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A Simple Method for Servo Motor Tuning
Primary Software:
Primary Software Version: 7.6
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A
Hardware: Motion Control>>Controllers>>PCI-7350
Problem:
I can't seem to get my servo motor tuned. Is there a simple method to find PID gains that will give me
something close to my desired response?
Solution:
This document is intended to complement the Understanding Servo Tune Developer Zone
document, which more thoroughly explores the concept of servo tuning. There is no single proper
way to do manual servo tuning, but the method outlined below provides a simple method to quickly
determine gains that are in a reasonable range to provide a good response from the system.
Tuning Features of Measurement & Automation Explorer
One way to tune an NI-Motion system is to open up the Step Response and Control Loop tabs as
separate windows. To do this, follow these steps:
1. In Measurement & Automation Explorer (MAX), go to CalibrationServo Tune for your motion
controller.
2. Click and hold the Step Response tab
3. Drag the mouse until the Step Response tab appears as a separate window
4. Click the push pin icon at the top right of the window to keep the Step Response window
open.
5. Repeat these steps for the Control Loop tab. Arrange and resize the windows so that you can
see them side by side as you tune your motor. Images of the windows are shown below for
your reference.
Hello Can (This is not me)
The Method of Tuning
Now that you have the windows arranged so that you can easily modify your control loop, and see the
changes in the step response, take the following steps to tune your PID control system.
1. Set all three PID parameters, K
p
, K
d
, and K
i
to 0
2. Start by tuning K
p
. Set it to a number that is much lower than needed. If you are unsure, start
with 1.
3. Click the Step Response button to view a step response graph of your system. Step
response plots are described in further detail in the Understanding Servo Tune document
mentioned earlier.
4. If the graph shows the parameter is:
Too Low - Double the value of the parameter.
Too High - Set the parameter to halfway between the current value and the previous value.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you achieve a reasonable value for K
p.
For most systems, this will
mean that the response will approach the input, and oscillate continually about the input with
a small amount of dampening. If the oscillation does not gradually decrease in amplitude as
shown below, then the system is considered unstable. If this occurs, you may need to add a
small amount of K
d
while you are repeating steps 3 and 4 to increase K
p
.
6. After you arrive at a reasonable value for K
p
, move on to K
d.
7. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for K
d
until you achieve a reasonable value for K
d
. For most systems,
this will mean that the response will no longer oscillate continually, but will quickly dampen to
a steady state value. This steady state value may be slightly offset from the input value, and
this offset can be corrected with an appropriate K
i
value.
8. After you arrive at a reasonable value for K
d
, move on to K
i
.
9. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for K
d
until you achieve a reasonable value for K
i
. This parameter
works on the integral of the position error therefore taking out offset error. Please use this
parameter conservatively as it can introduce instability into the system.
A Tuning Example
The table below provides an example of using this method to quickly tune a servo motor. This
example took 20 iterations to arrive at a reasonably well tuned system. The gains used in each
iteration are shown as well as the step response graph and characteristics. The screenshots from
this tuning are also shown in the animated image of the Step Response window at the beginning of
this document.
Step K
p
K
d
K
i
Settling
Time
(ms)
Rise
Time
(ms)
Peak
Time
(ms)
Max
Overshoot
(%)
Step Response
1 1 0 0 315 96 165 40
2 2 0 0 363 57 114 67
3 4 0 0 567 39 81 89
4 8 0 0 594 27 60 91
5 8 1 0 594 27 60 88
6 8 2 0 594 30 63 88
7 8 4 0 594 27 60 88
8 8 8 0 588 30 63 84
9 8 16 0 501 27 60 78
10 8 32 0 366 30 60 68
11 8 64 0 255 30 60 53
12 8 128 0 162 33 60 29
13 8 256 0 105 45 75 3

14 8 192 0 132 39 66 13
15 8 192 1 534 42 66 3
16 8 192 2 582 36 69 28
17 8 192 4 561 36 69 27
18 8 192 8 237 33 66 54
19 8 192 16 462 30 63 75
20 8 192 12 546 30 63 63

Related Links:
Developer Zone: Understanding Servo Tune
KnowledgeBase 39DHP4QX: Unable to Tune a Servo Motor
KnowledgeBase 1A1FUIYP. Torque and Velocity Mode Differences and NI-Motion Compatibility
National Instruments Motion Control Support Homepage
Attachments:
Report Date: 14.06.2007
Last Updated: 05.03.2012
Document ID: 4AD9N5P9
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