A P P L IC AT ION

NO T E 125 Linear vs. PWM/

Digital Drives
IN T R O DU C T I O N
Selecting the correct drive technology can be a confusing
process. Understanding the difference between linear
(Class AB) type drives and PWM or digital (Class D) type
drives is necessary to determine the technology best
suited for a specific actuator or application. Drives are
often selected using only one criterion, which may lead
to performance or system characteristics that are not
optimized for all applications. This application note
addresses the difference between linear drive technology
and PWM drive technology.

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

B A S IC T ECH N O L OGY D IF F E R E NC E S
In the past, many brands of linear drives or amplifiers were only Class C-rated.
All Trust Automation drives are Class AB-rated. It is important to understand the
differences between Class AB, Class C and Class D drives. See the table below for
a simple comparison:

Class AB Trust Automation’s standard linear drives

Class C Many older designs for linear drives
Class D Analog Trust Automation’s custom PWM drives
Class D Digital Traditional AC servo drive

TYPE OF DRIVE LOW EMI/RFI NO DEAD BAND AT HIGH BANDWIDTH HIGH EFFICIENCY
ZERO CROSSING CURRENT LOOP
Class AB X X X
Class C X
Class D Analog X X X
Class D Digital X

When evaluating the different technologies, it is important to understand the

categories being compared above. The following summarizes these categories and
why they are important in machine design.

LOW EMI/RFI
The majority of modern machinery relies on sensor technology to make process decisions. Most
sensors use analog circuitry to evaluate conditions and will either pass this analog signal back to
a host computer system for evaluation, or the sensors will perform the evaluation and pass the
decision back to the host. Class AB linear drives do not have EMI or RFI noise emissions, improving
process throughput and reducing wiring problems in production machines.
Understanding this concept is important because these low-level signals are very susceptible to
EMI/RFI noise. Signal or clean power cables that pass near motor cables or are attached to the
machine chassis can pick up this noise very easily. Once the noise gets into the sensor signals,
it will diminish overall system performance.
Performance will be degraded because filtering is required in order to remove or reduce the
effect of the noise. Filtering always reduces the speed of the circuit. In many cases, this
can slow down the acquisition time of a sensor by more then 25 times, resulting in reduced
performance and slower throughput of the end process.
Noise is also a factor in stable machine operation. Noise will transmit through the air to other
control wires and, in many cases, where the control signals are low voltage. The magnitude will
be smaller than the original signal on the transmitting side but can still be very large due to the
high voltage at which many digital AC servo systems operate. The example below illustrates
these properties. (More information is available in Application Note 110.)

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

 BLUE TEST WIRE PICKUP PLATE 100MM ANOTHER VIEW OF
AROUND MOTOR CABLE FROM MOTOR 10X10MM PICKUP PLATE

BASELINE NOISE ON YASK AWA SGD DRIVE TA310 DRIVE

BLUE WIRE 30% POWER 30% POWER

BASELINE NOISE ON YASK AWA SGD DRIVE TA310 DRIVE

YELLOW PLATE 30% POWER 30% POWER

A less obvious benefit of using linear drive technology is the ability to use a simplified
wiring scheme. The lack of EMI/RFI created by linear drives allows the developer to run
motor and sensor cables together in the same cable tracks. This greatly reduces the
extra hardware and effort required to manage and control ground loops and ground
points for all aspects of the machine that come in contact with either the drives or
the motors.

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

 The following charts illustrate additional testing showing
graphical representation of noise comparisons between
AC Digital Drives and Linear Drives.

NO DE A D B A N D AT Z E R O CR O S S IN G
The ability of a stage to position at tolerances below 1 micron can be hindered by the Dead
Band at the Zero Current Crossing point in a drive. This also negatively affects settling times
in precision applications (stages). Class AB linear drives have no Dead Band at the Zero Current
Crossing, contributing to their high performance and very fast settling times.
Dead Band causes problems with precision staging and settling because it does not allow
the drive to output low levels of current accurately near the zero-crossing point. On most
applications, this is the point where the stage is trying to move to its final position or hold
position without dithering in place. It is common to find stages using Class C or Class D
digital drives performing poorly when the stage is stopped or decelerating to its final position.
Good current output control at a low level is vital to maintaining correct relationships in the
controllers’ control loop equations.
When using a drive that exhibits Dead Band, the system cannot accurately control small or fine
movements, resulting in long settling times. The stage may also buzz or dither in the stationary
and holding positions.
Linear drive customers have seen an 80% reduction in settling times on some applications
by switching from Class D drives to Class AB drives and immediately gain two important
advantages:
1. Immediate improved machine performance.
2. Reduced setup and tuning time during manufacturing installation, as well as scheduled
maintenance.
In one case, a customer who supplies inspection and assembly equipment to the disk drive
industry reduced 8 axes of machine setup and tuning from two days to 30 minutes for an
application requiring 100 nm-position and settling. This was accomplished by replacing all PWM
drives with Class AB drives and updating the tuning parameters.

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

H IG H B A N D W ID T H C U R R E N T L O O P
Current loop precision and speed is the biggest factor in velocity stability and the second
biggest factor in stage settling and stability. Class AB drives have the highest performing
current loops available of any drive type. The default factory settings are general, resulting in
good performance across many types of motors. At Trust Automation, we also provide custom
configurations, optimizing system performance for customer-specific applications. Trust
recommends testing drives in their default setting before making custom requests. 95% of our
customers use the default settings, however, current loop bandwidths greater the 5 kHz can
be achieved by matching to a specific motor.

Current loop bandwidth needs to be compared equally between technologies. This is important
both at low speeds and high speeds. Class C drives perform well between 1 and 2 kHz. Above 2
kHz, the Dead Band begins to distort the small and large signal current waveforms, compromising
motion and system performance.

Class D AC servo drives have limitations with both small signal response and high performance.
The small signal performance of AC servo drives is limited due to the resolution limit of the
control IC PWM generator. Class D AC servo drives typically use 8- to 10-bit resolution for their
current control, totaling 256 to 2,048 discreet current steps between full reverse and full
forward motor control. This is caused by the need to keep switching frequencies as high as
possible—usually 20 kHz or higher. The resolution and switching frequency of a Class D drive
is easy to calculate. Simply divide the control IC base frequency (typically 20 to 50 MHz) by the
switching frequency.

50,000,000 / 20,000 = 2,500 possible steps between full reverse and full forward

The ratio stays locked no matter what. To increase the PWM frequency, you must decrease
your possible steps. To decrease the PWM frequency, you must increase your possible steps.

50,000,000 / 40,000 = 1,250 possible steps between full reverse and full forward

Because available steps are limited, small signal performance is limited. However, high-
performance staging applications require very good small signal performance. Another factor
related to resolution and contributing to the small signal performance is line voltage.

Most AC digital drives are connected directly to either 100 or 200 VAC. This means that the
actual DC voltage switching inside the drive is usually 144 to 288 VDC. The current is the
voltage driven through the resistance of the motor windings. Take, for example, a 200 VAC-
connected drive with 1,250 steps of resolution, assuming the motor has a 1 Ω coil.

288VDC / 1,250 steps = 0.23 volts per step in a perfect setup

0.23VDC / 1Ω = 0.23 Amps per step

Many applications require less then 1 A to maintain steady state servo loop positioning. In
this case, there are only five steps of control to maintain this positioning, resulting in stage
dithering or buzzing due to the low resolution.

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

Most Class D AC servo drives have a true current limit bandwidth of less then 500 Hz. Most
are actually closer to 200 Hz. Smooth motion, good stability and fast settling time requires
accurate current loop bandwidth. It is possible to achieve approximately 85% accuracy of a
waveform with eleven data points per waveform. The following diagram illustrates this principle:

C U R R E N T L O OP AC C U R ACY V S. E F F I C IE NCY

AC Digital Drive
Waveform Reproduction:

2 Steps 20% Efficient

(Nyquist Theory)

AC Digital Drive
Waveform Reproduction:

11 Steps 85% Efficient

Linear Drive
Waveform Reproduction:

Infinite Steps 99% Efficient

To accurately reproduce a waveform you need to have a minimum of eleven data points, meaning
the current loop sampling needs to be eleven times the actual waveform frequency. This is why
most AC digital drives have 200 to 500 Hz true bandwidth.
500 Hz * 11 data points = 5,500 Hz current loop.
Very often, digital drive manufacturers specify current loop bandwidth using the Nyquist Theory,
which states you only need 2 data points to represent a waveform. This is true if the waveform
accuracy you are trying to represent is not important.
The current loop technology differs greatly between Class AB linear drives and Class D AC digital
drives. A Class AB linear drive current loop is entirely analog—and for good reason. An analog
current loop provides two important characteristics:
1. An infinite number of steps between full reverse and full forward.
2. A very fast current loop because it is not limited by the processor speed.
These attributes are advantages in high precision stage applications for several reasons:
1. The small and large signal resolutions and responses are very good.
2. Waveform reproduction is extremely accurate.
3. Input voltage does not affect system stability.
All these items result in increased stability and faster settling times.

T R U S T A U T O M AT I O N | SMART SOLUTIONS IN MOTOR CONTROL | J U N E 20 1 7

H IG H E F F ICIE N CY
The performance improvements seen with a Class AB linear drives come at the
expense of efficiency. The Class AB drive stage needs to maintain small amounts of
power inside the drive circuits, resulting in increased heat. Also, due to the nature
of a Class AB drive stage, excess voltage not needed by the motor is dissipated as
heat. As a result, linear drives usually integrate large heat sinks to keep the drive
components at a reasonable and specified operating temperature.

S U M M A RY
The factors discussed in this paper will help you determine if linear or PWM drive
technology is better suited for your application. Trust Automation is the leader
in high-precision staging drives because of the attention given to the accuracy
of signal reproduction, Zero Dead Band and high-quality analog design using
precision-matched parts and high-performance components. These factors will
help linear drive users achieve high precision with fewer concerns and problems
typically associated with high-precision staging systems.

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