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Yet another controller board — Parallax Forums

Yet another controller board

ManAtWorkManAtWork Posts: 2,287
in Propeller 2

I'm currently designing a replacement for one of my old P1 based controller boards:

The new one will have similar size and features but with a nicer case instead of an open PCB. I plan to use this DIN rail enclosure. The primary application is CNC control but it will also be suitable for general PLC and motion control. I'll use it for controlling my flight simulator, for example.

Feature wish list:

  • 6 axes step/dir interface (optionally 9 axes)
  • alternatively 6 ports for high speed RS422 communication (smart abs, SPI, BISS...)
  • 18 general purpose 24V inputs (sensors, switches)
  • 12 general purpose 24V outputs (solenoids, relays)
  • 2 analogue outputs 0..10V
  • 2 analogue inputs +/-10V
  • 2 PWM outputs 5V
  • 1 incremental encoder input (A/B/Z)
  • 24V supply
  • 100Mbps Ethernet (UDP, IP or custom protocol)
  • 128x64 OLED display for status and diagnosis

The controller will have two stacked PCBs. The main board at the bottom will hold the P2 and the 24V IOs. The upper board is for the Ethernet, encoder and axis ports. The upper board can be modified to fit special needs in the case customers request it. For example I could add more IOs or more axes by multiplexing some of the slower signals to save P2 pins.

The CNC controller will be a commercial product running proprietary code that I won't disclose. But if the hardware turns out to look interesting for somebody else's project I might sell the boards for the production cost and provide some sort of "skeleton" code to handle the IOs. If required the upper board could even be replaced with a patch field / breakout board for custom circuits. Not as versatile as the P2 EVAL board but better suited to industrial applications.

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