EtherCAT Servo Drive

Copley Controls (Canton, MA) offers two open-standard, EtherCAT-compatible Accelnet servo drives that deliver 18A and 36A peak, respectively. The drives are designed for centralized control of multi-axis automation or distributed motion control systems. The AEP-90-18 and AEP-90-36 drive brushless and brush motors and run on 20−90V DC power. Operating modes include torque, velocity, trajectory tracking, point to point, and homing. Multiple choices for encoder feedback include Endat 2.2, Hiperface, incremental, and analog encoders. The drives measure 7.7 × 3.9 × 1.2".

The drives are supported with software tools that capitalize on the CADopen DSP-402 device profile of EtherCAT. All network management is achieved automatically by simple commands. Copley Motion Libraries (CML) link into a C++ application program, and Copley Motion Objects (CMO) are COM-compatible objects for Visual Basic, NET, and LabVIEW. A Java-based drive configuration environment provides auto-tuning and simplifies system setup. The software also includes oscilloscope, function generator, and diagnostic tools.