Table of Contents

One thing I wasn't expecting to be prepared for. Piezos are used for loudspeakers…drive frequency is 2 kHz. Get it? Very loud and annoying :P They do however work well.

They are also reasonably low torque. Will do some experiments to see how they drive some of my linear stages.

Actuators

Bare actuators:

Units:

“Note: The knob on the end of the drive screw provides inertial mass required for operation. Removal of the knob will prevent the Picomotor from functioning properly and void the warranty.”

Pinout

4-pin RJ-22:

Has note saying that the two GNDs are electrically connected.

Driver

There seem to be at least two different driver systems: “intelligent” / network system and stand alone drivers.

“The Picomotor drivers generate the 130-V pulses required to drive the piezo in the Picomotor.”

Network

Basically a controller receives input from either a joystick, pendant, ethernet, or RS-232 which then relays a signal to RS-485 daisy chained (Distributed Control Network (DCN)) open and/or closed loop drivers. Free Windows DLL available (advertised in manual, haven't looked into it). Runs off of 24VDC (min/max varies) using standard Phoenix Contact Combicon compatible quick disconnects.

Major family components:

Additionally:

Precision / repeatability

According to manual, step size varies considerably. Standard drivers < 30 nm, Tiny < 100 nm. From standstill or changing direction will cause significant variance. Other factors include direction, load, temperature, and wear.