can clear the power up reset state by using the Clear Power Up Status VI found in the NI-Motion » Advanced palette.

In previous versions of the NI-Motion driver, the setting to transfer current initialization settings to the onboard flash may be labeled Save Initialization Settings to FLASH.