New Products

NASA Tech Briefs, Aug 2004

Digital Motion Controller

Maxon Precision Motors' (Burlingame, CA) EPOS 24/1 is a digital motion controller capable of position, velocity, and current mode. Available in two versions for brush or brushless motors, the small package size (55 x 40 x 25 mm, 45 g) and cost-efficient design make it suitable for controlling small motors. Communication is via RS -232 or CANopen.

Requiring a supply voltage of 9 -24 VDC, the controller is capable of 1 A max continuous current and 2 A peak current. Efficiency is up to 85%. Features include a 50 kHz switching frequency, built-in choke, sinusoidal commutation for brushless motors, max motor speed of 25,000 rpm for 2-pole motors, and an encoder input frequency max of 1 MHz. It also has six digital inputs, two digital outputs, and two analog inputs. For Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/3057-900

Table Actuator

SMC Corporation (Tustin, CA) offers the EMY2 electric guided slide table actuator featuring a user friendly control box for manual operation. It can be actuated using just two PLC outputs like a solenoid valve - one for move left, another for move right, and both for move to center. It also provides four status outputs and five LEDs for at-a-glance visual indication. Magnetically triggered hall ef fect sensors can be mounted along the length of the actuator for additional position verification.

Available in two base sizes, the EMY2 can handle payloads up to 70 lbs with stroke lengths from 50 to 1,000 mm. Stroke stop blocks allow the stroke length to be tailored to the application. The slider and guide rail portion of the actuator can be separated from the motor and control box for maintenance and installation. The motor and control box can be positioned on the left or right side of the actuator, facing up or downward, for Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/3057-904

Amplifier Board

Galil Motion Control (Rocklin, CA) introduces the 4-axis SDM-20640 amplifier board designed for microstepping four stepper motors. It attaches directly to the 96-pin DIN connector of the DMC-21x3 controller without any need for a cable. For 2-axis applications, Galil also offers the new SDM-20620.

The compact (6.92'' x 5.10'') SDM-20640 includes four microstepping drives on a single board, with each amplifier able to drive a two-phase bipolar stepper motor operating at 18 VDC to 60 VDC at up to 3.5 A. The drives also produce 64 microsteps per full step or 256 steps per full cycle, resulting in 12,800 steps per revolution for a standard 200step motor. The maximum step rate generated by the controller is 3,000,000 microsteps/s. Features include four user -selectable current settings (0.5, 1, 2, and 3.5 A), a user-selectable low-current mode, and eight uncommitted analog inputs with 12-bit ADC (16bit optional), allowing the DMC -21x3 controller to read inputs from joysticks or other analog sensors. For Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/3057-902

Rotary Incremental Encoders

Gurley Precision Instruments (Troy, NY) offers the model R112S and R112B optical rotary incremental encoders, designed for light industrial applications that require high res olution in a very small package.

Available in either shafted or blind-hollow shaft versions, these encoders are only 12 mm (dia) x 25 mm (long) with resolutions up to 8,000 cycles/rev (32,000 counts/rev). Typical applications include x -y stages, medical devices, miniature/small instrumentation, compact motors, and actuators. For Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/30577-907

Stepper Motor Drive

Copley Controls' (Canton, MA) panel mounting StepNet(TM) drives stepper motors in both networked and stand -alone motion control applications. The drives can be mounted flat to minimize height, or sideways to minimize footprint. According to the company, the new servo mode runs stepper motors 40% faster than their maximum stepping speed, creating servo performance at 50% of servo motor's cost while eliminating stall risk. The drives permit multi-axis motion synchronization, execute sophisticated motion profiles, and achieve micro stepping performance at 51,200 steps/revolution.

The drives operate as nodes on a CANopen bus under the DSP402 CANopen motion control protocol, enabling multiple steppers to be synchronized for co ordinated multi -axis control. Control data via the CAN bus is optically isolated from the drive's power circuits. For Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/3057-905

Adjustable Motor Fixtures

Magtrol's (Buffalo, NY) Adjustable Motor Fixtures are used to locate and hold a motor in place while run ning any test. They will accom modate motors up to 6 inches in diameter while maintaining the center height required for cou pling to any Magtrol HD-106 through HD -715 Hysteresis Short Base Plate Dynamometer.

Lead screw adjustment provides centering for the motor while the T -Slot Base supplies multiple position options for various motor lengths. An adjustable bridge provides clamping anywhere along the axis of the motor. Included in the fixture is a fluted knob clamp screw, which is nylon-tipped to securely hold the motor in place. A thumbscrew is also built in for protection against vibration. Motor-to-fixture contact surfaces are nylon padded for scratch-free clamping. Couplings can be supplied by request. For Free Info Visit http://info.ims.ca/3057-903