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Unread 09-04-2009, 14:13
Russ Beavis Russ Beavis is offline
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Location: Manchester, NH - DEKA R&D Corp.
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Re: Using the cRIO to control custom lights

Very interesting concept, Alan!

Imagine taking a 100W light bulb (spec'd for 120VAC) but run it on a 240VAC output with only 25% duty cycle through some dimming/chopping circuitry. It's still 100W of average output but is actually 400W for 25% of the time if you look quick.

As another example, many motors or coils can actually be run at much higher voltages if you use a suitable set of power switches to PWM the "effective" voltage across the winding. Many stepper motors are often driven at MUCH higher voltages but use closed-loop current control to limit the "real" voltage that's applied. This is especially useful for providing snappier stepper motor response because you apply more torque/current faster when you've got more voltage available (but still limit the current to a safe threshold).

Russ
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