User's Manual

EZ PMAC2A-PC-104 Setup Manual
Introduction 1
INTRODUCTION
PMAC, pronounced Pe’-MAC, stands for Programmable Multi-Axis Controller. It is a family of high-
performance servo motion controllers capable of commanding up to 32 axes of motion simultaneously
with a high level of sophistication.
The PMAC2A-PC/104, member of the PMAC family, is a cost-effective 8-axis motion controller. The
PMAC2A-PC/104 can be composed of three boards in a stack configuration. The base board provides
four channels of either DAC ±10V or pulse and direction command outputs. The optional axis expansion
board provides a set of four additional servo channels and I/O ports. The optional communications board
provides extra I/O ports and either the USB or Ethernet interface for faster communications. Only one
communication port can be used at any given time.
The PMAC Quick Setup program is a software tool for setting up and troubleshooting the PMAC2A-
PC/104 board. Each screen is dedicated to testing and setting up a particular feature of the board, thus
making the setup of the PMAC motion controller a very simple process.
The PMAC Quick Setup program runs in most 32-bit Microsoft
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Windows operating systems, and can
communicate through any method including serial RS-232, USB, Ethernet, and PC/104 bus.
Configuring PMAC
PMAC is shipped with all the configuration jumpers set for a typical application. These default settings
are explained in the particular sections of this manual where each feature is illustrated.
Follow these steps to install and configure PMAC for a typical application:
1. Establish power supplies connections.
2. Establish communications.
3. Establish amplifier and motor connections.
4. Establish flags connections (home switches and end-of-travel switches).
5. Check motor polarity.
6. Set up motor software parameters.
7. Jog motors.
8. Home motors.
9. Define a coordinate system. Write and run a simple motion program.
10. Save the configuration.
Getting More Information
The PMAC Quick Setup program is provided with the PMAC Guide manual which has the complete
description of each PMAC connector and software command used in a typical application. This manual
can be accessed from the main setup screen of the program.