Reference Guide

PMAC Quick Reference Guide
4 Introduction
PMAC2
PMAC2 is available in either PC, PCI, or VME formats. It is suggested for applications that require a
digital amplifier control (direct PWM signals) or applications with a combination of analog and digital
axis. PMAC2 is recommended also for the use of its built-in features that are optional in PMAC (1):
pulse and direction outputs, MLDT inputs, optional 12-bits analog to digital inputs, two extra encoder
inputs, improved position compare/capture feature and one channel of parallel feedback.
The PMAC2 is available with four or eight axes, with only four axes as the PMAC2 Lite and with only
two axes as the PMAC2 Mini.
PMAC2 Ultralite
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The term Ultralite stands for no DSPGATE Gate-Array ICs on board of this kind of PMAC2. The ASICs
are located in a different set of boards, usually remotely located from PMAC2, referred as MACRO
stations. In fact, the PMAC2 Ultralite in combination with the MACRO station can be seen as a PMAC2
divided in two halves: the central processing portion that contains the DSP processor and the distributed
circuitry that connects to motors, amplifiers and different I/O points.
The PMAC2 Ultralite and the MACRO (Motion And Control Ring Optical) stations are linked with a
fiber optic or twisted pair connection. This clever distribution of components brings many benefits:
drastic reduction of wiring complexity, elimination of interference by electromagnetic noise and long
distance connections (3000 m, ~2 miles with glass fiber).
Turbo PMAC Family
The Turbo PMAC is based in the 56300 Motorola DSP processor. Its power and speed allows handling
up to 32 axes in up to 16 different coordinate systems. Compared with other PMACs, the Turbo PMAC
has a highly improved lookahead feature that allows tighter control of acceleration and more accurate
cornering profiles.
Motion programs and PLCs developed for other versions of PMAC are compatible with Turbo PMAC.
The main difference in the setup is the increased number of variables necessary to control up to 32 axes.
The main Turbo PMAC board has the necessary hardware to connect up to eight channels. The number
of channels could be expanded from 8 to 40 by means of either the Acc-24P or Acc-24P2 for PMAC style
or PMAC2 respectively. The Turbo PMAC2 is also provided in a 3U format and it is the main
component of the UMAC (Universal Motion and Automation Controller) products.