Re: Analog Output controller?

Hi guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. I just have a few more questions...

The AMC amplifiers operate in current, open loop voltage, tachometer,
and Hall velocity. What does this mean? I know that the amplifiers
connect to the motor's hall effect sensors to perform the brushless
commutation, so why are there other types of input like encoder or
tachometer? I thought the encoder input goes to the motion
controller, which then detects the error and compensates through the
commands given to the amplifier. Is this idea correct?

I have some brushless servomotors that I was able to run with the AMC
amplifiers. I connected the motors to the amplifiers, connected the
amplifiers to a 24V power supply and spun the motors using the
onboard potentiometer. I also spun them with 1.5V and 4.8V control
input. I noticed that at slow speeds the motor is not smooth, and is
not able to obtain extremely low RPM without stopping. Will this go
away when there is a feedback encoder signal sent to the controller?

I forgot to mention, I acquired a 3-axis Kollmorgen Servostar MC
series motion controller:
http://www.motionvillage.com/products/technical_documentation/septech_
docs.html#MC
It's an ISA PC board. I believe I need some sort of breakout board to
connect the controller to the amplifiers, but I can't find it on
their website. Anyone know where to acquire one? Hopefully I can find
it somewhere other than from the factory as they seem extraordinarily
expensive for what they are.

I installed the software included, it seems to have some servo tuning
utility, but I'm not sure if there's any software to interpret G-code
into servo motion. Will I have to program this myself? Would I be
able to run EMC with this board?

Also, I compiled an overview of the suggestions given, just to
summarize:

Vital Systems
Their boards look similar to the Kollmorgen board I have, but I don't
have the breakout board for my Kollmorgen.

Pico Systems
Here I think I will need a Quadrature Encoder Board, a Dac16 Board, a
8-slot Motherboard, and a Card Cage for Motherboard, resulting in a
total of $600 for 4-axis motion control, and this interfaces with the
computer via parallel port.

Rutex
It seems that I will need 3 of those Rutex R991H converters to obtain
3-axis control? This would cost about $300, which isn't very
economical for an open-loop system. The plus side, however, is that I
can use TurboCNC or Mach2, which is something I'm familiar with.

Thanks again,
James