Developer’s Kits Ease Integration of World’s Smallest Linear Motor and Highest-Resolution Miniature Position Sensor into Smaller Medical Devices
23 June 2009
New Scale Technologies has announced new developer’s kits for its SQUIGGLE linear micro motors and TRACKER NSE-5310 position sensors. The kits are designed to simplify evaluation of this miniature motion technology and its integration into miniature medical devices such as micro-robotic surgical tools and miniature digital microscopes for endoscopy, automated disease screening, point-of-care instruments, drug discovery, industrial machine vision and distributed sensing.
The DK Series developer’s kits feature a tiny SQL series SQUIGGLE piezoelectric micro motor and a TRACKER NSE-5310 miniature position sensor. A slide assembly serves as a reference design for mechanical integration. A drive card with New Scale's NSD-1202 motor controller ASIC serves as an electrical reference design and a development tool for use from initial product evaluation through prototype development.
The compact kit is powered by two AA batteries, with a push-button operation to demonstrate motion. The New Scale Pathway Software controls the kit through a USB interface connected to a PC, to allow for more detailed evaluation and system development. All components can be removed from the kit using basic tools for system integration and prototype testing.
Closed-loop SQUIGGLE motor / TRACKER sensor kit
The model DK-1.8-SS-TRK-33 closed-loop developer’s kit is designed for evaluation of the TRACKER NSE-5310 position sensor and the closed-loop operation of the SQUIGGLE motor. It includes:
- SQL-1.8-6-12-SS SQUIGGLE motor: the world’s smallest linear motor at 2.8mm x 2.8mm x 6mm, featuring 6mm travel, 30g force stall force and 0.5µm resolution
- TRACKER NSD-5310 position sensor: a magnetic sensor array with on-chip digital encoding and 0.5µm resolution. The developer’s kit includes a sensor in TSSOP package; the NSE-5310 is available in chip-on-board packaging as small as 3.9mm x 2.5mm
- MC-3300 motor controller: a development platform and reference design integrating the NSD-1202 motor driver ASIC. The controller generates high-frequency signals to drive the SQUIGGLE motor and accepts feedback from the TRACKER or other position sensor; it connects to a PC via USB
- New Scale Pathway Software: evaluate the motor and sensor using a graphical user interface or develop and test scripts using the intuitive scripting interface; documentation describes the ASCII codes that would be used in an OEM's embedded system or microcontroller
- Mechanical reference design: the SQUIGGLE motor and TRACKER NSD-5310 sensor are integrated into a slide assembly demonstrating proper mounting, loading and alignment
Open-loop SQUIGGLE motor kit
The model DK-1.8-SS-33 open-loop motor kit includes all of the above components except the position sensor. It facilitates open-loop motor evaluation, or development of systems using other position sensors or limit switches.
Price and availability
The developer's kits are available now starting at $495. Visit our website to buy online or for more information.
Contact New Scale regarding volume pricing and customization including custom chip-scale packaging for position sensors. New Scale’s design team works with OEM customers to integrate micro motors and sensors into system designs and create custom application-specific motion modules.
