Operation
Theory of Operation
QuickStick HT User Manual 249
Rockwell Automation Publication MMI-UM007F-EN-P - September 2020
Node Controllers
The MagneMotion node controller is used to monitor vehicles and control the motors and
other components of a QuickStick HT transport system based on the commands from the host
controller. The node controller also provides status information to the host controller. There
can be multiple node controllers in a transport system, each responsible for a subset of the
transport system. Each node controller is connected to the local area network (LAN) for the
transport system. Providing all communications to the node controllers through a LAN allows
the node controllers to be located near the motors they are controlling, which minimizes the
length of all cabling.
Each node controller is responsible for coordinating vehicle motion through the nodes that are
assigned to it and along the paths that are connected to those nodes. The node controllers are
also used to program the motors on the paths that are connected to the nodes assigned to it.
One node controller in the transport system also functions as the high-level controller (HLC).
The HLC provides one point of contact for all communications with the host controller
through either TCP/IP or EtherNet/IP
™
. The HLC distributes any commands or requests that
are received to the appropriate node controller through the LAN using TCP/IP and passes any
messages from the node controllers to the host controller. The HLC also assigns vehicle IDs
and tracks vehicle movement from node controller to node controller to make sure vehicle IDs
are maintained.
NOTE: All TCP communications is unicast. Do not connect the node controllers to a net-
work with large amounts of broadcast traffic as this extra traffic could impact node
controller communication.
Node Controller Communications
All node controllers constantly communicate with the node controller configured as the HLC
through a LAN. Additionally, the node controller designated as the HLC communicates with
the host controller through the same network.
All node controllers have the same IP address when they leave the factory. Individual node
controllers with the same IP address cannot be distinguished on a network and must not be
connected to the network until their IP address is set to a unique address that matches the
addressing structure of the network for the transport system (see the Node Controller Interface
User Manual, MMI-UM001).
See the Node Controller Hardware User Manual, MMI-UM013, for mechanical dimensions,
detailed connector identification and pinouts, and procedures for mounting and connecting the
node controllers to the transport system.
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