The categories below are additional descriptions of drive types. Many drives and controllers can be categorized as one or more of these; this set of categories is based directly on supplier terminology, and multiple descriptions are possible.
Digital signal processors (DSP) are special microprocessors used where real-time manipulation of large amounts of digital data is required in order to improve or modify it. They are used for fast and high resolution motion control, and special programming equipment is used to program the DSP chip.
Microcontrollers are complete computer systems on a chip, typically combining an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), memory, timer/counters, serial port, input/output ports (I/O) and a clock oscillator. Microcontrollers require programming from external devices.
Other unlisted, specialized or proprietary motion control or motor drive technology.
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Advanced technology attachment (ATA) is a serial interface standard that extends the ISA bus of the IBM PC-AT to attach peripherals. The original ATA is better known as IDE. There are several types of ATA. ATA-33 (Ultra ATA, Ultra DMA, UDMA and DMA-33) supports multiword DMA mode 3 running at 33 MBps. ATA-66, an ATA version proposed by Quantum Corporation and supported by Intel, doubles ATA-33's throughput to 66 MBps. ATA-100, another ATA version proposed by Quantum Corporation and supported by Intel, supports 100 MBps.
CompactPCI is a high performance industrial bus that uses the electrical standards of the PCI bus packaged in a Eurocard. The specifications of the CompactPCI bus were developed and maintained by the PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group (PICMG). It is used extensively in systems that require high speed transfer of data, such as data communication routers and switches, real-time machine control, real-time data acquisition, military systems, etc.
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE) is an electronic interface between a computer motherboard and the computer's disk storage devices. The IDE interface is based on the IBM PC ISA 16-bit bus standard, but it is also used in computers that use other bus standards. There are also enhanced and partially enhanced versions of IDE referred to as EIDE that are commonly used in modern computers. The "Integrated Drive" refers to the disk drive controller being built into the logic board of the disk drive.
Industry standard architecture (ISA) buses can handle 16-bit data transfers at a clock speed of 8 MHz. They are also capable of handling memory under 16 MB. Extended ISA (EISA) is an enhanced version of the ISA bus. EISA buses run at 8 MHz, are capable of 32-bit data transfers, and can access all memory in the system.
MULTIBUS® is a popular, modular computer-systems architecture used in embedded applications in telecommunications, manufacturing automation, and networking. The original 16-bit design is referred to as MULTIBUS I. The current 32-bit version is called MULTIBUS II or IEEE 1296. MULTIBUS is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation.
PC/104 derives its name from the acronym for personal computers (PC) and the number of pins used to connect cards (104). PC/104 cards are much smaller than ISA bus cards and stack together, eliminating the need for a motherboard, backplane, and/or card cage. PC/104-Plus combines the PCI bus with the PCI/104 form factor for faster data transfers.
Embedded board expandable (EBX) is a small (5.75” x 8”) form factor for single-board computers that supports PC/104 expansion.
Embedded technology extended (ETX) is a form factor for developing embedded systems that eliminates cables and connectors. The ETX-PC has a small footprint, 114mm x 95mm, and a maximum thickness of 12mm.
Peripheral component interconnect (PCI) is a local bus system designed for high-end computer systems. PCI buses transfer 32 or 64 bits of data at a clock speed of 33 MHz. They also support 3 to 5 critical peripherals, which are either integrated directly onto the motherboard or added via expansion cards. PCI buses fully support cards that were developed for standard I/O buses.
PCI extended (PCI-X) is an enhanced PCI bus that is backward compatible with existing PCI cards and features speeds up to 1 Gbps. PCI-X was designed by IBM, Hewlett Packard (HP), and Compaq to increase the performance of high bandwidth devices such as Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel, and clustered processors. Versions of PCI-X include PCI-X 66, PCI-X 133, PCI-X 266 and PCI-X 533.
PCI mezzanine card (PMC) is a form factor, not a bus. It is electrically equivalent to the PCI bus, but has a different shape and bus connectors. PMC is designed for rugged applications and provides a secure mounting platform for VME mezzanine boards. It is connected as a daughter card to a special connector on a PCI board as a peripheral device.
PCI extensions for instrumentation (PXI) is a superset of CompactPCI that adds timing and triggering functions, imposes requirements for documenting environmental tests, and establishes a standard Windows®-based software framework. Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation.
STD is often called the "blue collar bus" because of its rugged design and use in industrial and process control applications. There are three STD bus types: STD Z80, STD80, and STD 32. The STD Z80 bus and the STD 80 bus use a 56-pin backplane with 0.125" contact spacing for card interconnection. The STD 32 Bus provides a 32-bit wide data bus to support 8, 16, and 32-bit data transfers. Dynamic bus sizing, which varies the data path size depending on the requirements of the peripheral card being addressed, gives the STD 32 bus added flexibility.
VersaModule Eurocard bus (VMEbus) is a popular, 32-bit bus used in industrial, commercial and military applications. The VMEbus is based on the VME standard, which defines mechanical specifications such as board dimensions, connector specifications and enclosure characteristics, as well as the electronic specifications for sub-bus structures, signal functions, timing, signal voltage levels, and master/slave configurations. The VMEbus uses 3U and 6U Eurocards, rugged circuit boards that provide a 96-pin plug instead of an edge connector for durability. Several VMEbus varieties are available.
VME extensions for instrumentation (VXI) are an electrical and mechanical standard used mainly with automatic test equipment (ATE). VXI allows equipment from different vendors to work together in a common control and packaging environment.
Multisystem extension interface (MXI) is a general purpose, 32-bit, 8MB/s multi-driver system bus. Normally it is used for connection of up to 8 digital devices and expansion boards.
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Drive Type
Category of motor or system driven or controlled.
Brushless motors commutate electronically with no physical brush contact. One common technique for positional feedback to control commutation is the use of Hall effect sensors to detect rotor position. Commutation options include trapezoidal and sinusoidal drive signals to the motor.
DC servomotors can be of brush or brushless design, and are used for position control and other industrial automation applications. If brushless, the commutation of the three phases will typically be either trapezoidal or sinusoidal; the term "DC Brushless" often connotes trapezoidal commutation of a brushless motor with Hall Effect sensor feedback for commutation control.
Induction motors derive their name from the fact that current is induced into the rotor windings without any physical connection with the stator windings (which are directly connected to an AC power supply); adaptable to many different environments and capable of providing considerable power as well as variable speed control. Typically there is "slip," or loss of exact speed tracking with induction motors.
Synchronous motors operate at constant speed up to full load. The rotor speed is equal to the speed of the rotating magnetic field of the stator; there is no slip. Reluctance and permanent magnet are the two major types of synchronous motors. A synchronous motor is often used where the exact speed of a motor must be maintained.
Pole Number Control is a feature that is applicable only to drives that work with Pole Changing Motors (PCMs). PNC is a method for changing the number of poles on the primary winding. PNC is useful in general-purpose speed control applications that involve two to four constant speeds.
Vector drives employ independent control of both the voltage and frequency supplied to the motor for good speed control, and low-speed torque output approaching that of DC motors. Sensorless indicates that no feedback sensor such as an encoder or resolver is used.
Vector drives employ independent control of both the voltage and frequency supplied to the motor for good speed control, and low-speed torque output approaching that of DC motors. An encoder, resolver, or other feedback device is employed to provide position and speed feedback for highly accurate speed control and maintenance.
AC servomotors are typically permanent magnet synchronous motors that can often have low torque-to-inertia ratios for high acceleration ratings. They frequently employ brushless commutation with feedback provided by Hall Effect sensors, and sinusoidal winding excitation.
In unipolar or bifilar stepper motors, the current flows in only one direction in each winding. Simpler construction than a bipolar stepper, but does not typically generate as much torque.
Bipolar stepper motors employ two winding through which the drive current is alternated. Bipolar drives and motors typically generate more torque than unipolar systems, and they require more sophisticated electronic circuitry.
Permanent magnets are used on the rotor. Step angles range from 1.5 to 30 degrees. Most common and versatile stepper motor. This includes both unipolar (bifilar) and bipolar types.
Free-moving rotor; no residual torque is produced due to the lack of a permanent magnet. The rotor is instead composed of a soft iron metal. Rotor is also composed of its own very prominent poles, tending to stick out more than a rotor found on the PM version. Step angles: 7.5 to 30 degrees single power source required (like a bifilar PM motor). This is the least expensive stepper motor.
Consists of a heavily toothed PM rotor and toothed stators, plus prominent rotor poles like a VR rotor. Very fine step angles: 0.5 to 15 degrees. High-speed capability (less chance of a stall). Higher available torque than PM or VR stepper motors. Most effective but most expensive stepper motor type.
In half-step drive / control, the stepper motor can be positioned halfway between the magnetic stop position. Resolution during drive is doubled, and the motor will advance to the next magnetic position when power is disconnected.
In "mini-stepping" or "micro-stepping" motors, a discrete number of angular positions are defined between each full step position such as 8, 16, or even much higher. Mini-stepping and micro-stepping are techniques using electronic control to enhance the position resolution of the control system.
Linear motors generate force only in the direction of travel. The motor technology resembles rotary motor technologies simply oriented in a linear fashion. Linear motors are capable of extremely high speeds, quick acceleration, and accurate positioning. Linear motor technologies include moving coil, moving magnet, AC switched reluctance design, AC synchronous design, AC induction or traction design, linear stepping design, DC brushed design, and DC brushless design.
A voice coil motor consists of a magnetic coil placed in a magnetic field. When current is applied to the coil, electromagnetic flux is generated that causes the coil to move. So named due to its resemblance to audio speaker operation.
Pneumatic motion control includes positioning and pressure / force control for systems composed of pneumatic valves and actuators such as cylinders, air motors, escapements and rotary stages.
Hydraulic motion control includes positioning and pressure / force control for systems composed of hydraulic and electrohydraulic actuators such as cylinders, hydraulic motors, and rotary stages.
Other unlisted, specialized or proprietary style of motor or axis drive.
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The AC input is three phase power. Three phase input is typically used for high voltage power supplies.
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Device contains hardware and software protocols such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http) or Web Access Protocol (WAP) for being addressable to, or a node of, the World Wide Web for remote monitoring or communication.
Unlisted, specialized, or proprietary method of control or setup interface.
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Uses digital position feedback to control motor, in addition to speed sensors. A very common feedback device is a rotary encoder, with either incremental or absolute position signals. Position errors are calculated and compensated by the drive in real time. Use of feedback is referred to as "closed-loop control."
An analog signal from a device such as a LVDT or potentiometer is used as the feedback for position; errors are quickly corrected by the drive. Analog feedback is typically a voltage signal, but may include frequency or DC current signals also.
Can be run via feedback from another axis in a proportional or other defined way; descriptions include "encoder following," "electronic gearing," and "slave axis."
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Hall effect sensors detect the magnetic field induced by one or more rotating magnets on the motor rotor. The sensing of position or speed allows the drive to electronically commutate the motor at the correct sequence and timing.
Resolvers contain a rotating coil and two stationary coils 90° apart. By measuring the currents generated in the stationary coils through induction and comparing them, resolvers provide precise measurements of the rotor position. Resolvers depend on magnetic fields rather than electronics and thus work well in applications with high vibration, shock, and extreme temperatures.
Incremental encoders rely on multiple channels of position detection. A very typical configuration is two position signals 90° out of phase, or in quadrature, with an additional index or direction signal. Due to the limited number of signals, incremental encoders re-zero every time they are powered up. The most common technology is optical, with a glass disk with lines etched at precise angular increments providing position information.
Absolute encoders provide many signals concerning motor position, so many that it is possible to determine exactly the angular position at power-up. Like incremental encoders, there are different technologies, with optical being the most prevalent.
Sine / cosine feedback typically comes from optical encoders whose signals, in quadrature, have not been conditioned into square waves. Such signals have a theoretically infinite resolution; they may be practically limited by the electronics processing the signal.
Unlisted, specialized, or proprietary method of motor position or speed feedback.
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Control circuitry designed to allow the controlled motor to ramp up to full speed over time. This is often designed as a safety feature for motors moving large or fragile loads, and as a preventive measure for excessive current draw.
Method of motor braking in which the power supply is disconnected from the motor windings; the rotating motor then functionally become a generator whose power (heat) is dissipated through an often sizable resistor shunt across the windings. Also referred to as "rheostatic" or shunt resistor braking.
Applicable to AC motors only. The AC power is disconnected from the windings and a DC current is "injected" into the windings, creating a magnetic field opposing the motor rotation, thereby slowing and stopping the motor.
Method of motor braking somewhat similar to dynamic braking, in which the motor is disconnected from the power supply, and the power generated from the rotating motor is sent back to the supply. In some configurations, this generated power is used to recharge a battery that supplies the power to the drive.
Function in which one or more parameters are monitored for compliance with design operating parameters. In the case of a fault or non-compliant operation, an alarm or other signal can be generated to alert the operator or control system for appropriate action. Examples include overvoltage, overcurrent, and overspeed protection, temperature monitoring, and torque limiting interlocks.
Designed primarily for control of electric motors in industrial, recreational, or other electric vehicles. Many include application-specific features such as reverse alarm output, signal for speedometers and tachometers, etc.
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Attached resource computer network (ARCNET) is an embedded, high-speed, token-based network technology that provides local area network (LAN) communications between computers. ARCNET relies on a bus or star topology and can support up to 255 nodes. Different versions run at speeds of 1.5 Mbps, 20 Mbps (ARCNET Plus), and 100 Mbps.
The AS-interface (AS-i) is a network system for the lower field range of the automation level. It is suitable for networking binary actuators and sensors. The use of a special integrated circuit (IC) allows AS-i to be integrated with small devices in a cost-effective manner.
Beckhoff I/O combines open fieldbus protocols with the proprietary Beckhoff bus terminal system. KBUS extension technology facilitates connections between the bus terminal and a large variety of devices.
Controller area network bus (CANbus) is a high-speed serial data network designed for harsh electrical environments and real-time control applications. It operates at data rates up to 1 Mbps and provides excellent error detection and confinement capabilities.
CANopen is a communication standard based on controller area network (CAN) technology and optimized for embedded systems in industrial control environments. Its network protocol contains many predefined network functionalities, making it suitable for flexible, application-specific systems.
DeviceNet uses controller area network (CAN) network protocol to connect industrial devices such as limit switches, photoelectric cells, valve manifolds, motor starters, drives, and operator displays to programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and personal computers (PCs).
Ethernet is a local area network (LAN) protocol that uses a bus or star typology and supports data transfer rates of 10 Mbps. The Ethernet specification is the basis for the IEEE 802.3 standard, which specifies the physical and lower software layers. To handle simultaneous demands, Ethernet uses carrier sense multiple access / collision detection (CSMA/CD) to monitor network traffic.
IEEE 1394 or FireWire® is an interface standard adopted by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for very fast digital data transfers such as streaming video. IEEE 1394 connectors are used to transmit and receive data among FireWire devices, and are designed to replace external high-speed peripheral connections to personal computers, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, graphics cards, high-speed scanners, direct video, monitors, etc. Tiny, robust FireWire connectors will also become important parts of home entertainment, communication, and appliance networks. FireWire is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
The FOUNDATION fieldbus is a serial, all-digital, two-way communication system that serves as a local area network (LAN) for factory instrumentation and control devices. It uses a line or tree topology and distributed data transfer (DDT). In the hierarchy of digital networks, the FOUNDATION fieldbus is on the lower end.
The general-purpose interface bus (GPIB) is designed to connect computers, peripherals and laboratory instruments so that data and control information can pass between them. It was originally developed by Hewlett Packard (HP) and called the HPIB bus. GPIB is also know as the IEEE 488 bus, and is electrically equivalent to the IEC 625 bus.
IEEE P1451 is a standard designed to produce network-capable, network-independent smart sensors. All transducers are identical, regardless of the target network or fieldbus.
INTERBUS® is a fieldbus network based on the cyclic, serial transmission of input/output data between a master and slave stations. Common versions include INTERBUS-S®, INTERBUS-R®, and INTERBUS-MUX® (MUX). INTERBUS, INTERBUS-S and INTERBUS-MUX are registered trademarks of Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co.
Parallel channels can transfer more than one bit simultaneously. They connect to a computer through a parallel port. Common protocols include standard parallel port (SPP) and enhanced parallel port (EPP).
The process fieldbus (PROFIBUS®) is a popular, open communication standard used in factory automation, process automation, motion control, and safety applications. PROFIBUS is standardized in IEC 71158 and IEC 61784 and is suitable for both fast, time-critical applications and complex communication tasks. PROFIBUS is a registered trademark of PROFIBUS International.
RS485 is a balanced serial interface for the transmission of digital data. The advantage of a balanced signal is the greater immunity to noise. The difference between RS422 and RS485 is that RS485 can be transformed into a multi-point application.
Small computer systems interface (SCSI) is an intelligent I/O parallel peripheral bus with a standard, device-independent protocol that allows many peripheral devices to be connected to the SCSI port. A single SCSI bus can drive up to eight devices or units: the host adapter or controller, and seven other devices. Each device is assigned a different SCSI ID, ranging from 0 to 7. SCSI formats include SCSI-1, SCSI-2, SCSI-3, Wide SCSI, Fast SCSI, Wide Fast SCSI, Ultra SCSI, Ultra2 SCSI, Ultra3 SCI (Ultra160), Ultra 320 SCSI, and Ultra640 SCSI.
Smart distributed system (SDS) is an advanced bus system for intelligent sensors and actuators using CAN-based technology. SDS uses a single 4-wire cable and can interface up to 64 nodes with a maximum of 126 addresses. Typical applications include packaging and food processing equipment, material handling, conveyor systems, and automated storage retrieval systems.
Sensoplex® is a master/slave fieldbus system that allows for the direct interconnection of field devices such as sensors and actuators to a controller, via a single coaxial cable. Sensoplex is a registered trademark of Hans Turck GmbH & Co.
Serial real-time communications system (SERCOS) is an open-standard, digital drive interface specification for communications between controllers and intelligent devices. SERCOS is designed for the high-speed serial transmission of standardized, closed-loop data in real-time over a noise-immune, fiber optic cable.
The Seriplex interface uses a four-wire cable that provides both communication and power. Embedded and non-embedded application specific integrated circuits (ASIC) are used to control the components connected to the bus, and to provide addressing capabilities. Seriplex devices include pushbuttons, contactors, valves, limiters, sensors, and actuators.
SynqNet® is a digital motion control interface for connections between controllers and drives. It was developed specifically to optimize high-performance motion control. SynqNet is a registered trademark of Motion Engineering.
Universal serial bus (USB) is a 4-wire, 12-Mbps serial bus for low-to-medium speed peripheral device connections to personal computers (PC), including keyboards, mice, modems, printers, joysticks, audio functions, monitor controls, etc. The USB design is standardized by the USB Implementers Forum (USBIF), an organization that includes leading companies from the computer and electronics industries. The current USB specification is USB 2.0, which supports data transfer rates of up to 480 Mbps.
VMEbus is based on the VME standard, which defines mechanical specifications such as board dimensions, connector specifications and enclosure characteristics, as well as the electronic specifications for sub-bus structures, signal functions, timing, signal voltage levels, and master/slave configurations. The VMEbus uses 3U and 6U Eurocards, rugged circuit boards that provide a 96-pin plug instead of an edge connector for durability. Several VMEbus varieties are available.
Other unlisted, specialized, or proprietary network systems.
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