Industrial Brushless Servomotors

International Journal of Electrical Engineering Education, Oct 2001 by Bowler, Peter

Peter Moreton, Industrial Brushless Servomotors, Newnes, 2000, 186 pp., E30.

This book goes from the first principles of d.c. motors through simple power electronics to complete drives. In today's undergraduate course these basic machine concepts are rarely taught, with more emphasis on electronics and digital techniques. Similarly the control system and drives' dynamic design is presented in a clear introductory manner that is often missing from the state space-based methods of many specialised control courses.

Industrially the growth of automation and mechatronics needs the output of computer-based systems translating into fast response speed and position control systems. It is in this area that Industrial Brushless Servomotors will provide a very good text for electronic engineers who need to add muscle to their output signals.

My only serious criticism is that in practice many very useful microcircuits are available to interface between the speed or position drive signals and the motors to generate the control waveforms and drive power switches. The book should refer to these either in the text or references. For example, Unitrode has a very good range of circuits and application notes.

Peter Bowler