Which hardware do i need??

[Harryeakins]

I have a bipolar stepper motor with DCM8028 drive. I need to control it using labview using various inputs such as force sensors and microphones. For example i need labview to reverse the motor when the force meter outputs a voltage over a certain threshold and also i need a time to be recorded when the microphone senses a sound above a certain volume.

I don't know what piece of hardware will be able to handle all of these inputs and outputs, all i know is that the drive for the step motor requires a pulse train and 5V logic signals.

I would be very grateful for any help.

Thank you

Harry Eakins

[Buechsenschuetz]

You can connect the input signal lines of your motor driver which require +5V logic signals directly to the outputs (step and direction) of the 7344 board.

Concerning the force meter and the microphone, you can
a) design your own comparator circuitry which generates a logic signal to be detected by a DIO line of the motor controller
b) use the analog inputs (with a suitable amplifier circuit if necessary) and check the voltage levels by software.

[Jochen]

Harry,

here are some suggestions for a possible system setup:

Motion Control:
The most cost efficient solution from NI is the PCI-7332 which provides two stepper outputs. It is much cheaper than the PCI-7344 and it should do the job for you.

Measurements:
I would suggest using an M-Series device like the PCI-6220 to acquire the analog signals. The analog inputs of the M-Series provide several features (e. g. hardware timed acquisition, higher accuracy, calibration,...) that make it a much better choice for measurements than the analog inputs of a motion control board.

Please provide some more information about the voltage levels and frequencies of your signals. How fast do you need to reverse the direction when the limit is exceeded?

Best regards,

Jochen Klier
National Instruments Germany