Colleagues
Just recently I purchased an AC servo drive in the intention that I would match a motor to it and use it as the spindle drive motor on my latest project being a lathe conversion. I realise like most things I jump the gun without thinking but the driver was new and at the correct price so how could I pass it up.
From what I have learnt so far I can interface a Pixie card to the driver so it excepts step and direction from Mach, but that's about as much as I have been able to research. My questions are as follows.
What motor can I use with this drive? Or what should I be looking for in a motor?
Is there a better interface than the pixie card?
Or am I simply just peeing in the wind! and trying to use something that is to outdated?
If you go to the link it will show the manual for the driver,
http://www.ormec.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=8hh6gEwtUB4%3D&tabid=168&mid=757
My model is SL30.
I am very new to servo motor's and basically on a crash course, any help would be appreciated.

Cheers
Katoh
Incidentally.
Many Thanks to Hood Who has helped me Thus far!

Do you have means to program the personality module when matching an odd ball motor?
Also you will need a motor with hall effect (or simulated H.E.) commutation, if it is for a spindle, the motor will most likely be in the larger Servo range?
Depending on what machine you have it on.
N.

Do you have means to program the personality module when matching an odd ball motor?

No I wouldn't even know were to start looking or who to ask.
As stated I'm new to the Servo game, you could say on a crash course. As far as motor size goes I am looking at the 1.5kw range to drive a spindle on a 11x30 lathe.
I am just about to do a quick google on hall effect, try to understand it better. Maybe I was under the wrong impression that most of these are plug and play.
Thanks
Katoh

This shows how the commutation works.
http://users.tinyworld.co.uk/flecc/4-pole-bldc-motor031102.swf
Some drives start off using the halls in the BLDC (Brushless DC) mode and then switch over to AC sinusoidal.
N.

That is a really good animation of the halls, I did some research earlier and found a good paper that described the operation of the hall effects in the servo motors. If anything I'm learning new things.
I would contact westamp but I dont think exist any more, well I cant find a website for them. If I could find a contact I would ask them direct what motor they recommend.
cheers
Katoh

I contacted Westamp about 10yrs ago, but I think they have since folded or been taken over.
Usually there is software to program the personality module but I don't hold out much hope that it is still around, as it had a limited audience.
N.

I sent a message of to Ormec, hopefully they might give me an idea or a starting point. If I can get some sort of an idea which motor will work with it I could go from there. I'm looking at Yaskawa motor at the moment 1.5kw, but trying to find specs on it and relating them back to the drive is becoming quite a task.
Wishful thinking maybe someone will come up and say use ABC-123 motor and such and such an interface and it will all work. I must be dreaming!
The funny thing is I have a VFD and a 3phase motor here ready to go into the lathe, but for some reason I see the servo option as so much better.
Thanks for all your help.
Cheers
Katoh

Once you get into BLDC and especially AC sinusoidal, it can often be less headache to source the motor and drive as a matched pair.
The servo option can give you CSF and potentially C axis capability.
N.

Yes that's exactly what I was thinking, having both c-axis and spindle, will make the machine so much more versatile with so much more scope for expansion.

Once you get into BLDC and especially AC sinusoidal,.

You lost me again there.
Katoh

BLDC motor is shown in the simulation link,  both BLDC and 3ph AC sinusoidal motors are constructed the same way, with a  PM rotor and 3 windings on the stator, the difference is in the control, BLDC is often compared to a  DC brushed motor turned inside out, hence brushless DC and only two windings are energized at the same time.
AC sinusoidal is true 3 ph, all three winding energised 120deg apart and is generally a smoother motor, especially at very low rpm.
N.