Cost-Conscious PID Controllers Aim At Brushed DC Motors

Oct. 13, 2003

These affordable motor-position PID controllers are designed for use with medium-sized brush dc motors. They provide 32-bit position control for dc motors with two-channel quadrature encoders and provide direct control via 38.4-, 19.2-, or 9.6-kbit/s serial interfaces. They can store up to 16 trapezoidal profile segments and three PID settings and feature analog position control (1024 positions) with offset and multiplier functions, as well as a velocity control mode. Three models are available: ICON_PID for 1 to 40 V dc at 12 A; the mini MPID for 1 to 30 V dc at 3.75 A; and the micro UPID for 6 to 30 V dc at 2.5 A (the first one requires an ICON_HB). They're priced at $100, $80, and $80 each, respectively, in unit quantities.

Solutions Cubedwww.solutions-cubed.com; (530) 891-8045

About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.