Intelligent DC Drives

Mentor MP DC drives from Emerson Control Techniques provide high performance and a high degree of versatile system interfacing capabilities. The drives feature a built-in PLC and integrate the control platform of the company's high-volume intelligent ac drive, the Unidrive SP.

"The most unique aspect of the Mentor MP drive is its flexibility," says Alex Harvey, a product manager for Emerson Control Techniques. He says the drives offer three slots for adding communications, co-processor options for winding or tension control applications, plus multiple options for I/O and feedback expansion (dc or ac tach, multiple incremental encoders and absolute encoder feedback). Users can mix and match combinations to meet a wide variety of application needs, unlike competitive products which normally have slots dedicated to specific functions.

The platform is based on a system of plug-in Solutions Modules (SMs) that provide the expanded onboard processing power and high-speed peer-to-peer communications, plus the I/O and encoder feedback options. Mentor MP can operate on machine communications networks including Ethernet/IP, Profibus and DeviceNet.

In addition to being the world's first RoHS-compliant dc drive, Mentor MP includes advanced features not found in other dc drives. Patent-pending galvanic isolation technology protects control circuits from high voltage on the power circuit without compromising performance or reliability. The drives not only support multiple communication networks but can also provide gateway functionality. A new three-stage, overvoltage protection scheme has been tested to 6,000V to handle large voltage transients in the factory. For more information, go tohttp://designnews.hotims.com/27742-536.