Programmable drive provides advanced control for compact motion solutions

New from Inmoco is the PMD ION 500 programmable drive, able to configure advanced motion for the control of brush and brushless DC motors, as well as stepper motors, up to 500W.

Providing distributed motion control and freeing up host processing, the ION 500 digital drive is based on PMD’s powerful, programmable Magellan motion control integrated chip (IC). With a compact footprint, the ION 500 is designed for applications that demand small size and light weight, including robotics applications such as autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), as well as medical devices.

The ION 500 delivers 20A continuous current and 30A peak current across a single axis, while the Magellan chip enables on-board intelligent drive functions that cover the most advanced motion requirements.

On-board programming enables distributed control, which can improve motion performance, and also frees up central processing with motion functions executed at the required axis. The PMD Magellan chip also gives the benefit of standalone control, which can remove the requirement for a separate controller. This can significantly reduce cost, as well as creating a more compact and lightweight overall motion solution footprint, vital for applications such as robotics.

On-board motion control capability via the 32-bit Magellan chip, includes profile generation, PID position loop closure, PWM signal generation, and field-oriented control. Meanwhile, specific motion profiling includes trajectory generation, including trapezoidal and S-curve point-to-point profiling, velocity contouring, and electronic gearing. The drive can also perform position servo compensation, step motor stall detection, and microstep generation. Integrated encoder position feedback includes quadrature encoder and pulse & direction input signal processing.

With a code execution rate up to 96 MIPS (million instructions per second), plus microstepping outputs with up to 256 microsteps per step, the drive’s motion control commands are executed at high speed. This optimises response time and optimises control performance for the most demanding applications.

This performance is achieved within a compact and lightweight footprint. The ION 500 drive measures just 108 mm x 77 mm x 37 mm. Despite the module’s small size, a rugged metal and plastic construction enables durable integration to suit demanding applications and environments. To ensure electrical reliability, the ION 500 includes integrated, high-power drive stages that protect from overcurrent, undervoltage, overvoltage, overtemperature, and short-circuit faults.

To achieve high speed and flexible communications integration, the ION 500 includes Ethernet and Serial communication ports, including RS232 and RS485, for all motor types. Enabling additional hardware connectivity, the drive also includes digital and analogue I/O functions, including eight general purpose bi-directional digital channels and a ±10V analogue input channel.

Commissioning the ION 500 is quickly achieved via PMD’s Windows-based Pro-Motion software, which includes tuning and motion testing features. Meanwhile, C/C++ programming is enabled via the C-Motion development software, complete with source code libraries. All set-up and development software is included free with ION drives.

The ION 500 series are complementary to the ION N series, designed for embedded control. Inmoco also supplies a full motion solution, including all supported motor types, encoder solutions, as well as actuator devices. Inmoco’s engineers can also interface with OEM development teams to ensure the optimum specification is achieved.