High-performance drive controllers for DC motors

19th February 2019
Posted By : Alex Lynn
High-performance drive controllers for DC motors

Provider of high-performance motion control and positioning systems, Aerotech, has introduced two high-performance single-axis controllers: the digital XC4 and XC4e PWMs. They are suitable for driving brushed or brushless DC motors as well as moving coil actuators and stepper motors. A special feature besides the position-synchronised outputs (PSO) is the HyperWire fibre optic interface.

Aerotech's digital XC4 and XC4e PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controllers are powerful, single-axis motor drive controllers with an operating voltage up to 340VDC and a peak current of 30A. All drive variants are compatible with the A3200 automation platform which uses the HyperWire drive bus.

The digital current and position control loop ensures best positioning and synchronisation accuracy, a control bandwidth of up to 20kHz, processing of digital and analogue inputs and outputs, data acquisition, process control and real-time encoder interpolation.

Standard features include Safe Torque Off (STO), a data array with over four (XC4) or 16 million (XC4e) 32-bit elements, digital and analogue I/Os, single-axis (XC4) and multi-axis (XC4e) position-synchronised outputs (PSO), special inputs for referencing and travel limitation and improved current monitoring. Square wave, sine wave and absolute encoder signals can be processed.

The maximum input frequency for square-wave encoder signals is 40 million pulses per second for both variants. With the additional MX1 function, the XC4 drive controller can interpolate sinusoidal encoder signals with up to 14 bits (16,384-fold).

For the XC4e, the additional MX2 and MX3 functions are available as an option, which enable interpolation of 16 bits (65,536x), and with the MX3 option, the processing of two encoder signals, achieving improved position and speed control. In addition, options are available for the XC4e that extend the standard PSO functionality. For example, three encoders can be tracked in real time via the three-channel PSO, or a complete axis system can provide a PSO signal depending on the actual point in the room.

Both XC4 variants can be equipped with an optional I/O expansion card, which significantly increases the number of inputs and outputs. The I/O card also offers a dedicated PSO output and PSO synchronisation input, which is often used to synchronise with a mode-locked external frequency.

The new XC4 PWM drives will be presented for the first time at the international trade fair for quality assurance CONTROL 2019 in Stuttgart, Germany. Aerotech will be exhibiting from May 5th to 7th in Hall 5, Booth 5226.


You must be logged in to comment

Write a comment

No comments




Sign up to view our publications

Sign up

Sign up to view our downloads

Sign up

GISEC Global
23rd April 2024
United Arab Emirates Halls 2-8 - Dubai World Trade Centre
The Magnetics Show US
22nd May 2024
United States of America The Pasadena Convention Center
2024 World Battery & Energy Storage Industry Expo (WBE)
8th August 2024
China 1st and 2nd Floor, Area A, China Import and Export Fair Complex