EC: EPOS4 Module 50/15 position controller with integrated amplifier

Motion control, motors: EPOS4 OEM position controller module, with integrated amplifier, designed for use with brushed dc motors with encoder or brushless EC motors with hall sensors and encoders up to 750/1500 W. This is a Control Engineering 2017 Engineers’ Choice Awards Finalist.

October 13, 2016

The first product in maxon’s new line of position controllers is the high-performance EPOS4 module with detachable pin headers and two different power ratings. With a connector board, the modules can be combined into a ready-to-install compact solution. The position controllers are suitable for efficient and dynamic control of brushed dc motors and brushless BLDC motors (EC motors) with Hall sensors and encoders up to 750 W continuous power and 1,500 W peak power.

The Swiss drive specialists at maxon motor has equipped its product offering of CANopen positioning motor controllers with even more power, better control performance, and additional functionalities. The modular concept also provides for a wide variety of expansion options with Ethernet-based interfaces, such as EtherCAT or absolute rotary encoders.

The combination of a wide variety of operating modes and state-of-the-art control characteristics like Field Oriented Control (FOC) with multiple analog and digital I/O along with various command options enables applications in a large number of fields from medical technology to robotics. As always, maxon relies on integrated protective devices like the Safe Torque Off (STO) functionality.

Start-up and parameterization are performed with an advanced, intuitive graphical user interface called "EPOS Studio" and user-friendly menu-controlled wizards. A sophisticated automatic process for controller tuning has also been part of the package for years. Customers are free to fully dedicate themselves to their real task—developing their devices. Motor control becomes a secondary concern, as the EPOS comes with maxon’s comprehensive know-how in drive technology. Together with the three freely available libraries and programming examples, this makes the integration in a wide variety of systems very easy.

All these characteristics combined with a large input voltage range, up to 50 Vdc, extremely high power density, and up to 98% efficiency. This makes EPOS4 position controllers the first choice for your drive application.

maxon motor, www.maxonmotorusa.com