Introducing Galil's DMC-300xx Pocket Motion Controller

Introducing Galil's DMC-300xx Pocket Motion Controller.
Smart. Compact. Low Cost.

The new DMC-300xx Pocket Motion Controller is Galil’s latest generation, single-axis Ethernet motion controller. It combines a high performance motion controller and an optional 800W sine drive in a low-cost, compact package. The DMC-300xx is also available as a controller-only card or box that can be connected to a stepper or servo motor amplifier of any power range. Using a 32-bit RISC processor and improved power technology, the DMC-300xx provides higher speed, better power efficiency and smaller size than prior generation controllers. The DMC-300xx is ideal for single-axis motor control applications where compact size, low cost and remote location are important.

Smart

A powerful new feature of the DMC-300xx is that it provides two 100Base-T Ethernet ports that can be daisy-chained. This allows multiple units to be connected without the use of an Ethernet hub.

Figure 1: DMC-300011-CARD, DMC-30011-BOX and DMC-30012-BOX connected by daisy-chained Ethernet ports

The DMC-300xx is also higher speed than prior generation single-axis controllers. The 125 microsecond servo loop update time is twice as fast and the 15MHz encoder frequency and 3 MHz stepper pulse output is 25% faster than the CDS-3310 single axis controller.

The DMC-30012 is available packaged with an efficient, high-performance amplifier for driving servo motors up to 800W. The fully digital, transconductance amplifier is a sinusoidally commutated brushless motor amplifier (it can drive brush motors as well) which minimizes torque ripple compared to drives using trapezoidal commutation. This is especially important for applications using low friction linear motors. The intelligent amplifier provides commands for initialization of the brushless motor using either hall sensors or encoder feedback.

Each amplifier drives motors operating at 20-80 VDC, up to 10 amps continuous, 15 amps peak. The gain settings of the amplifier are user-programmable at 0.4, 0.8, and 1.6 amp/volt. The switching frequency is 33 KHz. The amplifier offers protection for over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, and short-circuit. An internal shunt regulator option is available.

Other intelligent features of Galil’s 5th generation single-axis controller include PID compensation with velocity and acceleration feedforward, non-volatile memory for user programs, multitasking for simultaneously running up to four programs, and I/O processing for synchronizing motion with external events. Modes of motion include point-to-point positioning, position tracking, jogging, contouring, electronic gearing, ECAM, and PVT.

Compact

Similar in size to Galil’s RIO-47xxx Pocket PLC and much smaller than the CDS-3310 single axis motion controller, the DMC-30012- BOX motion controller and 800W sine drive unit measures just 3.9″ x 5.0″ x 1.5″. The DMC-30011-BOX which is the controller-only measures 3.9″ x 4.2″ x 1.4″, and the DMC-30011-CARD is 3.0″ x 4.0″. The controller-only unit can be connected to a stepper or servo amplifier of any power range.

Low Cost

The DMC-300xx series is cost-effective making it ideal for OEM projects. The DMC-30012-BOX controller and 800W drive package is $695 U.S. in single quantity and $445 in quantities of 100. The DMC-30011-BOX controller-only is $365 in 100 quantities and the DMC-30011-CARD is $330 in 100 quantities. Additional savings are available by purchasing the DMC-30010 model that does not include a DC-to-DC converter.

Multiple Inputs and Outputs

The DMC-300xx provides optically isolated inputs and outputs as a standard feature. I/O includes: forward and reverse limit inputs, homing input, 8 uncommitted digital inputs, 4 uncommitted digital outputs, 2 uncommitted analog inputs and 1 uncommitted analog output. Unlimited analog and digital I/O can be added using multiple RIO Ethernet I/O controllers.

The DMC-300xx accepts both a main and auxiliary encoder. Quadrature encoders are standard with BiSS and SSI formats available as an option.

Figure 2: DMC-30010-CARD Controller without DC-to-DC

Easy to Use
The DMC-300xx operates stand-alone or interfaces to a PC with Ethernet or RS232. Like all Galil controllers, the DMC-300xx is programmed with Galil’s intuitive, 2-letter command language, making them easy to program. GalilTools software simplifies system set-up with automated servo tuning and real-time display of motion information in the time domain. Galil’s new Frequency Analysis Software (FAS) allows tuning in the frequency domain.

DMC-300xx specifications are shown in Table 1. For complete pricing and specifications for the DMC-300xx series, please see: http://www.galilmc.com/products/dmc-300xx.php

The DMC-300xx is currently in BETA release with full release scheduled for January 2012. Please contact a Galil applications engineer at 800-377-6329 or support@galilmc.com for more information.

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