Pico Systems

Analog Spindle Speed DAC

The Pico Systems Analog Spindle Speed DAC is an add-on module for both the Universal Stepper Controller and the Universal PWM Controller to generate +/- 10 V analog speed commands for a spindle drive that is controlled by an analog voltage. It can be software configured for drives that need a positive voltage to control speeds in either direction, which is selected by a contact closure provided by the controller, or a drive that requires the sign of the voltage to change to select the direction. This unit can also control any device which requires less than 10 V. The voltage to RPM scaling is set in the CNC software. It could also be used for any other function that requires a relatively coarse analog voltage that does not need to vary quickly. A laser power control might be another example.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Note that the ouput of the spindle DAC is not isolated from system ground. Some spindle drives do not have isolated command inputs, and catastrophic damage will occur if the Spindle DAC is connected to a drive of that type. Check the manual of the spindle drive to assure it is isolated before connecting.

Jumper settings for the board:

Note that the letters "a b c" do not appear on the board, they are for reference in this description. There are 3 ways to set up the output polarity.

JP1	JP2	SSR1 On	SSR2 On	SSR1 & SSR2 Off
ON	A	Pos	Neg	Zero
OFF	B	Pos	Pos	Zero
OFF	C	Pos	Pos	Pos

Pico Systems is currently delivering this board at an end-user cost of US $50.

Price List

You can contact Pico Systems at :
(314) 965-5523
    or
543 Lindeman Rd.
Kirkwood,  MO  63122
    or
elson@pico-systems.com