Firewire is continuing to evolve as a solution for motion control, automation and instrumentation applications, with some new products moving to the IEEE 1394b specification. And along with progress on the product front, the 1394 Trade Association (http://rbi.ims.ca/ 4927-515) has pushed through an application layer protocol called 1394AP (1394 Automation Protocol) in an effort to standardize industrial uses of IEEE 1394.
Latest 1394 Technology
Both Bosch Rexroth, through its acquisition of Nyquist Control late in 2005, and ORMEC Systems have introduced new controller and drive products that utilize the IEEE 1394b specification.
The NYCe 4000 controller from Bosch Rexroth (http://rbi.ims.ca/4927-516) is a rack-based, industrial motion control solution that integrates controller and drive technology to reduce space requirements, cabling and integration complexity.
"We developed the NYCe 4000 system, including both controllers and drives, using the 1394AP protocol to target applications between 100 W and one kW," says Eric Hezemans, managing director of the new Bosch Rexroth unit.
The new controller uses the IEEE 1394b version and provides the ability to plug-in up to four drive cards. A dual axis card provides 500W each for two axes, or a one-axis card provides a 1 kW solution. The system operates over the Firewire network at 800 Mbits/sec and provides speed for tracing variables in the motion controller or drives and viewing parameters such as drive current in real-time. A software oscilloscope on the PC can open multiple channels and display drive and motion-related data using the high-speed connection.
New 1394b Controllers, Drives
ORMEC Systems (http://rbi.ims.ca/4927-517) is also featuring IEEE 1394b in its new SMLC controllers and a release of ServoWire® SD series servodrives. The drives offer a power range from 3 to 60 amps RMS/phase, output power from 600 to 24,000W and accept inputs of 230 or 460 VAC.
According to Marty Rademacher, a development engineering specialist at ORMEC, 1394b is all-digital technology and eliminates analog signaling used in the previous 1394a version. Higher speeds are available in the future, along with alternate media choices including CAT5 and optical fiber which offer the possibility of higher transmission speeds and/or longer network communications distances. A new arbitration scheme provides a method for fast resetting of the bus and other improvements have increased the efficiency of the network.
The 1394b network in the new SMLC controller and drives is more robust, efficient and faster than the previous 1394a network.
Approval of the 1394AP Protocol
Early in 2006, a working group of the 1394 Trade Association approved an application layer called 1394AP (1394 Automation Protocol) to standardize usage of IEEE 1394 for automation, motion control and instrumentation. A group of European companies championed opening up Firewire communications, so many companies could design using Firewire for motion control and automation applications.
Hezemans says that, unlike SERCOS and other bus standardization efforts, the group focused on explaining the openness of Firewire so multiple vendors would be able to use the Firewire network at the same time without disturbing each other. He says that Firewire communications uses standard messages which have information that details the type of message and information on the sender. As a result, 1394AP doesn't attempt to describe what information to communicate on the bus or in what format, but only how to communicate without disturbing other devices on the network.
"We don't intend, unlike SERCOS and others," Hezemans says, "to make a motion or CNC standard for Firewire. There's no need to prescribe the functionality in such a way that everyone has to do it the same way. We only explain how to communicate on the bus and, if you do it according to the standard, everyone can communicate without disturbing each other."
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 The NYCEe 4000 provides high-performance, multi-axis motion control, configurable safety functionality and supports 10 axes per unit.
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