Performance Motion Devices, Inc. (PMD), a pioneer in the development of chip-based motion control, announces their new multi-chip, multi-axis synchronization capability for their Navigator™ and Pilot™ Motion Processors. PMD's Navigator™ chipset controls up to 4 axes of brushed DC servos, brushless DC servos, steppers, and microsteppers; the Pilot™ is a low cost, single chip, single axis control for the same type of motors.
This new Multi-chip synchronization capability allows more than four axes of motion to be coordinated between the Navigator™ and Pilot™ chips, or any combination of them. This feature also enables physically remote or distributed chips to be synchronized to within microseconds so that they can be used for coordinated motion. Jeff Johnson, Engineering Manager at Performance Motion Devices, Inc., comments, "With this capability, we are essentially synchronizing the internal cycle of the chips. The time breakpoint mechanism is then used to start or stop events (motion) based on this globally distributed and synchronized time."
The synchronization feature is implemented by one signal that is distributed across several PMD motion chips; one chip acts as the master and the rest act as slaves. Once motion has begun, it will remain coordinated because each chip's internal cycle of calculation is synchronized with the master chip. The synchronized mode of operation can be turned on or off via chip commands. This feature is software backward compatible with existing Navigator™ and Pilot™ chips, so existing designs can be enhanced to support this feature.
Full documentation and technical specifications are available online at www.pmdcorp.com. Applications and technical support are available from PMD technical service throughout the life of the project.
PMD's motion processors excel in applications where fast, smooth, synchronized motion is a requirement. These applications include medical equipment, materials handling, semiconductor manufacturing, and industrial automation and robotics.
