The confusion of microservices in the world of servo motors

Have you ever stared at that disobedient robot arm and worried? Obviously the program is written correctly and the instructions are correct, but when it moves, it freezes, responds slowly, and even occasionally "pretends to be deaf and dumb". The old master in the workshop shook his head while holding a cigarette in his mouth: "This system is like a human being. Once the mind is confused, the hands and feet will not obey the command." The problem behind it is often not the motor itself, but the data and management - those invisible signals and coordination, blocking your rhythm in the silent place.

When hardware encounters "information island"

Imagine: there are dozens of servo motors and servos in the workshop, each one looking like a stubborn worker working hard. They each receive instructions and feedback data, but there is no "squad leader" to coordinate. The result? Motor A is rotating, but motor B is still reading the bar; the position data returns to half and is overwritten by new instructions. Maintenance is even more troublesome - if you want to check the operating curve of a certain piece of equipment last month, you have to go through three different recording systems, and the data formats do not recognize each other.

It's not the machine's fault. The traditional centralized system is like using a thick notebook to record everything: the words are written more and more densely, and the search becomes slower and slower. Even you can't find what you wrote yesterday. And when production needs change and equipment increases, sooner or later this "notebook" will become unable to be opened.

Microservices: Assign a "dedicated assistant" to each motor

So in the past few years, more and more people have begun to talk about "microservices". To put it simply, it is to break up that thick notebook into many small cards - each card can only record one thing, but the information can be quickly transferred between the cards. Applied to the motor system, it means that each device (or each group of devices) has an independent service module responsible for its own control, monitoring, and data recording. Modules communicate with each other in a lightweight way, just like workers in a workshop using a walkie-talkie to speak clearly and directly.

The benefits of this are felt almost immediately:

• flexible: Want to upgrade the control logic of a certain motor? You only need to update the corresponding modules without shutting down and restarting the entire system.
• clear: When troubleshooting, you can quickly locate which "service card" has the problem, instead of looking for a needle in a haystack among hundreds of thousands of lines of code.
• Easy to expand: Two new robots are added to the production line? Just plug in the corresponding new service module directly, and there is almost no need to modify the original system.

But why are some still hesitant?

Everyone understands the principle, but in practice, the threshold is not low. A friend who had made a similar attempt once complained to me: "Microservices are good, but it took two months just to build the environment and design the communication protocol. Post-maintenance is even more troublesome - after there are more services, monitoring, logging, and fault tracking all become new problems."

This is precisely the real dilemma faced by many technical teams: the concepts are advanced, but the tools cannot keep up. Until recently, we were exposed tokpowerWith a set of microservices provided based on the Azure platform, things start to look different.

A handbook triggers change

kpowerThe "microservices with Azure" technical documentation was originally shared with us by a customer. Light blue cover, not too thick. Before opening it, I thought it was another technical manual full of code and theory. But after reading a few pages, I felt completely different.

It doesn't talk to you about big words like "cloud native" and "containerization", but directly draws a scene: Suppose there are five servo motors in your workshop, which are responsible for handling, positioning, assembly, inspection and packaging. The manual describes in plain language how to establish an independent service for each motor, how to let them "talk" through Azure's basic services, and even details how to set the data format and what is the normal message delay.

Even more rare is that it frankly discusses possible problems that may arise. For example: If the network occasionally jitters, how to avoid misjudgment between services? If a motor's service suddenly stops, how do you keep other equipment from being affected? The manual does not avoid these "dirty tasks", but instead provides several sets of coping strategies, from simple to complex, just like an experienced old engineer talking to you about practical operations.

Imperfect attempts and visible progress

We followed the instructions in the manual and conducted experiments on a small scale - using three servos to build a simple grabbing assembly line. It was really bumpy in the first two days: service registration occasionally timed out, and the log records were not neat. But on the third day, after adjusting a few parameters, the effects began to show.

The most intuitive thing is the response speed. In the past, under centralized control, it took about 100-150 milliseconds from the issuance of an action command to the response of all motors (there were still fluctuations in the middle). What now? Each servo receives commands independently, and the average response is within 50 milliseconds, and the curve is much smoother. Data viewing has also become simple - the operating temperature, load curve, and alarm history of each device can be viewed in real time on an independent monitoring page, eliminating the need to manually sift through mixed logs.

A colleague who participated in the test said with a smile: "It feels like a little secretary is assigned to each machine." Although the metaphor is not rigorous, the state of being clear and organized and each performing their own duties is indeed difficult to provide with traditional architecture.

Why Azure? Why choose this guide?

There are many platforms on the market that support microservices.kpowerWhy choose Azure as your foundation? The manual does not deliberately promote it, but objectively lists a few practical considerations: compatibility with the enterprise's existing systems (the IT environment of many factories is already partially based on Microsoft systems), Azure's relatively rich prefabricated components in the field of industrial IoT, and cost - for small and medium-sized applications, its tiered billing method is often more cost-effective.

The value of the manual itself lies in that it is not just an operating instruction, but also a set of thinking framework. It teaches you how to "disassemble" a complex mechanical system into microservice units, and how to maintain overall collaboration efficiency after splitting. This kind of thinking can even be transferred to other projects.

Of course, no tool is a silver bullet. Microservice architecture will bring new complexities, such as increased network dependence and increased difficulty in distributed monitoring. The manual also clearly reminds: not all scenarios are suitable for immediate microservices. For small systems with a small number of devices and simple logic, the traditional architecture may be more economical; but for situations with many devices, complex logic, and frequent later expansion, the advantages of this method will be truly highlighted.

Written in: Technology is a means, not an end

When communicating with Kpower's technical team, they repeatedly emphasized: "What we provide is not a fixed set, but a proven path." This statement sounds modest, but it is true. The biggest fear in the industrial field is talking on paper - no matter how fancy the idea is, if it is not adapted to the environment in the workshop, everything will be empty talk.

Let’s go back to the problem of the robot arm getting stuck at the beginning. Looking back now, the reason may not be that the motor is not powerful enough or that the program is written incorrectly, but that the "cooperation method" of the entire system is old. Just like a group of people working together, if everyone has to wait for a group leader to speak before they can take action, the efficiency will naturally not be high. What microservices want to do is to allow each member to act autonomously under clear rules while maintaining the overall synchronization.

The light blue manual is now on the desk in our workshop, and the corners of the pages are already curled. It doesn’t solve every problem, but it does open a door—a door that makes hardware smarter, data smoother, and maintenance easier. Maybe your workshop also needs such a key.

Established in 2005, Kpower has been dedicated to a professional compact motion unit manufacturer, headquartered in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, China. Leveraging innovations in modular drive technology, Kpower integrates high-performance motors, precision reducers, and multi-protocol control systems to provide efficient and customized smart drive system solutions. Kpower has delivered professional drive system solutions to over 500 enterprise clients globally with products covering various fields such as Smart Home Systems, Automatic Electronics, Robotics, Precision Agriculture, Drones, and Industrial Automation.