Performance Motion Devices, Inc. (PMD) introduces the new Prodigy PC104 Motion Card for multi-axis, multi-motor control. Available in 1, 2, 3, and 4-axis versions, the Prodigy card provides advanced motion control features including trajectory generation, servo loop closure, quadrature signal input, motor output signal generation, performance trace, on-the-fly changes, commutation, and much more. Motor type can be software-selected on a per-axis basis, and includes DC brush, brushless DC, step, and microstepping. The card communicates via a PC/104 bus, CANbus or serial port.
Prodigy-PC/104 is the first release of the new Prodigy Family of Motion Cards, designed with PMD’s advanced Magellan Motion Processor. These cards utilize high density logic circuitry to provide cost-effective, advanced motion control functions programmed in C/C++ or Visual Basic language. Card features include S-curve, trapezoidal, velocity contouring, electronic gearing, and user-generated profile modes. The card accepts input parameters such as position, velocity, acceleration, and jerk from the host, and generates a corresponding trajectory. Instantaneous on-the-fly changes can be sent by the user, and external signal inputs can be used to program automatic profile changes.
Prodigy-PC/104 provides servo loop rates of up to 50 µSec/Axis, 8 Mcount/Sec quadrature encoder input rate, high-speed motion trace for servo tuning diagnostics (with 40 KB onboard dual-port memory), and pulse & direction output of up to 5 Mpulses/Sec. Additional features include limit switch input, high speed position capture, dual loop encoder input, 6-step and sinusoidal commutation, PID filter with feedforward and dual biquad filters, incremental and parallel encoder input, 8 general purpose digital inputs and outputs, and 8 10-bit general purpose analog[
] inputs.
Chuck Lewin, President and CEO of PMD comments; “The price/performance bar for OEM motion controllers is constantly improving. Features that were once in the exclusive realm of exotic, high cost applications are now widely available in low-cost, easy-to-use products. Equally important, support software such as PMD’s Pro-Motion provides the capabilities that engineers need to build high quality products, such as performance trace, auto-tuning, and configuration storage.”
