ESCON2: What makes it so special?

ESCON2 and it’s running smoothly

The new ESCON2 series of maxon servo controllers with CANopen and I/O commanding achieves a new level of smoothness, dynamics, and precision in machines and devices thanks to an innovative method for Hall sensor-based speed control and FOC commutation.

ESCON2 – One product line for a wide range of applications

The ESCON2 platform offers speed and current/torque control combined with highly integrated, powerful power stages, making it the perfect combination for BLDC and DC motors in industrial, robotics, medical and analytical applications.

From the smallest “ESCON2 Nano 24/2” (23x16mm, 2.5g) to the powerful “ESCON2 Compact 60/30” (up to 60V / 30A), the ESCON2 product range offers the right solution as a plug-in module for customer electronics boards and, with its ready-to-connect “Compact” designs or in a housing, enables quick integration into device and machine construction.

The flexible command and monitoring of the ESCON2 allows both the use of simple, preconfigured I/O functions and integration into CANopen systems based on CiA402 “Device Profile for Drives and Motion Control”.

High performance control and high power density in a compact design

The ESCON2 is characterized by "maximum performance in minimum size". This approach is confirmed by feedbacks of maxon customers:

“Despite their small size, the ESCON2 solutions are very powerful and achieve the specified motor currents, torques and speeds, even in continuous operation with high energy efficiency.”

10 kHz speed control rate, 50 kHz current control rate, field-oriented control (FOC), combined with the latest control algorithms and overload-resistant power stages, enable motors to follow high accelerations and precise motion profiles. For machines and equipment, this means faster cycles and increased throughput with high quality and dimensional accuracy of the products produced.

Perfect commutation and smooth operation even without an encoder

The field-oriented control generates sinusoidal motor currents over the entire speed range up to 120,000 rpm. Even for BLDC motors with Hall sensors only (without encoders), a new maxon method (patent pending) allows much more precise speed measurement than was previously possible. Due to their operating principle, Hall sensors only provide a low resolution per rotor revolution and the switching edges are not perfectly distributed over one revolution of the motor shaft due to manufacturing tolerances. The maxon method used for the first time in the ESCON2 analyzes the switching edge distribution of the Hall sensors during the first few motor revolutions and generates virtual, precise sensor information from this. From a speed of just a few hundred rpm, the speed stability and smooth operation of the motor is comparable to systems based on encoder feedback.

The speed control of the ESCON2 with Hall sensor feedback is significantly smoother and shows a lower motor current oscillation than lots of other servo controllers. The potential elimination of the encoder means cost savings and a reduction in the amount of wiring required.

Open interfaces for commanding and data exchange

ESCON2 offers analog and digital inputs/outputs and bus interfaces such as USB, serial interface / RS232 and CAN (CiA402) for configuration, precise commanding and access to data for process monitoring, IoT and predictive maintenance.

Based on the CANopen device profile CiA402, “PVM - Profile Velocity Mode,” “CSV - Cyclic Synchronous Velocity,” and “CST - Cyclic Synchronous Torque” modes are supported. In addition, two maxon-specific operating modes are available with “IOVM - I/O Velocity Mode” and “IOCM - I/O Current Mode” which combine control via analog and digital inputs/outputs with high-performance data exchange and process feedback via fieldbus. This guarantees maximum flexibility, compatibility, and scalability for use in simple devices with analog control up to fully digital systems based on CANopen. As a system integrator put it:

“The standardized CiA402 CANopen device profile used by the ESCON2 reduces integration and development efforts and the risk of incompatibility when using mixed system components.”

Updates and application-specific add-ons

User feedback and requests for functional enhancements are collected and prioritized by maxon. The ESCON2 functionality is expanded free of charge through regular updates. For series customers, maxon offers fast and efficient development of cost- and function-optimized individual solutions.

“Motion Studio” makes it fast and easy

Successful commissioning of new drives is completed with just a few entries and clicks using "Startup" wizard and automatic “Regulation Tuning” of maxon's "Motion Studio" software. The created system configuration can be saved and transferred to other ESCON2 controllers.

ESCON2 – In a nutshell

• High performance speed and current/torque control.
• FOC commutation up to 120,000 rpm (1 pole pair BLDC).
• New maxon method (patent pending) for unprecedented speed stability and smooth operation of BLDC motors with Hall sensors (even without an encoder).
• Commanding and feedback via I/O, USB, serial interface (RS232), or CANopen (CiA402).
• Easy commissioning through intuitive GUI with automatic “Regulation Tuning”.
• Wide range of product designs and output power.
• Customer-specific function extensions and hardware designs for OEMs.

Interested in more details?

Check out the attached white paper.