September 1997, Issue 86

PC/104 Quarter:
Motion Control with PC/104

WHY PC/104?

Of all the system types on the market, what does PC/104 offer motion control?

In industrial applications, cabinet space is at a premium. PC/104 yields the most operational capability in the smallest available footprint.

Since PC/104 uses open-frame construction, dedicated cooling fans may not be required, especially if they're installed in industrial enclosures already cooled by fans.

With a 32-bit PC/104 system, you can install multiple processor cards on a single card-cage bus. One card handles the operator or perhaps both machine and operator safety needs, while another handles system operation. You then get the best real-time solution without losing performance or safety.

The open structure of PC/104 systems also provides easier access. To replace or add a card in a PC/104 system, just pull apart the bus and service the board. By contrast, a PC board requires the removal of one or more cabinets and at least one fastener per board.

Obviously, in industrial environments, the time needed to service or access a board is part of customer down time. Although 10 minutes doesn't sound like much down time, if you service an operation that runs at 30' per minute with product costing $40 per foot, the customer loses over $1200 per minute!

I/O option boards for PC/104 offer a wide variety of control capability. Engineers can therefore take a more direct and noncompromising approach to motion-control design with minimal effort.