Performance Motion Devices (PMD), a provider of motion control ICs, modules, and boards, has launched the ION/CME N-Series Digital Drives, new members of the ION Digital Drive family that provide high-performance motion control, network connectivity and amplification.

N-Series ION digital drives feature a patented, ultra-rugged PCB-mountable package with three power output levels – 75, 300, and 1,000 watts. All ION/CME N-Series Digital Drives support Brushless DC, DC Brush, and step motors.

ION/CME N-Series Digital Drives provide profile generation, servo compensation, stall detection, field-oriented control (FOC), electronic camming, and many other motion control functions. Additional features include support for Ethernet, CAN, serial, and SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) communications, and support for quadrature, sin/cos, and BiSS-C encoder formats.

The drives aim to provide benefits that include:

• Reduction in development time – To create a complete ready-to-go control solution, engineers only have to select their desired motor type and power level and install on a simple interconnect board with their choice of connectors and form factor.
• Flexible connection options – ION N-Series ION Digital Drives are easy to plug in and connect, supporting a range of communication interfaces including CAN, Ethernet, RS232, RS485, and SPI.
• Small package, big power – Despite their small size, measuring 1.48”x1.48”x0.66” (38 mm x 38 mm x 17 mm), N-Series ION Drives can drive Brushless DC, DC Brush, and step motors with up to a Kilowatt of continuous power output.
• Fully programmable – At the core of every ION/CME N-Series Digital Drive is PMD's powerful motion control language called C-Motion. This award-winning language gives engineers the ability to write code and share across all their machine designs.

Chuck Lewin, CEO of Performance Motion Devices, said: "Beyond their impressive technical features, the N-Series ION drives have a revolutionary all-in one design approach that allows the creation of fully custom multi-axis motion control boards in weeks, rather than months or even years.”