Stepper Motor Controllers

[Mark Davis <davism50@msu.edu>]

Hi all,

I am currently in the process of reviewing the capabilities of DC 
Stepper Motor Controller/Drivers and was wondering what other labs are 
currently using and what they like/dislike about them.

I have read Matthew Pearson's summary from 8/2010 regarding the Delta 
Tau VME Turbo PMAC 2, Delta Tau Geobrick LVM, Newport XPS.

From his description, I assume the Delta Tau Geobrick LV is a 
significantly different device (at least physically) than the Geobrick 
LVM.  At the very least LV is MUCH smaller (15.4" x 4" x 7.2").  It is 
still a PMAC2 based controller, but they make a point of the elimination 
of analog signaling:

     "The absence of analog signals – required for typical motion 
controller/drive interfacing – enables higher gains, better overall 
performance and tighter integration, while significantly decreasing 
costs and setup time."

This may explain how they managed to make it so much smaller the the LVM 
model (which, as near as I can tell, they no longer make).  It might 
also help avoid the noise problem that Matthew mentioned regarding the 
LVM model.

From reading various other Tech-talk postings my impression is that the 
Delta Tau PMAC controllers are very capable, but complex and require a 
lot of effort to get set up correctly.  However, that may be mitigated 
to some extent by using the synApps tpmac module (and BNL's page 
regarding setup and configuration).

What other controllers are being used?  What are the advantages, 
disadvantages, and problems that have been encountered?

Mark Davis
NSCL/FRIB
davism50@msu.edu