Product category:
Drives, motors and power transmission, couplings, clutches
News Release from: Sprint Electric | Subject: Controlling multiple drives
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 30 August 2001
Configuration of multiple DC drives made
easier
Sprint Electric simplifies the simultaneous configuration, programming and monitoring of multiple DC drives by 'daisy chaining' several of its PL and PLX digital drives together.
Sprint Electric simplifies the simultaneous configuration, programming and monitoring of multiple DC drives with the launch of a new facility that enables several of its PL and PLX digital drives to be 'daisy- chained' together This new feature will reduce installation and commissioning time for OEMs and plant engineers by enabling the same settings and parameters to be loaded into multiple drives
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 27 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
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The Sprint drives are simply connected together using off-the-shelf RS232 to RS485 converters.
Each converter is plugged into the PLX's serial port and its output connected to the input terminals of the next drive.
The drive at the end of the chain is connected to a PC running Sprint's easy-to-use, Windows-based configuration tool, PL Pilot, which now features a multiple view facility.
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All drives in the chain can then be programmed at the same time, with split screens in the software tool showing the status of each.
PL Pilot, available free on CD-ROM from Sprint Electric, can be used in either "On-line" or "Off-line" mode.
In Off-line mode, the operator can create and save "recipes" of parameters and block connections for downloading to a single or multiple drives later.
In On-line mode, PL Pilot can be used to set, monitor and adjust drive parameters with the drive(s) connected and running.
In this mode it also serves as a powerful real-time diagnostic tool, enabling the operator to troubleshoot the drive system and modify parameters and settings accordingly.
The recently launched Sprint PL two-quadrant, and PLX four-quadrant ranges of three phase digital drives, are designed to be easy to program with a logical menu structure and English language descriptions as well as numerical codes for every parameter.
The PLX series covers the power range 5 to 225kW, and the PL series up to 265kW.
Both are supplied with a wide range of software function blocks including high performance PID controller, reel diameter calculator, taper tension calculator, multi-function signal processors and spindle orientation.
The PL/X can be programmed using either its built in LCD display and pushbuttons or the PL Pilot configuration software.
The menus and parameter descriptions are identical in both environments and are mirrored in the operator manual.
The PL/X series is already the easiest DC drive to program, and the ability to configure and monitor multiple drives now makes it even more convenient for users who need to clone a number of drives.
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