Expanded Snap Amp
Posted: Wed Feb 05, 2020 8:28 am
The Snap Amp Concept is superbly flexible and I've used it a number of times but in some cases I've had to compromise or choose another solution because of the limitations of bus voltage and in most cases the non-industrial I/O design required quite a bit of external circuitry to 'harden" the I/O for noise immunity and more standard I/O voltage ratings. This required external circuity greatly increases the amount of time it takes to put a system together so the attractive purchase price and packaging is quickly overcome by the amount of time it takes to integrate it.
The hardening of the I/O could be relatively straightforward requiring only an I/O breakout board with the necessary circuitry built on it so it is basically an optional expansion to the Snap Amp. There would need to be some decisions made for input and output counts but that could be dealt with.
I would also like to see the SnapAmp operate at up to a 170 bus with isolated logic and reduced noise emissions and noise susceptibility. This power expansion would make the SnapAmp fit 1 to 2 HP servo motors so would greatly increase the breadth of applications and fit perfectly in the mid size milling machine category.
I took the liberty to send some photos of a Snap Amp to a servo drive design engineer with this 170 volt bus request and he responded with an estimate to design this expanded capability SnapAmp. This engineer has designed servos since the mid 1990's for a major player in the servo market with 170, 300 and 500 volt buses that met CE safety, noise emission and susceptibility standards. This design criteria was necessary because the drives were sold through distribution and had to be pretty much no muss, no fuss, installations even with motion control boards on board... and they were. I would really like to see what he can come up with for the SnapAmp because I'm sure it would be fantastic. I think it would likely increase sales significantly because of the size increase with a reduction in integration difficulties.
I, for one would welcome a system with the flexibility of the K flop / Snap Amp with trouble free implementations in most applications. If you're interested in contacting this engineer, please let me know.
AZ
The hardening of the I/O could be relatively straightforward requiring only an I/O breakout board with the necessary circuitry built on it so it is basically an optional expansion to the Snap Amp. There would need to be some decisions made for input and output counts but that could be dealt with.
I would also like to see the SnapAmp operate at up to a 170 bus with isolated logic and reduced noise emissions and noise susceptibility. This power expansion would make the SnapAmp fit 1 to 2 HP servo motors so would greatly increase the breadth of applications and fit perfectly in the mid size milling machine category.
I took the liberty to send some photos of a Snap Amp to a servo drive design engineer with this 170 volt bus request and he responded with an estimate to design this expanded capability SnapAmp. This engineer has designed servos since the mid 1990's for a major player in the servo market with 170, 300 and 500 volt buses that met CE safety, noise emission and susceptibility standards. This design criteria was necessary because the drives were sold through distribution and had to be pretty much no muss, no fuss, installations even with motion control boards on board... and they were. I would really like to see what he can come up with for the SnapAmp because I'm sure it would be fantastic. I think it would likely increase sales significantly because of the size increase with a reduction in integration difficulties.
I, for one would welcome a system with the flexibility of the K flop / Snap Amp with trouble free implementations in most applications. If you're interested in contacting this engineer, please let me know.
AZ