ULT, UTH, and UTS frameless brushless motor kits from Applimotion cover a wide range of applications in direct-drive motion control. New sizes recently introduced have large center through-holes and thin radial cross-section. Coupling this to the low profile ultra-thin form factor enable a host of possibilities for optics and wires to enter through the motor […]
Microcontrollers Simplify Motor Control Design
Specialized microcontrollers (or MCUs) are making it easier for engineers to design motor controllers. A new addition to Texas Instruments’ (TI) line of 32-bit MCUs is said to provide scalability and efficiency in analog system designs as well as significantly reducing design time. The latest devices, C2000 Piccolo TMS320F2805x MCUs, are equipped with InstaSPIN-FOC (field-oriented […]
Focus on Automotive Electronics at Design Automation Conference
The 51st Design Automation Conference (DAC) took place at San Francisco’s Moscone Center the week of June 2nd. The show highlighted the latest developments in electronic design automation (EDA) such as design tools for integrated circuits (ICs) as well as reliability, verification and analysis tools, among others. A number of tech trends got a nod […]
Instant Relevance: The Power of a Hands-on Introduction
Brooke Turner, Project Manager, Academic Courseware National Instruments In the quest for engineering education not much has changed in terms of process. From grade school to grad school, most school years end with a flurry of projects and presentations. This rush at the end of the semester is to prove that the material students spent […]
New Voice Coil Actuator Developer’s Kit from BEI Kimco
To help designers get started with voice coil actuators (VCA) and the sometimes confusing electronics needed for building a system, BEI Kimco Magnetics has introduced the VCA Developer’s Kit. The completely self-contained kit includes a VCA with a built-in feedback sensor and a programmable controller with MotionLab Software that runs on the user’s local PC. […]
Encoders with HC-HTL Outputs Drive up to 350 m cable at 100 kHz
The 700 and 800 series encoders from Leine & Linde, the HC-HTL outputs can drive a 0-30V square-wave signal with frequency of 100kHz. Signal quality exceeds industry standards for voltage amplitude and signal rise-time while driving as much as 350 meters (~1150 ft) of cable when terminated into a 40 mA resistive load. Signal integrity […]
Building a (Secure) Internet of Things
Somewhere in the hazy past in the middle of the dot-com boom era, I remember standing in a white-walled lab space looking at a computer screen with a window opened onto a new world, literally and figuratively. Visible in this window was a light bulb in someone’s home far away. We were about to witness […]
Large Through-Hole, Thin Radial Cross Section Motor Kits from Applimotion
Applimotion’s ULT, UTH, and UTS frameless brushless motor kits cover a wide range of applications in direct drive motion control. New sizes feature large center through-holes and thin radial cross-sections. Coupling this to the low profile ultra-thin form factor enables a host of possibilities for optics and wires to enter through the motor center. Applimotion […]
5 Benefits of Closed-Loop Motion Feedback
Allen Chasey Eastern U.S. Sales Manager Dynapar Corp. Closed-loop feedback can address a host of issues in manufacturing and automation, including throughput, downtime, safety, performance and cost savings. If something’s moving and you need to know that it’s moving, there’s usually some form of feedback there, and it can range from simple to complex. Feedback […]
Celebrating All Things Robotic
National Robotics Week officially runs from the 5th through the 13th of April. The fifth annual event shines a spotlight on robots in their many guises, from engaging with school-age children to promote the importance of STEM education with events like robot workshops and projects with LEGOs to academic conferences like the 6th Annual IEEE […]