15MC and ASDA-A2: Motion Is Axis Control, Not CANopen

The 15MC should control ASDA-A2 servo drives as Motion axes through its motion port. The CANopen configuration area serves standard CANopen communication; adding an ASDA-A2 there as only a generic device does not create the motion-axis object needed for coordinated axis commands. The motion connection still uses CANopen settings in each drive, so configure both the physical network and the Motion project correctly.

Reject the usual quick fixes

Do not start by repeatedly scanning the bus, replacing drives, or moving every device into the generic CANopen configuration. Search cannot find a drive whose operating mode, node ID, bit rate, wiring, or termination is wrong. A generic CANopen node may also exchange data without behaving as a commissioned Motion axis.

The distinction is between the controller object and the network carrying its traffic. Select Motion for the axis even though the drive-side communication parameters configure a CANopen connection. Before continuing, confirm that the project contains the Motion master under which the servo axes will be created.

Set each ASDA-A2 before joining the bus

Configure the drives individually. This avoids the common commissioning trap of placing several drives with the same node ID on one network and then trying to identify which unit is responding.

1. Connect to or access one ASDA-A2 at a time.
2. Set P1-01 to 0x000B.
3. Assign its node ID with P3-00. Record the physical axis name beside that ID.
4. Set P3-01 to 403 for the 1 Mbit network.
5. Repeat the process for every drive, changing the P3-00 value each time.

The evidence covers systems discussed with three and four drives, but it does not state the 15MC axis-capacity limit. Check the controller documentation before expanding the design. Confirm the stored values at each drive before connecting all nodes to the same cable.

Connect and terminate the CANopen line

Connect the ASDA-A2 drives through the 15MC motion port using components compatible with the ports on the actual hardware. The installation needs the network cable and connectors, termination at the physical ends, and the normal drive power, control, protective, and motor wiring. Select exact connector and termination parts from the hardware documentation because no accessory part numbers are specified here.

Termination is part of the CAN physical layer, not an optional software setting. Install it at the two physical ends of the line. Extra terminators, missing end termination, long branches, reversed conductors, and a broken reference conductor can produce intermittent discovery or communication that fails only when every drive is connected.

A motor holding brake is a separate electrical function from CANopen communication. Do not treat successful bus discovery as proof that the brake circuit is wired or controlled correctly. Follow the ASDA-A2 and motor connection diagrams for the brake supply and switching arrangement.

1. Remove power according to the machine isolation procedure.
2. Lay out one continuous network path from the motion master through the drives.
3. Fit termination only at the two physical endpoints.
4. Check conductor continuity, polarity, shield treatment, and the absence of shorts.
5. Reconnect the drives only after their IDs and bit rates have been recorded.

Before applying power, confirm that every node is on the same 1 Mbit setting, every ID is unique, and both physical ends are terminated.

Discover the axes under the Motion master

After setting the drive communication parameters, open the Motion configuration. The axes can be added separately, or the controller can search for all configured drives.

1. Power the controller and drives in the approved commissioning state.
2. Open the Motion tree.
3. Right-click the 112 master entry.
4. Run Search.
5. Compare the discovered node IDs with the recorded P3-00 assignments.
6. Add or identify each discovered drive as the correct machine axis.

Do not move forward merely because the number of discovered devices is correct. Confirm that every expected ID appears once and that each discovered node maps to the intended physical axis.

Commission one axis at a time

Discovery proves network access, not correct motor movement. Keep the mechanism in a safe commissioning condition and work through one axis at a time. A wrong axis-to-node assignment can command the correct motion profile on the wrong machine member.

1. Select one Motion axis and match its node ID to the commissioning record.
2. Verify the connected motor and feedback belong to that physical axis.
3. Check that the holding brake circuit changes state as intended independently of network discovery.
4. Apply the machine-approved enable sequence.
5. Command a small controlled move using site-approved speed, acceleration, and travel limits.
6. Verify direction, feedback response, stop behavior, and brake operation.
7. Disable that axis and repeat for the next node.

If the drive communicates but will not enable, read its active drive status or fault indication before changing network parameters. Communication, motion permission, brake release, and power-stage readiness are separate conditions. Complete this section only when each software axis operates its matching physical mechanism.

Prove the complete installation

Run the final check with all intended drives connected. This exposes duplicate addressing, marginal wiring, or termination faults that may remain hidden during single-drive tests.

1. Cycle power using the approved machine procedure.
2. Run Search again under the 112 master.
3. Confirm every recorded P3-00 ID appears once.
4. Verify each ASDA-A2 returns to the expected Motion state without re-entering parameters.
5. Enable, move, stop, and disable each axis under controlled conditions.
6. Test the required multi-axis machine sequence only after the individual checks pass.
7. Save the controller project and the final drive-parameter record.

The installation passes when discovery remains stable after a power cycle, every Motion axis addresses the intended drive, commanded direction matches feedback, and the brake and stop functions behave correctly.

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