Controller
Controller means something that is in control of things. In motion control this usually means a CNC controller, software, PLC or similar that generates the reference signals for the drive as well as other control signals such as enable & reset errors.
CNC controllers
There are two main types of CNC controllers:
- Software controllers (run on PC)
- Hardware controllers (stand alone controllers with screen, jogging buttons etc)
Mach 3
Mach 3 is probably the most famous low cost CNC controller for Windows PC's. It can produce pulse and direction reference signals from PC parallel port and also via external pulse generators.
EMC2
EMC2 is based on realtime Linux platform and offers high flexibility at expense of somewhat more complex setup process compared to others. However, due to realtime OS platform it provides very stable output on pulse and direction control as well as analog and PWM modes.
Stand-alone controllers
- Siemens SINUMERIC controller
- Heidenhain CNC controllers
PLC
Programmable logic controller is usually a stand-alone device where operator can write programs to do various things, such as control I/O signals and generate motion reference signals. Many PLC's are motion control capable and are a suitable choice also for VSD drives.
Software
TODO Direct software control and SimpleMotion here.
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