Skip to Content
Skip to content
PART OF A GROUP
+90 216 593 19 90 Technical Support Document Centre
Energy, test & special systems

Solar Trackers

Slow, strong, reliable tracking all day; a safe position in a storm.

  • Typical axes3
  • NetworkModbus RTU · CANopen
  • Control modePP · CSV
  • Recommended seriesSD-LP · SM10 · SM08 · SDE2 / SD2E2
Start Product Selection See the solution
01
The sector at a glance

Solar Trackers

Solar trackers point the panels at the sun through the day. Motion is slow but high-torque; moving to a safe stow position in wind and running for years without maintenance are the real requirements.

Three things that decide it on the shop floor

  1. 01

    Wind and stow

    Stowing in a storm and holding on the brake is critical.

  2. 02

    Long lines

    Termination and shielding are planned for field networks.

  3. 03

    Environment

    Heat, dust and humidity decide cables and connectors.

02
Our advantages

Why SMB TECHNICS?

One set, controller to cable

Controller, drive, motor, cable and connector arrive checked against each other; interface problems are solved at the desk, not on the shop floor.

Open standards

EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU, CODESYS and CiA 402: your machine is not tied to a closed ecosystem.

Engineer-to-engineer support

The same team from sizing to commissioning, on site and remotely.

Documented products

Manuals, CAD, ESI/EDS and firmware in the Document Centre; every product you choose comes with its documents.

Our application know-how for this sector
  • Astronomical tracking and wind-stow logic
  • Many-node field networking (Modbus / CANopen)
  • Long-duration holding on the brake
03
How we build the system

From control chain to commissioning, which product goes where

3.1

The control chain and the recommended products

How the machine is driven and the SMB products we choose for it.

Solar trackers point the panels at the sun through the day. Motion is slow but high-torque; moving to a safe stow position in wind and running for years without maintenance are the real requirements.

A tracker earns its yield by turning with the same reliability every day for years.

The control chain

Geared axes are driven by SD-LP drives and braked SM08–SM10 motors; Modbus RTU or CANopen connects many trackers to one field controller. The position comes from an astronomical calculation in the controller.

What decides the result

  • Wind and stow. Moving to the safe position in a storm and holding it on the brake is the most critical function.
  • Long lines, many nodes. Long field networks; termination and shielding are planned up front.
  • Environment. Temperature, dust and humidity decide cable and connector choice.

Sizing it

We need panel area and wind load, tracking angle and speed, and the reduction ratio. The sizer confirms the motor.

Select the products for this machine Enter power, torque and network; compare compatible drives and motors and add them to your basket. Selection guide
3.2

The architecture: which product goes where

The boxes show the real products; click one to open the series.

CANopen Operator panel HMI-R9 Controller · CODESYS MAT-LC CPU I/O and sensors MAT-LC I/O · PNP / NPN Safe stop STO · brake Supply protection EMI · braking resistor Tracking axis Drive · SD-LP PP · Modbus RTU Motor SM10 Second axis Drive · SD-LP PP · CANopen Motor SM08 Cleaning robot Drive · SDE2 / SD2E2 CSV · CANopen Motor SML
  • CANopen
  • Ethernet
  • Power and feedback
  • Safety
Where this machine sits on the full SMB system map
CPU / PLC & Motion Control 3 series Expansion Rack / IO 10 products Ethernet switch Ethernet Operator Panels 3 series Sensors 3 series EtherCAT Servo Drives 17 products CANopen Servo Drives 6 products Modbus RTU Servo Drives 4 products Servo Motors 6 series Power and Encoder Cables 2 series CODESYS IEC 61131-3 PLCopen Motion Control CiA 402 Drive profile
EtherCAT Ethernet CANopen Modbus RTU Digital I/O Power and feedback

CPU / PLC & Motion Control

Expansion Rack / IO

Ethernet switch

The industrial switch distributes Ethernet traffic between the controller, the operator panel and the engineering PC. It is part of the architecture, not part of the SMB catalogue.

Operator Panels

Sensors

EtherCAT Servo Drives

CANopen Servo Drives

Modbus RTU Servo Drives

Servo Motors

Power and Encoder Cables

CODESYS

SMB controllers are programmed in CODESYS: the IEC 61131-3 languages, integrated motion and a single project covering both machine logic and the axes.

PLCopen

PLCopen Motion Control function blocks give every axis the same standard interface, so proven machine code carries over from one project to the next.

CiA 402

SMB servo drives implement the CiA 402 drive profile: the same state machine and the same operating modes over EtherCAT and over CANopen.

3.4

The build, step by step

From requirement to support; the SMB products and tools each step uses.

  1. 1

    Requirements and sizing

    The motion profile, load and cycle time of every axis are collected; torque, speed and inertia ratio are calculated per axis.

    • Peak and RMS torque, top speed
    • Load-to-motor inertia ratio and gearing
    • Supply: 220 V AC, 380 V AC or 24–70 V DC
    Sizer Selection guide
  2. 2

    Architecture and product choice

    The network (EtherCAT, CANopen, Modbus RTU), the controller and the drive–motor pair per axis are chosen; the safety and power side is drawn at this step.

    • EtherCAT for synchronised axes, CANopen for independent ones
    • Drive current covers the motor peak current
    • STO and braked motors come from the risk assessment
    SD-LP-04-D1-M SM08-DIN13-075B0 SM10-DIN13-100B0 SDCP0101-H
  3. 3

    Cabinet, cabling and EMC

    Power and encoder cables run in separate ducts with their shields bonded 360°; an EMI filter goes at the drive input and a braking resistor where the load regenerates.

    • Flexible cable for the cable chain
    • Shields are earthed at both ends
    • The braking resistor is sized from the braking energy
    Power / Motor Cables Encoder Cables SMKP Power Connectors SMKE Encoder Connectors EMI Filters Braking Resistors
  4. 4

    Software and network

    In the CODESYS project the axes are defined with PLCopen blocks; the drives join the network through their ESI/EDS files and run the CiA 402 state machine.

    • IEC 61131-3 languages and PLCopen Motion Control
    • ESI (EtherCAT) and EDS (CANopen) in the Document Centre
    • EtherCAT coupler for remote I/O
    MAT-LC CodeSys CPU MAT-LC I/O Modules MAT-LC System Modules
    CODESYS FAQ Document centre
  5. 5

    Commissioning and tuning

    After wiring and direction checks the gains are tuned and the axes homed; the operator panel carries the machine recipes.

    • Direction, limit and emergency-stop tests
    • Speed and position loop gain tuning
    • Backing up the parameter sets
    HMI-R9 Series
    Commissioning FAQ Troubleshooting
  6. 6

    Support and lifecycle

    Alarm codes, spare parts, firmware and training, from the same engineering team.

    • Alarm-code and troubleshooting guides
    • Manual, CAD and firmware downloads
    • Remote and on-site support
    Technical support Document centre
3.5

The solution package: what comes with the product

Hardware, software, engineering and lifecycle.

02

Software and know-how

The CODESYS project, PLCopen motion blocks and know-how specific to this machine.

  • Astronomical tracking and wind-stow logic
  • Many-node field networking (Modbus / CANopen)
  • Long-duration holding on the brake
03

Engineering support

Sizing, architecture, commissioning and tuning, on site and remotely.

  • Motor and drive sizing per axis
  • System architecture and network choice
  • Commissioning, gain tuning and homing
04

Lifecycle

Manuals, ESI/EDS files, spare parts and training.

  • Document Centre: manuals, CAD, firmware
  • ESI and EDS files, parameter backups
  • Spare parts and user training
Engineering knowledge base

Commissioning this application

The topics engineers in this industry ask about most, each with answers, checklists and troubleshooting steps.

Modbus RTU CANopen Cables and EMC Machine mechanics

Need this motion in your machine?

Request Quote
Start Product Selection Filter, compare, add to basket