VAEM 8️⃣ 🎮

8-Channel Valve Controller

• The Festo designed valve control module VAEM makes precise switching of solenoid valves easier than ever in any Festo systems or dispense applications.
• Up to 8 channels can be parameterised individually.
• A time resolution of only 0.2 ms and the control of the valves via current – not voltage – enable extremely high precision.
• The holding current reduction saves energy and minimizes heat input.
• Communication Protocol: Modbus TCP/IP.

Table of Contents

• About
• Links
• GUI
• Driver Languages
• Methods
• Diagram
• Contributors
• Capabilities

About

• This is an open software project which provides VAEM customers and users with a wide array of driver templates in different coding languages to allow for quick and easy adaptability of the Festo valve control module to any system, project, or environment. Listed below are the current languages provided along with the methods that each driver provides to the user.

Links

🛒: Product Page

🧾: Operating Instructions

🗝️: Support Portal

🖥️: GUI

GUI

• 🔌 CONNECT the VAEM to your PC using an Ethernet cable and click the scan button. (If the VAEM is found, press the connect button, else your gateway may have to be changed)
• 🕹️ CONTROL the eight channels of the VAEM.
• 🔬 ANALYZE data including the nominal current versus time.
• ❕ ❕ STATUSWORD displays the individual statusword bits and allows for basic read/write operations.
• ℹ️ SYSTEMINFO provides firmware and product number information.
• 📶 ETHERNET allows the user to change the host IP, port, and timeout.

Driver Languages

• Python
• Java
• .NET/C#

Methods

• 🧰 configureValves -

  • Purpose: Configures the valve opening times of all eight channels, with 0 turning the channel off
  • Value Ranges: openingTimes >= 0
  • Arguments: int[8] openingTimes (ms)
  • Returns: void

• 💧: openValve -

  • Purpose: Opens the valves connected to the initialized channels
  • Value Ranges: NONE
  • Arguments: void
  • Returns: void

• 🚪: closeValve -

  • Purpose: Closes the valves connected to the initialized channels
  • Value Ranges: NONE
  • Arguments: void
  • Returns: void

• 📚 readStatus -

  • Purpose: Read the VAEM status, error code, readiness, operating mode, and eight valve status bits (in order)
  • Value Ranges: NONE
  • Arguments: void
  • Returns: void

• 🧼 clearError -

  • Purpose: Clears (resets) the error bit on the VAEM
  • Value Ranges: NONE
  • Arguments: void
  • Returns: void

• 💾 saveSettings -

  • Purpose: Save the current valve configuration upon restart
  • Value Ranges: NONE
  • Arguments: void
  • Returns: void

Diagram

Current Version Capabilities

• Modbus TCP/IP over Ethernet
• Serial Ascii over RS232
• Open all 8 valve channels
• Close all 8 valve channels
• Read the current device status
• Configure the valves/channels

Contributors

Name	Email	GitHub
John Alessio	alessio.j@northeastern.edu	@jalesssio
Justin Hynes-Bruell	justin.hynes-bruell@festo.com	@jhynes94
Milen Kolev	milen.kolev@festo.com	@MKollev
Jared Raines	raines.j@northeastern.edu	@rainesjared