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NEW PRODUCT NEWS—edited by Harv Weiner

Multi-Axis Motion Processor

The Navigator MC2800 Series of Multiple Motor Type Motion Processors allows the control of both brushed and brushless servomotors in one chipset. The chipset supports sinusoidal commutation of 2- or 3-phase brushless motors, as well as positioning and velocity control of brushed servomotors. Users can select any axis to be brushed or brushless (for 2 and 4 axes). Applications include industrial automation and robotics, medical automation, materials handling, semiconductor manufacturing, test and laboratory equipment, and textiles.

The chipset consists of a 132-pin processor and a 100-pin logic and gives users the ability to off-load resource intensive motion control functions from the application's host processor. Its instruction set supports more than 130 commands to offer flexibility and versatility during application programming. User selectable profiling modes supported by the motion processor include S-curve, trapezoidal, velocity contouring, and electronic gearing. The MC2800 Series accepts input parameters such as position, velocity, and acceleration from the host, and generates a corresponding trajectory.

The MC2800 Series has a pre-programmed PID filter with feedforward velocity and acceleration, and a 32-bit position error. The motion processor outputs commutation signals based on either Hall sensors or the motor's encoder. Two or three separate motor signals per axis are sent by the motion processor, either in a 16-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) or 10-bit, 20-kHz Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) compatible format. By directly outputting commutation signals from the chip, the MC2800 reduces torque ripple, oscillation, overshoot, and audible noise level.

The chipset is available in two (MC2820) and four axis (MC2840) configurations with prices starting at $69 in OEM quantities.

Performance Motion Devices, Inc.
(781) 674-9860
Fax: (781) 674-9861
www.pmdcorp.com

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