SCANLAB Launches 3rd Generation Real Time Controller
SCANLAB, one of the worldwide leading suppliers of galvanometer-based beam positioning systems, is now shipping the 
RTC®3 - an advanced new PC interface board for the PCI bus. The RTC®3
is designed to bring synchronized real-time digital control to
galvanometer-based scan heads and lasers such as those used in laser
marking systems. The RTC®3, as the follow-up model to the very successful RTC®2
PC interface board, provides system integrators with far-reaching
extensions in functionality and significantly improved performance.
The RTC®3 PC interface board is supplied with Windows
9x/Me and Windows NT4/2000 drivers providing a comprehensive set of
commands for smooth integration with existing and future user software.
The RTC®3's
two on-board list buffers store commands for controlling scan heads and
lasers in real time, with each list now capable of storing up to 4000
2D or 3D vectors. The combination of the two-list architecture and the
on-board digital signal processor (DSP) allows commands to be written
into one list while the RTC®3 simultaneously processes the other list, thus ensuring continuous data output to the scan head.
The accelerated performance of the RTC®3's powerful new DSP brings the output period down to 10µs for both 2-axis and 3-axis applications. The RTC®3
provides memory for up to two 2D correction files, thus allowing quick
selection of the appropriate table to be applied for image field
correction. Two correction files can be used, for example, to achieve
precise alignment of to-be-processed parts by switching between the
pilot and marking lasers using individually optimized correction tables
for each laser.
The RTC®3 provides various
active-high and active-low programmable laser signals for controlling
almost all commonly used lasers. For more complex applications, up to
four RTC®3s can be used independently and simultaneously in one PC.
In addition to generating control signals for the scan head and the laser, the standard RTC®3 also provides an 8-bit buffered digital output port and two 10-bit analog output ports.
The RTC®3 can be upgraded to support a range of
optional features. For applications using one laser with two scan
heads, a second scan head output can be integrated, with each scan head
assigned its own individual correction table. Marking on-the-fly, even
of objects with varying velocities, can be optionally realized without
the need of a slot-occupying add-on PC board.
To fulfill specific customer requirements, an optional I/O extension
board provides 16 digital input and 16 digital output ports as well as
four differential 10-bit analog-to-digital converters and four 10-bit
digital-to-analog converters.
Control of 3-axis systems is also optionally available.
With the new advanced features and options of the RTC®3, SCANLAB offers system integrators even more flexibility to fulfill the ever expanding requirements of new applications.
SCANLAB Press Release, June 15, 2001
