Manu Prakash
manup@mit.edu

It is about time that we have all the actuators and sensors figured out for our projects. There is a sea of vendors out there and if you do not know what exactly you are looking for it can be a little rough. In this talk I will try to clear up several factors which you should consider before making a choice for the right actuators and sensors.

The talk will cover the old age battle between servos and steppers and which way to go. In summary are 5 grand questions which you should know an answer to and you will have a smooth ride.

Link to the talk (pdf) A list of relevant papers are included:
1. Matching servo motors and amplifiers
2. Electronic Commutation
3. Selecting a DC micromotor
4.Choosing a servo motor
5.Motion Control in the digital Age
6.Current sensors expand precision motion control capabilities
7.Tips for choosing high accuracy linear positioning stages
8.Driving Machine tool evolution
9.The basics of motion control - Part 1
10.The basics of motion control - Part2
11.Tips on fitting the best motor
12.Applying Permanent magnet DC motors
13.The next stage in Power semiconductors
14.Pulse Width Modulation
15.Basics of speed torque curves
16.Applying stepper motors succesfully