Trio Motion unveils two new motion controllers

Trio Motion (www.triomotion.com) has introduced two new motion and machine controllers that economically and flexibly provide new levels of multi-tasking stepper or servo control for high performance automation.

Based on the 533 MHz ARM11 processor, the MC403 and MC405 controllers offers a vast array of performance enhancements enabled by the ARM11 core. With an optimized selectable servo update rate from 125 microseconds to 2000 microseconds, up to 512K data table size and over four times the clock frequency at 533 MHz, the double floating point precision processor offers an outstanding servo loop accuracy with fast 64 bit integer position and 64 bit real-number mathematics registers.

The MC403 can control three stepper axes or two servo axes plus a master encoder input, while the MC405 can control five step and direction axes or four servos with a master encoder. Offering a maximum stepper output frequency of two MHz, the controllers’ servo encoder ports are selectable for rotary feedback or incremental linear. The ports can also be configured for Tamagawa, SSI and EnDat absolute types.

Aside from the encoder provision and the axis count, the evident differences between the two models relate to the number of virtual exes offered, the multitasking ability and the physical variations such as the status display, I/O count and size. The MC403 features eight axes in software and can simultaneously operate six tasks, while the four-servo/five-stepper MC405 has sixteen axes in software and can run ten simultaneous tasks.

Although both controllers provide two 12-bit analog inputs and eight 24 VDC inputs, the physical layer of MC405 has ten registration inputs compared to MC403’s six. MC405 also offers eight 24V bidirectional I/O channels rather than four.

New Trio Motion Product Catalog

Trio announces the release of a new product catalog for 2010 with more comprehensive hardware and software information. A new product selection guide makes it easy to compare and choose controllers.

The catalog encompasses Trio’s full line of Motion Coordinators including the new MC464, and ancillary components such as the new IO modules. Highlights show the breadth of Trio’s connectivity to drives and industry standard PLCs. Drive interfaces include analog servo, stepper, CANopen, and Ethernet-based. PLC connectivity includes Ethernet IP, Modbus TCP, CC-Link, Profibus, and others. Download your copy from www.triomotion.com.

Trio Motion
www.triomotion.com

Trio Motion Adds SERCOS II to its MC464 Motion Coordinator Range

Tewkesbury, UK — Trio Motion Technology has added a SERCOS II digital drive interface to its new MC464 Motion Coordinator range. The MC464 SERCOS interface allows OEMs and automation systems integrators to benefit from advanced 64-bit multi-axis motion and machine control performance, and include application matched drive and motor technologies from a wealth of SERCOS equipped products available from many manufacturers.

The SERCOS interface is one of several digital drive interfaces available with the MC464 which may be freely mixed with a wide choice of fieldbus modules to realise complete Programmable Automation Control systems with up to 64 axes of motion, operator interfacing and I/O plus programming flexibility that includes Trio’s own TrioBASIC, G-code or industry standard IEC 61131.

The fully deterministic SERCOS communication protocol is specifically designed for high speed digital motion control – exchanging closed loop control and position feedback data with rapid speed through optical fibre wiring with extremely short cycle times. The well established standard also includes a service channel for progress, status, and diagnostics data exchange. Trio’s MC464 SERCOS digital drive module sends and receives 32 bit control and feedback values for up to 16 axes at selectable data rates of up to 16MHz with a servo cycle period down to 250 microseconds. As the bus master, the MC464 Motion Coordinator can accommodate 4 SERCOS modules – providing precise synchronisation for up to 64 axes in position or speed mode with an impressive jitter value or maximum fluctuation in accuracy of less than 1 microsecond.

Such high performance suits tightly coordinated positioning applications using linear and rotary servo drive and motor technologies and the availability of third-party SERCOS equipped vector drives, stepper drives, I/O modules, sensors and PLC interfaces allows almost any kind of automation or machine control system to be realised. Furthermore, as SERCOS drives can be located up to 50 metres apart with plastic fibre cabling, or up to 250 metres for glass cables, large scale automation control is possible with reduced wiring and fast installation times. The tried and tested SERCOS protocol, with over 2 million nodes in operation today, also decreases connectivity problems and helps to reduce development timescales and costs with simplified machine design and faster machine build.

The MC464 central controller is Din-rail or panel mounted and includes I/O, status display, SD card memory expansion, an axis synchronisation port and master encoder input. Built-in programming and communications ports include Modbus, Hostlink, Ethernet IP, CANopen and RS232/485. Expansion modules including the MC464 SERCOS digital drive module simply clip mount to the MC464 central controller for a smart and cost effective control solution. This scalability is ensured with system expansion available by simply installing additional modules to use only those features required for the application.

The plug and play simplicity of the MC464 includes the Trio Motion Perfect programming environment which provides users with an easy to use Windows based interface and with time saving tools designed for setting up, commissioning and diagnostics across all of the Motion Coordinator range. For the MC464 SERCOS module, this includes automatic bus identification and a drive wizard that creates a TrioBASIC configuration program to automatically run at start-up – initialising and setting all individual drive and component parameters on the ring. TrioBASIC also includes several commands specifically for SERCOS drives, exploiting the potential for diagnostics via the service channel and providing easy access to internal parameters of equipment on the ring for much simplified control.

The TrioBASIC multitasking programming language is used across the Motion Coordinator range and has a 20 year history for fast and uncomplicated programming from simple single axis applications to the most complex motion and combined machine control systems. Digital 24V registration handling inputs are available on the SERCOS interface and remote position capture can also be implemented on some third party SERCOS drives.

Users may also choose the industry standard IEC 61131-3 option for PLC programming with PC based tools for Ladder Diagram and Structured Text along with Instruction List, Function Block Diagram and Sequential Function Chart programming.

SERCOS applications can also benefit from the MC464 factory communications module which is based upon the Anybus® CompactCom interface system. Fieldbus and communications modules available include Profibus, DeviceNet, CANopen, Modbus-TCP and -RTU, CC-Link, USB, Bluetooth and many more.

Trio Motion Technology
www.triomotion.com