ANACON SYSTEMS INTRODUCES 
NETWORK INTERFACE MODULE ENHANCEMENT
FOR ITS DigiDrive™ II MODULAR SINGLE-PHASE AC MOTOR CONTROLLERS

Network Interface Module with Remote Configurability Provides OEM Design Engineers Ability to Customize DigiDrive II Variable Speed, Single-Phase Motor Controllers

All DigiDrive products use Anacon Systems' proprietary microcontroller and software algorithms and include analog, digital and power electronics.  The solutions easily and conveniently integrate into new and existing designs resulting in higher energy efficiency, lower conversion costs, less conversion time, lower total design costs, enhanced performance and extended motor life.  The customizedmized capabilities of the motor control through firmware modifications and hardware selections result in faster time-to-market and lower cost of ownership. "In addition to the already mushrooming market of factory automation, the networking of homes are projected to explode from six hundred thousand households projected in 1999 to over six million households in 2003 and Anacon Systems motor controls expect to play a prominent role in fans, blowers, pumps and compressors that are found throughout these homes," said Howard Abramowitz, Vice President of Business Development for Anacon Systems.

The Network Interface Module provides the following key features and user benefits:

• Configuration Capability – easy to configure from a PC through an RS232 or IrDA interface, providing local configurability and PC customizedm programming of the controller
• Network Interface – RS485 with available network platform along with capability to provide for additional software platforms (RS485 compatible), providing remote access to motor/drive performance in real time and ability to tie motor systems together in common network
• Remote Diagnostics and configuration – real time measurements of motor performance and ability to reconfigure through the RS485 connection, allowing for monitoring and readjustment from remote locations
• Additional Control features – Additional 4 signal control ports that the customizedmer can select (temperature etc..) and a speed control output (10 mV/Hz buffered output port) add to the already available configurable functions (11 parameters) and easy to use interface software, providing flexibility to allow the design engineer ability to tailor the drive performance with these built in features without requiring factory reconfiguring.

The DigiDrive II series of motor controllers are a low-cost, modular set of drive electronics that easily connect to supply single-phase motor drive solutions for applications such as fans, pumps and compressors.  Three subsystems make up the hardware "architecture" which interconnect to create a motor control. The Power Drive Board (PDB) contains the power electronics, drive circuitry and basic drive controls. The Power Interface (PINT) connects the motor and AC line to the power drive board (PDB). It contains all the filter and energy storage elements to meet stringent agency approval standards for noise and safety. The Control Interface (COIN), whose first release is the Network interface Module, provides customizedmer specific control settings, interface communication ports and flexibility in control settings and interconnect system. Combining two or three of these modules creates a family of controllers aimed at meeting the needs of single-phase systems. "The agency-approved DigiDrive II incorporating the new network interface module will provide our customizedmers the flexible software  to complement the modular hardware, providing network capabilities and customizedmer configurability that will proliferate the low cost, customized motor control platform we are striving to offer," said Bill Shepherd, Vice President of Sales & Marketing of Anacon Systems.

Applications

A few industries are already utilizing or currently developing variable speed motor control applications, including:

• Industrial pumps and compressors;
• Residential and commercial HVAC, such as air distribution blowers and ventilation fans;
• Appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and range hoods; pumps, compressors, and fans;
• Health and medical equipment, such as exercise tread mills and stair climbers;
• Aerospace, such as fluid pumps, air ventilation or actuators; and 
• Cleanroom HEPA and ULPA air delivery systems

Price and Delivery

Sample quantity unit price for the SO1631XrXX DigiDrive series starts at $190.00.  Unit pricing for quantities of 1,000 start at $90.00.

The units will be available available for sampling in April 2000 with production quantities available in June 2000.