The following instructions are meant to get you up and running quickly if you are new to HEBI T-Series actuators. If you have any questions please:

This R/T-Series Connection Toolbox contains all of the necessary tools, wiring, and extra supplies to work with the T-Series or R-Series Actuators. A complete Bill of Materials can be found here: Connection Toolbox BOM

Go to docs.hebi.us and get the latest version of the Scope GUI for your computer (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Here is a simple Block Diagram showing the wiring setup for the T-Series Actuator. All electronics shall be used with a 24-48V power supply. The communications runs off of 100 Mbps Ethernet converted in the Media Converter to Plastic Optical Fiber into the Actuator.

Take the Power cabling and feed the wires through the smaller holes on the connector cover. You can add a small amount of the Silicone Grease to the holes in the wire seal to help slide the cables through more easily. Additionally, you will want to line up the wire with the corresponding slot in the terminal block it will line up with.

From left to right (left being the inside of the cover) the color/wiring order is:

Plug in the power connection to the actuator.

Power connection options to T-Series Actuators can vary and are dependant on the application. HEBI will provide WAGO Wire Nuts in order to initially connect flying lead connections to molex connector cables which can then be connected to HEBI power distribution boards. The image below is an example of wiring up a R-Series arm in a lab environment.

The Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) comes in single strand and duplex paired strands. Use the PP-2402-01 (POF Termination Cutter) provided in the Toolbox to cut the cables and also to split the duplex pair in order to pass thru the wire seals in the connector cover and install in the fiber connectors.

Take the other end of the Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) cabling and feed it through one of the pair of larger holes on the connector cover. You can add a small amount of the Silicone Grease to the holes in the wire seal to help slide the cables through more easily.

Connect the other ends of the power cables to a power source. Turn on the power supply, or connect/activate batteries. The actuators run on any DC voltage source between 24V-48V.

The Status LED will start blinking green/orange while the actuator is trying to obtain an IP address. One of the fiber cables will have a bright red light coming thru it.

The Fiber Connectors on the Actuator should have a red light coming out from one of the two receptacles. Take the Fiber Cable and connect it to one of the Fiber connectors on the Actuator.

Turn off and turn back on actuator power. Again, the Status LED will start blinking green/orange while the actuator is trying to obtain an IP address. After a few seconds, the LED will change to a slow green fade. Once the actuator is in this state it will respond to commands and provide feedback from its internal sensors.

When connecting multiple actuators:

The following instructions are meant to get you up and running quickly if you are new to HEBI R-Series actuators. If you have any questions please:

This R/T-Series Connection Toolbox contains all of the necessary tools, wiring, and extra supplies to work with the T-Series or R-Series Actuators. A complete Bill of Materials can be found here: Connection Toolbox BOM

Go to docs.hebi.us and get the latest version of the Scope GUI for your computer (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Here is a simple Block Diagram showing the wiring setup for the R-Series Actuator. All electronics shall be used with a 24-48V power supply. The communications runs off of 100 Mbps Ethernet converted in the Media Converter to Plastic Optical Fiber into the Actuator.

Take the Power cabling and feed the wires through the smaller holes on one of the cord grips. You can add a small amount of the Silicone Grease to the holes in the Cord Grip to help slide the cables through more easily.

Plug in the power connection to the actuator.

Power connection options to R-Series Actuators can vary and are dependant on the application. HEBI will provide WAGO Wire Nuts in order to initially connect flying lead connections to molex connector cables which can then be connected to HEBI power distribution boards. The image below is an example of wiring up a R-Series arm in a lab environment.

The Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) comes in single strand and duplex paired strands. Use the PP-2402-01 (POF Termination Cutter) provided in the Toolbox to cut the cables and also to split the duplex pair in order to pass thru the sealing Cord Grips and install in the fiber connectors.

Take the other end of the Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) cabling and feed it through the two larger holes on the cord grip that has the power cables. You can add a small amount of the Silicone Grease to the holes in the Cord Grip to help slide the cables through more easily.

Connect the other ends of the power cables to a power source. Turn on the power supply, or connect/activate batteries. The actuators run on any DC voltage source between 24V-48V.

The Status LED will start blinking green/orange while the actuator is trying to obtain an IP address. One of the fiber cables will have a bright red light coming thru it.

The Fiber Connectors on the Actuator should have a red light coming out from one of the two receptacles. Take the Fiber Cable and connect it to one of the Fiber connectors on the Actuator.

Turn off and turn back on actuator power. Again, the Status LED will start blinking green/orange while the actuator is trying to obtain an IP address. After a few seconds, the LED will change to a slow green fade. Once the actuator is in this state it will respond to commands and provide feedback from its internal sensors.

When connecting multiple actuators:

The following instructions are meant to get you up and running quickly if you are new to HEBI X-Series actuators. If you have any questions please:

Go to docs.hebi.us and get the latest version of the Scope GUI for your computer (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Connect a standard ethernet cable to either one of the RJ45 ports on the module. Connect the other end of the cable to a router or switch on your local area network (LAN).

Using the provided cabling, or any other compatible Molex Mini-Fit Jr. connectors, plug in the power connection to the module.

Turn on the power supply, or connect/activate batteries. The modules run on any DC voltage source between 24V-48V.

The Status LED will start blinking green/orange while the actuator is obtaining an IP address. After a few seconds, the LED will change to a slow green fade. Once the module is in this state it will respond to commands and provide feedback from its internal sensors.

The X-Series actuators are designed to be quickly wired and chained together to make assembling full robotic systems as easy as possible. When connecting multiple modules:

The X-Series actuators have threaded holes for M5 metric screws on their top and bottom sides for mounting. If you are using standard HEBI connection parts, the appropriate hardware is provided.

The following instructions are meant to get you up and running quickly with the HEBI CR1 Camera Module. If you have any questions please:

Go to docs.hebi.us and get the latest version of the Scope GUI and Video Acquisition tools for your computer (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Here is a simple Block Diagram showing the wiring setup for the RJ45 configuration of the CR1 module. All electronics shall be used with a 24-48V power supply. The communications runs off of 100 Mbps Ethernet.

The Subconn connector configuration allows the module to be used during prolonged submersion. Due to the sealed nature of this confguration, it is not recommended to open the module unnecesarily. Power and data are both transmitted using the MCBH8F Micro-Circular Subconn connector which interfaces with a MCIL8M Subconn connector.

To view the camera stream, follow the HEBI-video instructions found here.

The CR1 Module uses a HEBI I/O Utility Board to control the floodlight LEDs on either side of the camera lense. To set the brightness of the LEDs, set a value of 0.1-0.5 for I/O channel f3. Turn the lights on and off by setting I/O channel e5 to true/false. This can be done through scope or programmatically.

Example commands for the MATLAB API shown below.

When Scope opens, it will show the Welcome Tab, which provides an overview of useful key-combinations for navigating the interface.

You can then select a device on the list from the left side and display its information in the Dashboard Tab.

Feel free to play with the module to get a feel for its capabilities. In the lower section of the Monitoring Tab in Scope there are sliders for controlling position, velocity, and effort. There are also buttons in the upper section of the Monitoring Tab for plotting feedback from the various sensors in the module.

Commands section of the Monitoring Tab has sliders for commanding different aspects of an actuator’s motion.

The details of how an actuator will respond to commands will depend on the Control Strategy and the gains on the actuator. Out of the box, an actuator will start up in Control Strategy 3, with gains that perform well under light loads. For heavier loads or multi-DOF systems the actuator gains will likely have to be tuned for the specific application. Actuator control and tuning is a complex topic and it is detailed more completely in the online documentation in the Motor Control section.

You can view the both commanded and feedback position, velocity, and effort by clicking the corresponding button in the upper portion of the Monitoring Tab.

Position / Velocity / Effort (Torque)

You can view the both commanded and feedback position, velocity, and effort by clicking the corresponding button in the upper portion of the Monitoring Tab.

Gyro / Accelerometer

Every actuator has an internal 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyro. Together these sensors are often called an inertial measurement unit (IMU).

The gyro measures the angular velocity of the actuator in radians / second. The accelerometer measures a combination of gravity and the actuator’s linear acceleration in meters / second².

Current / Voltage

Each actuator senses its bus voltage, reported in units of volts, It also senses the current draw of the motor at the bus voltage, and the winding current through the windings of motor, both reported in units of amps.

Temperature

Each actuator reports back an ambient temperature, which is the temperature of the electronics in the actuator. Acuators also report back a modeled winding temperature, bulk actuator temperature, and motor sensor temperature, all in degrees Celcius.

After becoming familiar with the basic functions of an actuator, there are multiple ways to control the actuators and configure their behavior.

Scope GUI

The Scope GUI provides a much wider range of capabilities for configuring, controlling, and testing out actuators than what is covered above. It is a good starting point for learning about actuation and control in general, and it is an important tool for debugging during devlopment.

API We provide APIs for programmatically controlling the actuators from a variety of progamming languages. Choose whichever language you are most comfortable with and get started with the examples in Github.

If Scope or the API are not showing any devices, it typically means that something is not set up correctly on the network. The most common reasons and fixes are below:

Yes. Each HEBI module run a real time operating system (RTOS) in the module itself that process commands and feedback at 1 kHz. This allows the APIs to provide a much more flexible soft-real time control from a computer over a standard Ethernet network. Under normal conditions on a wired LAN a module will show no packet loss, and round-trip latency of 1-2ms. Our APIs provide sub-millisecond synchronization of modules and API-level command/feedback rates of up to 1 kHz, although most applications only need to operate at about 100 Hz. More technical details can be found on our blog.

The only other things you need are access to a wired ethernet network. There are no separate controllers / converters. Each module ships configured for DHCP so you will typically need a router that provides DHCP, at least to start.

The only limits are the same constraints of a standard ethernet network, which easily supports hundreds of modules. We have thoroughly benchmarked the performance of 40 of our modules running at 1 kHz (10x the usual update rate).

Yes, please go to cad.hebi.us. There you can find simplified CAD models of the actuators, and models most of our accessories.

It depends. It is probably best to start the with language you are most comfortable in. If you are just starting out in programming, the Python API or Matlab API are probably good choices. The full list of supported APIs can be found here.

Yes. We have a ROS API as well as a C++ API that has been packaged as a ROS package with a growing set of examples.

Yes. We provide example code and tutorials on Github.

Absolutely. Scope is designed to run in conjunction with anything you may be doing from the API, from either the same or a different computer. The plotting tools in particular are an extremely useful tool for online configuring, tuning, and debugging.

The T-Series actuators are meant primarily for indoor use, but has been improved since the days of the X-Series to provide better dust and water resistance (please still do not submerge the T-Series!). The primary dust/water ingress point is the connector end of the actuator.

The actuators can run at ambient temperatures up to 50º C. The actuator will have decreased performance at these temperatures, but it will not overheat or shut down. Above this temperature the electronics may shut down due to temperature limits. The internal temperature of the electronics is reported in the actuator feedback.

The housing of an T-Series actuator can theoretically get to about 80 deg-C at near the motor if the module is stalled at full power for several minutes. In our testing here we have seen the housings of an T8 actuator get as high as 65 deg-C.

You can command up to 1kHz, although for our typical applications we control the actuators at around 100Hz. In general with a controlled wired network, the command and feedback rates are limited by the OS you are running. From macOS / Linux you can get reliable communication up to 1 kHz. On Windows you can get get reliable communication up to about 600 Hz.

All the sensors in the actuator can be accessed at up to 1kHz. These include typical feedback related to motion control like output position, velocity, torque, IMU, motor winding temperatures, voltage, current. We also provide a large amount of additional feedback like hardware timestamps, the status LED color, various internal temperatures, and internal motor velocity.

The actuators have a roll-off frequency of about 5-30Hz, depending on the model of the actuator, the gains that set on the actuator, and the details of the commanded motion. Bode plots of the actuators under different load conditions are available in the hardware documentation.

The spring stiffness of the T-series actuators is non-linear and depends on the actuator type. Details are provided in the hardware documentation. The stiffness of each actuator is individually calibrated based on a non-linear curve fit.

The repeatability of a single module is effected by the module’s load, speed, gains, etc. The actuator’s inherent backlash can be a factor when the output axis is unloaded, or when loads change direction. However, backlash has very little effect when the actuator is preloaded in one direction, for example, when it is holding up a load against gravity.

The status LED is used to indicate a variety of states about how it is being controlled and its internal state. Detailed information is provided in the status code table.

The R-Series actuators are designed and tested to an IP67 rating. The primary dust/water ingress point is the connector end of the actuator. It is important to follow the instructions under the R-Series Quickstart guide about how to properly seal actuators.

Additionally, the actuators can be internally pressurized in order to achieve better underwater operation. Some notes about this use case are explained here.

The actuators can run at ambient temperatures up to 50º C. The actuator will have decreased performance at these temperatures, but it will not overheat or shut down. Above this temperature the internal motor may shut down due to temperature limits. The internal temperature of the electronics is reported in the actuator feedback.

The housing of an R-Series actuator can theoretically get to about 80 deg-C at near the motor if the module is stalled at full power for several minutes. In our testing here we have seen the housings of an R8 actuator get as high as 65 deg-C. It helps that the R-Series Actuators are sealed so it is possible to cool these actuators down with splashes of water.

You can command up to 1kHz, although for our typical applications we control the actuators at around 100Hz. In general with a controlled wired network, the command and feedback rates are limited by the OS you are running. From macOS / Linux you can get reliable communication up to 1 kHz. On Windows you can get get reliable communication up to about 600 Hz.

All the sensors in the actuator can be accessed at up to 1kHz. These include typical feedback related to motion control like output position, velocity, torque, IMU, motor winding temperatures, voltage, current. We also provide a large amount of additional feedback like hardware timestamps, the status LED color, various internal temperatures, and internal motor velocity.

The actuators have a roll-off frequency of about 5-30Hz, depending on the model of the actuator, the gains that set on the actuator, and the details of the commanded motion. Bode plots of the actuators under different load conditions are available in the hardware documentation.

The spring stiffness of the R-series actuators is non-linear and depends on the actuator type. Details are provided in the hardware documentation. The stiffness of each actuator is individually calibrated based on a non-linear curve fit.

The repeatability of a single module is effected by the module’s load, speed, gains, etc. The actuator’s inherent backlash can be a factor when the output axis is unloaded, or when loads change direction. However, backlash has very little effect when the actuator is preloaded in one direction, for example, when it is holding up a load against gravity.

The status LED is used to indicate a variety of states about how it is being controlled and its internal state. Detailed information is provided in the status code table.

The X-Series actuators are meant primarily for indoor use. The primary dust/water ingress points are the ethernet and power connectors on the modules. However some customers have used the X-Series actuators successfully outdoors, for example in an agricultural environment. In this situation the customer created their own 3D-printed housing to seal the power and ethernet connections on the side of the actuators.

The actuators can run at ambient temperatures up to 50º C. The actuator will have decreased performance at these temperatures, but it will not overheat or shut down. Above this temperature the electronics may shut down due to temperature limits. The internal temperature of the electronics is reported in the actuator feedback.

The housing of an X-Series actuator can theoretically get to about 80 deg-C at near the motor if the module is stalled at full power for several minutes. In our testing here we have seen the housings of an X8 actuator get as high as 65 deg-C.

You can command up to 1kHz, although for our typical applications we control the actuators at around 100Hz. In general with a controlled wired network, the command and feedback rates are limited by the OS you are running. From macOS / Linux you can get reliable communication up to 1 kHz. On Windows you can get get reliable communication up to about 600 Hz.

All the sensors in the actuator can be accessed at up to 1kHz. These include typical feedback related to motion control like output position, velocity, torque, IMU, motor winding temperatures, voltage, current. We also provide a large amount of additional feedback like hardware timestamps, the status LED color, various internal temperatures, and internal motor velocity.

The actuators have a roll-off frequency of about 5-30Hz, depending on the model of the actuator, the gains that set on the actuator, and the details of the commanded motion. Bode plots of the actuators under different load conditions are available in the hardware documentation.

The stiffness depends on the actuator and ranges from about 70 Nm/rad to about 170 Nm/rad. Details are provided in the hardware documentation. The stiffness in all the actuators is approximately linear.

The repeatability of a single module is effected by the module’s load, speed, gains, etc. The actuator’s inherent backlash can be a factor when the output axis is unloaded, or when loads change direction. However, backlash has very little effect when the actuator is preloaded in one direction, for example, when it is holding up a load against gravity.

The status LED is used to indicate a variety of states about how it is being controlled and its internal state. Detailed information is provided in the status code table.

Yes. We provide example code for the various kits on Github.

A shunt regulator is a good idea if you are powering off of a standard DC power supply and you expect a system to absorb large amounts of energy. For example, an arm moving a fairly heavy payload would need to absorb a lot of energy if it speeds the load up to a high velocity and then decelerates quickly. Some battery-powered systems may not need a shunt regulator.

Repeatability and accuracy of an arm will depend on the exact configuration, payload, and controller tuning. For the typical tasks we’ve tested we see repeatability of around +/- 2-3 millimeters and accuracy of around +/- 1-2 centimeters.

Shorter arms and arms with fewer DoF will tend to have better accuracy and repeatability. Arms and systems where that are tuned more for compliance and ‘soft’ interaction with the world will tend to be less repeatable than one that is tuned to be more ‘stiff’ for good position control.