Compact, high performance panel PC from B&R

Equipped with a PC module, which has the same dimensions as a Smart Display Link or DVI receiver, any 2nd generation Automation Panel can be turned into a full-fledged Panel PC – including completely closed panels mounted on a support arm. 

Available with single-, dual- or quad-core processors, the computing power of the Panel PC 2100 is fully scalable. At the high range of performance, it's even possible to exceed the performance of Core i3 chips.

Regardless of the variant, no fans or other rotating components means that no maintenance whatsoever is required. Other standard features include two Gigabit Ethernet interfaces as well as one USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 interface.

Fieldbus technology such as Powerlink or CAN can be individually configured through the use of interface modules, and compact MLC-based CFast cards up to 60GB and more are available to meet every memory need.

The graphics engine used in Intel Atom processors is derived from Core i technology and provides powerful processing all the way up to full HD. This is also the first time that support for DirectX 11 is provided in this segment, opening up even more possibilities for enhanced graphic capabilities in SCADA and other HMI systems.

Servo drive enhancement
B&R has also extended the functionality of its ACOPOS line of servo drives. Repetitive control – the latest advancement – considerably improves the accuracy of production processes with stationary disturbances by using predictive following error compensation. 

The performance of the machine or system is considerably increased without a great deal of additional effort. Repetitive control is available for all ACOPOS models simply by installing a firmware update.

When using position-controlled drives with constant speed, mechanical conditions can cause stationary disturbing torque fluctuations, which often results in following error localised to a certain area. Optimising the drive controller configuration can minimise these lag errors but will not be able to completely prevent the disturbance.

Embedded in the standard speed control loop for the ACOPOS drive family, repetitive control adjusts the torque setpoint of the drive in a way that significantly reduces the periodic portions in the speed or following error.

The algorithm undergoes a constant learning process so that changes to the load profile – caused by wear, for example – have no effect whatsoever on the drive due to predictive compensation for disturbances.

Available as an add-on to the standard control procedure, active disturbance suppression is easy and intuitive to configure, not even requiring a mathematical model thanks to the extremely adaptive nature of the algorithm.