News and New Products

Compact controller eases embedded-system motion

By Warren Webb, Technical Editor -- EDN, 3/29/2006

Targeting medical devices, optical instruments, and embedded-system automation applications, AllMotion recently announced a new dual axis stepper motor controller and driver. Measuring just 1.6×1.6-in. the EZHR17EN provides as much as 2A of drive current for one axis and as much as 1A for the second with an optional driver daughtercard. The EZHR17EN gives positioning, acceleration, and velocity capability to any stepper motor that is NEMA size 23 or smaller.

The EZHR17EN command set is compatible with devices using the Cavro DT or OEM medical-communications protocols, allowing high speed, complex motion at speeds as high as 20 million microsteps/sec. Using the device, you can issue commands from any serial terminal program, such as HyperTerminal or from the EZ Stepper Windows application. With command strings and other programs in the onboard EEPROM, the EZHR17EN can operate stand-alone with no connection to a PC. A single four-wire bus can link as many as 16 stepper-motor controllers in a daisy chain. The EZHR17EN controller sells for $225, and the daughterboard costs $69.