User's Manual
PMAC2 User Manual
Introduction 1
INTRODUCTION
PMAC Overview
The Delta Tau Data Systems, Inc. Programmable Multi-Axis Controller2 (PMAC2) is a family of high-
performance servo motion controllers capable of commanding up to eight axes of motion simultaneously
with a high level of sophistication. Through the power of a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), PMAC2
offers a price/performance ratio for multi-axis control that was not previously available. Motorola's
DSP56002 is the CPU for PMAC2, and it handles all the calculations for all eight axes.
There are six hardware versions of PMAC2: the PMAC2 PC, the PMAC2 PC Ultralite, the PMAC2 Lite,
the PMAC2 VME, the PMAC2 VME Ultralite, and the PMAC2 Mini. These cards differ from each other
in their form factor, the nature of the bus interface, and in the availability of certain I/O ports. All
versions of the card have virtually identical on-board firmware, so PMAC2 programs written for one
version will run on any other version.
Any version of PMAC2 may run as a standalone controller, or it may be commanded by a host computer,
either over a serial port or over a bus port.
FLASH
512Kx8
FIRMWARE &
USER BACKUP
SRAM
128Kx24
ACTIVE
MEMORY
8/16
12-BIT
ADCs
DPRAM
8Kx16
INTERFACE
CPU
24-BIT
40/60/80 MHz
DSP56002
EXTRA SRAM
16Kx24
PARAM ETER
STORAGE
BUS
INTERFACE
COMMUNICATIONS
WATCHDOG
TIMER
BUS PORT
EXPANSION
ANALOG
MULTIPLEXER
I/O BUFFERS
Option 12/12A Option 16
Data & Address Busses
Option 2 Option 1
INPUT/OUTPUT
I/O BUFFERS
MACRO SERIAL DISPLAY
I/O BUFFERS
HANDWHEEL
I/O BUFFERS
COMPARE
DRIVERS
I/O
ASIC
INPUT/
OUTPUT
BUFFERS
INPUT/
OUTPUT
BUFFERS
4-AXIS
SERVO
ASIC
4-AXIS
SERVO
ASIC
SERIAL
INTERFACE
COMMUNICATIONS
MACHINE PORT 4
MACHINE PORT 2
MACHINE PORT 3
MACHINE PORT 1
Figure 1 PMAC2 Block Diagram
Flexibility
As a general purpose controller, PMAC2 can serve in a wide variety of applications, from those requiring
sub-microinch precision to those needing hundreds of kilowatts or horsepower. Its diverse uses include
robotics, machine tools, paper and lumber processing, assembly lines, food processing, printing,
packaging, material handling, camera control, automatic welding, silicon wafer processing, laser cutting,
and many others.