The industrial argument for leveraging the high volume and low cost of IEEE-1394 networking technology (Apple Computer's FireWire) is as persuasive as its technical merits. Larry O'Brien, director of research for ARC Advisory Group, says, "FireWire has ignited the motion control market." And with suppliers such as Acroloop, Kollmorgen, Yaskawa, MDSI, NEC, Mitsubushi, Nyquist, and Ormec solving motion control applications using FireWire, it's no surprise that "FireWire-based motion control networking" made ARC's list of Top Ten Automation Technologies to Watch in 2001. Check out http://www.arcweb.com/arcweb/newsmag/auto13_tech.htm for more information.
Ormec just took FireWire for motion control one step further with it's introduction of ServoWire(rm) SM. The new approach to soft motion control combines PC hardware and software standards, soft motion technology, and Ormec's IEEE-1394 servodrive network called ServoWire. The technology lets engineers cost-effectively control from one to eight servos directly from a standard PC running Windows NT and the VenturCom real-time extensions (RTX), instead of using a board-level motion control card.
"Since the tasks normally performed by the motion adapter have been distributed between the host PC and the ServoWire SM drives," explains VP of marketing Allen Presher, no board-level motion controller is required. This gives engineers more flexibility in hardware selection and integration, and reduces costs and complexity."
The drives offer a power range from 300 to 15,000W,
continuous output currents from 2.4 to 60A RMS/phase, and provide 3 to 665
lb-inches continuous stall torque. For the full story check out http://www.ormec.com/servowire .
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
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For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
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