Galil offers motion controllers and PLCs with RS232, USB or Ethernet connectivity which are designed to sit outside of the PC bus. After initial programming and downloading of a motion program into non-volatile memory they can operate without a host computer. Galil's Ethernet/RS232 DMC-40x0 box-level controllers are packaged with drives in a rugged, metal enclosure. The DMC-41x3 and DMC-21x3 Ethernet/RS232 series are card-level or DIN rail mount controllers.

There is no limitation on the motor size , and Galil controllers provide precise control of motors ranging from a few Watts to over 22 kW. Galil controllers produce a +/-10 Volt or step/direction output that can be sent to any size amplifier. Galil also offers plug-in, multi-axis stepper and servo drives for use with its DMC-41x3 controllers and DMC-40x0 controllers which form a cost-effective controller and drive solution with minimal wiring. Galil's servo drives control brush or brushless servo motors up to 1200 Watts.

For servo motor control, Galil controllers accept input from an incremental encoder. The encoder may be rotary or linear as long as it produces two channels of information in quadrature or pulse/direction format. Galil can also accept sin/cos encoders or absolute encoding in SSI or BiSS format as an option. For each axis of servo control, most Galil controllers accept inputs from two separate encoders (main and auxiliary) allowing for dual-loop control. Galil controllers with analog inputs also accept an analog sensor as feedback using the AF command. For step motor control, input from an encoder is not required although input from one encoder is accepted for each axis allowing for position verification.

Galil offers customization of any of its controllers. Galil has handled hundreds of special requests including hardware and firmware modifications such as adding special commands, communication interfaces, connectors, and physical layouts. Consult a Galil application engineer to discuss your special needs.

Yes, Galil's motion controller can close a position loop with a stepper motor. The two-phase brushless amplifier feature (2PB) allows a stepper motor to be run like a servo motor. Also standard in Galil's firmware is a 'stepper position maintenance mode' which calculates an error signal based on the stepper position.

Yes our controllers can work with non-linear systems. This is possible using various approaches including two sets of PIDs as well as changing PIDs on the fly, also called gain-scheduling.

Galil's controllers accept a large variety of DC voltages including 12V for mobile applications. See the part-number-generators for the various options. We offer a number of AC to DC power supplies for users than need AC.

Galil commands are intuitive, two-letter, English-like ASCII commands such as "BG" for begin motion and "SP" for speed. Over 200 commands are provided to specify motion, compensation, and I/O events. In addition, commands are provided for program sequencing such as conditional jumps, IF/THEN, and event trippoints. Commands may be sent in ASCII format and are upward compatible between controller models.

Galil controllers provide a secondary FIFO buffer which captures real-time data such as position, torque and error continuously. This buffer can be transmitted continuously over PCI or UDP/IP. Accordingly, the host PC does not have to poll for this data and other communications are taking place through the primary communications FIFO buffer. Galil's software tools   provide a real-time display of important motion data such as position, velocity and torque.

Most Galil controllers can execute up to eight application programs at the same time. This means eight totally independent operations can be accomplished with just one controller. The DMC-3x01x can execute six application programs at the same time while the RIO can execute up to four.

Galil provides a 'data record' including all motion status and I/O information. This 'data record' can be asynchronously transmitted to the host PC at frequencies at 500Hz plus.

DMC code is an easy-to-use, high-level programming language that has been continually developed and improved since 1983. It is particularly well suited for motion and I/O applications including event-driven execution, motion and I/O trip points, local scope variables, subroutine stacks, conditional statements, mathematical functions and multi-threaded execution.

Yes. The DMC-50xx0 is an EtherCAT master that can be connected to various slaves. All Ethernet products support Modbus. Additional protocols such as Ethernet/IP and Modbus RTU are available as firmware customizations.

Yes, a host process can be interrupted. Galil's software supports PCI and Ethernet interrupt functions. The interrupts can be generated automatically based on motion or I/O events or can be programatically called within embedded code by the UI command.

Yes. Galil's controllers can communicate to each other via Ethernet or RS-232 connections.

Yes, output compare, also known as pulse-on-position, provides high-performance I/O synchronization based on motor position.

Yes. The hardware latch, also known as position capture or touch probe, provides a high speed capture of the encoder position based upon the edge of a digital input.

Yes it can. Galil puts a high value on maintaining backwards and forwards compatibility to support our customer's existing and future applications. Application ports to new products typically require very little to no code changes.

Yes, Galil provides many methods for code reuse, including variables for axes and subroutines with local scope variables.

Yes coordinate transformation for applications such as delta-robot, hexapod, SCARA plus more are available. Contact application support for details.

Yes Galil's motion controller interface over Ethernet via Modbus TCP/IP to the RIO PLCs. Up to eight RIO's can easily be added to a motion application to extend I/O capabilities.

Yes Galil supports industry standard communication protocols for 3rd party devices such as the sensors listed above.

A number of the RIO's can be powered by PoE. For PoE to work, the user must have a PoE compatible Ethernet switch to provide the power to the RIO over the Ethernet cable. This power is very limited and will be sufficient when only the inputs and low power outputs of the RIO are used. If high power outputs are used an external power supply is required.

Most of the RIO's can plug directly to your PC's RJ45 port with a standard Ethernet cable. For the RIO-47100 and RIO-47120 you must use a cross-over cable. An Ethernet switch is not required unless you intend to power the RIO with Power over Ethernet (PoE).

The second port of the RIO can save you the cost and extra wiring of an Ethernet switch. By attaching the RIO directly to the PC and daisy chaining an additional device to the RIO's second port, your PC can connect to both devices without a switch. Also you could connect the RIO to 2 PC's if you desire.

Yes, the RIO has nonvolatile internal memory, PID loops, and counters. It can be programmed to run your I/O control application automatically upon power up with no PC or other host present.

Yes, with the encoder input option SSI and BiSS encoders can be interfaced to the RIO.

Yes, the SCB-48306 is used to interface up to 6 thermocouples to any RIO-471xx. Similarly an SCB-48206 will interface up to 6 resistive thermal devices (RTD) to the RIO-471xx.

All of the RIO's can drive relays. Connect the relay between one of the 500 mA sourcing outputs and ground. Make sure you should check the relay manufacturers data sheet to be sure that 500 mA or less is sufficient current, and to choose the proper voltage for that relay.

Specify the 4-20 mA for your RIO and you can input your sensor directly to the RIO.

The RIO's have opto-isolated inputs which can work with switches and sensors from 5V to 24V.

If you choose a RIO with screw terminals (RIO-472xx, RIO-473xx), you will not be able to detach them for servicing but will have to unscrew each wire. With the RIO-471xx you can use the ICS-48044m and the ICS-48026m. This allows you to have screw terminal connections and then you can simply detach these 2 boards for servicing.

This is an area of general confusion. If you wish to have a truly opto-isolated system, then you need to have an isolated supply for your I/O separate from the RIO. However, this is rarely required. Powering your I/O from the RIO's supply will work just fine in the vast majority of applications. The opto-isolators still act as a filter and a buffer even when there isn't true isolation.

No! Galil controllers provide a digital PID filter that eliminates the need for tachometer feedback and assures robust, stable closed-loop control. The PID parameters are programmable and the Galil Design Kit software automatically tunes most servo systems for optimum performance.

Galil DMC-40x0 , DMC-41x3 and DMC-3x01x controllers include a programmable notch filter to minimize resonance. The notch frequency and bandwidth are programmable allowing for correction at the specific resonance frequency.

Your existing program loop can run faster. To learn how to increase speed, contact an application engineer. Code optimization, a faster Galil controller, and even firmware modifications can provide the performance your application requires.

We develop our hardware and firmware such that the controller doesn't limit the bandwidth. Limitations come from the amplifier or the mechanical characteristics of the application.

Galil has been in the motion control business since 1983 and has been exposed to every type of actuator and motor on the market. The short list contains: brush, brushless, 2 and 3 phase, hydraulic, linear, voice coil, piezo crystal, ultrasonic, and galvo motors.

The stepper speed is not limited by the controller, it is limited by the motor inductance and bus voltage.

The Prior Generation label is simply used to help direct new applications to the latest line-up of Galil controllers. The Prior Generation label does not affect the availability, price, or reparability of a product. We understand the need of OEMs to develop their products with components that will be available throughout the life of their application. As long as our controllers have sufficient demand and we can obtain parts, we will continue to manufacture Prior Generation controllers. Galil controllers have had life cycles of up to 25 years.

If product availability is an important aspect of your application, join our mailing list to receive notifications regarding product revisions and obsolescence. If you have any specific questions or concerns about the availability of a Prior Generation product, feel free to contact the factory directly, toll free at 1.800.377.6329.

Galil can usually add axes to existing controllers at the factory. Please contact Galil with the serial number of the model to be upgraded for an exact price.

3-5 business days is typical but always ask at the time of RMA request. This is subject to change.

Repairs rarely run more than $150 if the board is repairable. If the board is not under warranty authorization for a $150 charge is required. We will contact you if the price exceeds $150.

Galil warranties new controllers and amplifiers for 18 months - Galil covers repair for any manufacturing defect

Galil covers repair for any manufacturing defect for 90 days after repair or until the end of the original warranty period, whichever is longer.

There is no specific cutoff for repairs. If the component in need of replacement is still available Galil can likely repair your unit regardless of age.