Hey guys, we are having our customer appreciation sale starting on Wednesday, November 21 through Monday, November 26. Just use the coupon code THANKS10 at checkout and get 10% off of all orders and free ground shipping.
We also have some pretty big announcements on new products, and are introducing our Raptor line of motor controls. The Raptor line is the spiritual successor to the Vampire drive, the G203V, but includes four different products to start with. The key features of the Raptor line are:
- Whisper quiet motor control at low speeds. I will post a video of how quiet they are, but there is no noise from the motor during low speed movement, and extremely minimized noise at higher speeds.
- Cool running motors. As of our latest measurements we are seeing a 50% reduction in motor heating driven at the same speed and power settings.
- Cool running drives. The drives in the Raptor series feature new motor control algorithms and components that leave the drive nearly incapable of overheating.
- Smoother motion and higher torque. Our new control algorithms eliminate the need for an adjustment trimpot and automatically compensate for motor resonance at all speeds. A higher torque output means you will get more from your motors at the top end, essentially stretching your speed-torque curve laterally.
- Motor matching. A new method of using nonvolatile flash memory for the resonance compensation allows us to map out specific motor waveforms. If you are an OEM (or a reseller with a packaged kit that includes motors) you can match a motors waveform to allow the Raptor drives to perfectly compensate for its distortions and nonlinearity.
- Fourteen selectable resolutions. Choose from half step all the way to 256 microstep, with perfect microstepping capabilities.
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The first up in this new line is the GR214V and the GR204V. These are functionally identical drives with different footprints; the GR214V is a form, fit and function replacement for the IMS IM483 and IM805 motor controls while the GR204V is held to no physical constraints and is much smaller. The GR204V has been our test bed for all of our new products and is already a mature product, having gone through a number of revisions during the design process. Its core will be dropped into the GR214V to run a motor exactly as smoothly and cool as the GR204V.
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After those two drives are released we have a huge new release: The GR570 featuring the SmoothStepper. We have partnered with Warp9 to integrate the Ethernet SmoothStepper right into the new GR570, which is our follow-up to the enormous success of the G540. It will have all of the great new design elements of the Raptor line noted above. Some of the more exciting new features are:
- Our new GR252 motor control for each axis. This is the successor to our G250X and G251X and forms the heart of the GR570.
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- 50VDC and 7A rated per channel. You can immediately double the power of your machine and run up to NEMA 42 motors.
- Dual power supply inputs. There are two power supply inputs, meaning you can split your voltage and run smaller motors and larger motors without having to sacrifice power. Half of the drive can run at 12VDC (our new minimum voltage, allowing for single batteries to be used to power it) and the other half can run at 50VDC.
- Expandable up to 6 axes. The GR570 will be customizable, and starts as a two-axis drive. Additional axes can be added as needed, either at the time of purchase or later on when upgrading your machine. Have a five axis machine but want to add an automatic tool changer? Just get a GR252 and plug it in.
- Native Ethernet SmoothStepper integration. The ESS will plug directly into the motherboard and eliminate the need for extra wiring. All ESS boards in the field will be supported so upgrading your machine is as simple as plugging it in to the GR570.
- 15 bi-directional inputs and outputs. We have new I/O options on the GR570 that allow you to run either an input or an output to it. All you have to do is set it in your software and the GR570 will do the rest.
- 6 dedicated high speed inputs. Home switches require extremely fast inputs and we have put in 6 dedicated inputs meant for home switches.
- VFD OUT, just like the G540.
- Self-test for each axis. Each drive can be individually tested by just pushing a button. If you get motor motion you know that the drive is good, making in-the-field troubleshooting even easier.
- An RGB LED for each axis, conveying status information. A blue LED means everything is all good, a red (or other undecided color) lets you know what kind of FAULT condition you are in.
- Extremely rugged protection all over. Every single pin on the GR570 is protected, from power to signal.
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All of this is shaping up to be released very soon. We are hoping to begin rolling out our initial releases early next year. Beta testing will take place before that and we plan on doing an open beta, allowing for as many applications as possible to be tested. All of the products are based around the already finished GR204V so we do not anticipate any issues, but that is what beta testing is for!
After we have the Raptor line out and completed we are going to be moving to phase two, which is upgrading the GR214V chassis to accept encoder input. We have provisions for encoder input on the upcoming revision and are going to close the loop for steppers and introduce an option to run brushless DC servo motors. This should all be done on the same drive with no added cost, meaning you can run open loop stepper motors (how it currently is), a closed loop stepper, or a brushless DC motor control. The timeframe on this is slightly more nebulous but we are hoping to have it released toward the end of 2019.
Alright, this post is getting long enough. Because the GR570 is still in the design phase, albeit the end of it, we are looking for suggestions on what to include or features you wish you had on the G540. When we asked this question ten years ago we were told that a VFD output would be great, and that is why we added it. Thanks for reading if you made it this far in the post!