Use of electric bikes or e-bikes — those with power-assist and full drive capabilities — is exploding in Europe and now the Americas as more people than ever look for green modes of transportation in increasingly dense urban centers. Recently introduced to the world market, maxon motor makes an integrated drive (sometimes called a hub […]
FAQs + basics
What is a servo drive?
Updated August 2019 || Servo systems consist of four main components — a motor, a drive, a controller, and a feedback device … with the latter usually an encoder. The controller determines what the motor must do and then triggers the drive to send the necessary electrical energy to the motor to make the required […]
FAQ: How to choose between PC-based and dedicated PLC motion control?
Two of the most common control architectures for motion control systems are PC-based controls and PLCs (programmable logic controllers.) But how does one choose between them? What factors are involved in making the decision? Speed One of the most critical factors involves computation or processing speed. PLCs have traditionally had the edge here, being designed […]
FAQ: How can brush wear in DC motors be minimized?
Brushed DC motors provide high speed and torque, are simple to operate, and are generally inexpensive. But one characteristic that is often viewed as a drawback is brush wear, which can necessitate frequent maintenance and downtime, and in extreme cases, can result in motor failure. Brushed DC motors are commutated mechanically, through the use of a commutator […]
FAQ: What is sinusoidal commutation for dc motors?
Although the back EMF waveform of a brushless DC (BLDC) motor is theoretically trapezoidal, in reality, inductance in the motor smooths the back EMF into a more sinusoidal shape. This is why BLDC motors can use either trapezoidal or sinusoidal commutation methods. While trapezoidal commutation is the simpler of the two methods, it produces significant […]
FAQ: What is electronic gearing for servo motors?
Gears are often used to establish a fixed speed relationship between a motor and a drive system (such as a ball screw, rack and pinion, or belt and pulley system). For example, when a belt and pulley system is connected to a motor through a 3:1 gearbox, each full rotation of the motor causes the […]
Shock and vibration mitigation by design not by mistake
Design engineers and equipment operators often view shock absorbers and isolators as nonessential fixit elements to add to original equipment only if it shows vibration or shock problems. Here we debunk this and other common misconceptions. By Christopher Kudla, Product Manager | ITT Enidine Engineering design is always evolving. With its progress comes a need to […]
FAQ: Why are starters used with DC motors?
Starters are used to protect DC motors from damage that can be caused by very high current and torque during startup. They do this by providing external resistance to the motor, which is connected in series to the motor’s armature winding and restricts the current to an acceptable level. To see why DC motors experience high […]
What is PIV servo control?
What is PIV servo control? It typically involves two components: feedforward control, which adds auxiliary velocity and (in some cases) acceleration signals to the servo loop in order to improve command tracking, and either PID or PIV control, which works to maximize the system’s disturbance rejection. The distinction between PID and PIV control is that […]
FAQ: What are low voltage piezo actuators, and where are they used?
When voltage is applied to a piezo ceramic material, the material experiences a displacement (expansion or contraction) per the inverse piezoelectric effect. The amount of displacement that results from the applied voltage depends on thickness of material. Thus, for a given displacement, a thinner material requires a smaller voltage than a thicker material. Low voltage […]