Full process amplifier comes in at low cost

With its Accelus Sinusoidal Digital Amplifier, Copley Controls Corp. has taken a low-cost card construction, and integrated in a full-process amplifier that incorporates field-oriented control. Step-and-direction position mode compliments torque and velocity modes. Priced at less than $200 for OEM quantities, according to application manager Jim Woodward, Accelus offers 200W continuous output, 3 kHz bandwidth, and a 20 kHz sampling rate in the current loop for control of a brushless motor. Available in two power ranges, Accelus is convection cooled. Peak current ratings are 300% of continuous current for optimal load acceleration. "Solderless connectors allow engineers to plug the compact amplifier into a PC board vertically for minimum footprint, or horizontally for low profile," says Woodward. "With 100% digital operation, there are no header parts nor settings to save to flash. It's all set up remotely with software via RS232 link. Copley Motion Explorer 2 configuration software is intuitive, and provides clear diagnostics and advanced oscilloscope features to simplify system commissioning." Copley Controls Corp. : Enter 514

Stage gives a 10-nm resolution across 25-mm travel

Targeted at fiber-optic assembly applications, Aerotech's Nano-Translation (ANT(TM)) stages combine speed, accuracy, resolution, repeatability, and reliability into a 100- x 100- x 66-mm footprint. "It's capable of making repeatable 10-nanometer scale motion across a 25-mm travel range," explains Ron Rekowski, director of product marketing. "No-creep linear recirculating ball bearings offer a more compact design and excellent in-position stability that won't degrade over time. The stage can be mounted flat or on edge for design flexibility, and 32 MHz electronic circuitry enables speed greater than 250 mm/sec." Aerotech Inc. : Enter 515

Drives key on soft motion over FireWire

Combining PC hardware and software standards, soft motion technology, and an IEEE 1394 (FireWire) servodrive network, ServoWire(R) SM from Ormec provides engineers a cost-effective method for controlling from one to eight servos. "It reduces costs and complexity by eliminating the need for proprietary motion control boards for OEMs developing motion control applications using Mircrosoft C or C++," explains VP of Marketing Allen Presher. "Since the tasks normally performed by the motion adapter have been distributed between the host PC and the ServoWire SM drives, no board-level motion controller is required." 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-inch continuous stall torque. Using a standard IEEE 1394 (OHCI-compatible) communications adapter, the drives interface with a PC running Windows NT and the VenturCom real-time extensions (RTX). Ormec : Enter 516