Motion Controller Selection Guide

Featuring ESP technology, Newport Motion Controllers automatically recognize and configure attached Newport motion products and systems for immediate operation. Using standard communication buses, extensive software driver libraries and intuitive robust command sets; application integration is powerful, efficient and easy.

Newport motion controllers with integrated drives have been developed to address a wide audience of production and research customers requiring high-precision control of brushless servo, DC brush, stepper, piezo, galvo and voice coil motors. Newport Controllers are often selected for best-performance, compatibility with selected positioner, number of axes, communication bus and Analog and Digital I/O channels.

Motion controller compatibility is listed on each positioning product page, or view our stage to controller compatibility page. To begin your precision motion product search by motorized product type, visit our Motion Control main page.

  XPS-D Motion Controller
XPS-D Universal High-Performance Motion Controller and Driver		 XPS-RLD Motion Controller
XPS-RLD Universal High-performance Motion Controller		 ESP30x Motion Controller
ESP302 3-Axis DC & Stepper Motion Controller		 SMC Motion Controller
SMC Single Axis DC or Stepper Motion Controller		 CONEX Motion Controller
CONEX Single Axis DC, Stepper, or Piezo Motion Controller
Architecture          
Max Number of Axis 8 4 3 1 1
Multi Axis Support
Stage Compatibility          
ESP Technology
(Plug-and-play right out of the box)
Manual Configuration Option
Compatible Motors
  • Brush DC
  • Linear
  • Stepper
  • Piezo
  • Voice coil
  • Brush DC
  • Linear
  • Stepper
  • Piezo
  • Voice coil
  • Brush DC
  • Stepper
  • Stepper
  • DC servo
  • Stepper
  • DC servo
  • Piezo
Output Power Up to 43 VDC / 6 A
Up to 96 VDC / 25 A with XPS-EDBL		 Up to 43 VDC / 5 A
Up to 96 VDC / 25 A with XPS-EDBL		 Up to 48 VDC / 3 A 48 VDC / 1.5 A (DC)
48 VDC / 1.1 A (Stepper)		 24 VDC / 2.5 A (Conex-PP)
5 V / <.5 A USB (Conex-AG)
Multiple Components (Daisy-chain) (Daisy-chain)
Connectivity          
Communication Ports Ethernet Ethernet Ethernet, RS-232 RS-232 USB
I/O's
  • 40 TTL inputs and 40 TTL outputs (open-collector)
  • 8 synch. analog inputs ±10 V, 16 Bits
  • 8 synch. analog outputs ±5 V, ±10 V or ±12.288 V (configurable),16 Bits
  • 8 TTL inputs and 8 TTL outputs (open-collector)
  • 2 synch. analog inputs ±10 V, 12 Bits
  • 2 synch. analog outputs ±10 V, 12 Bits
  • 16 channel rear panel digital I/O can be programmed to be either input or output (in 8-bit blocks) via software
  • 4 TLL inputs (open collector, 30V / 40mA)
  • 4 TLL outputs (2.21 KOhm pull up to 5V)
  
Motion Performance          
Compensation
  • Backlash
  • Linear error
  • XY and XYZ error mapping
  • All corrections are taken into account on the servo loop
  • Backlash
  • Linear error
  • XY and XYZ error mapping
  • All corrections are taken into account on the servo loop
  • Backlash
  • Linear
  • Offset
  • Tachometer gain
  • Backlash
  • Friction
  • Hysteresis
  • Backlash
  • Hysteresis
Control Loop
  • Open loop, PI position, PIDFF velocity, PIDFF acceleration, PIDDualFF voltage
  • Variable PID’s
  • Deadband threshold
  • Derivative cut-off filter
  • Open loop, PI position, PIDFF velocity, PIDFF acceleration, PIDDualFF voltage
  • Variable PID’s
  • Deadband threshold
  • Derivative cut-off filter
  • Open loop, PI position, PIDFF velocity, PID Dual FF voltage
  • Integration limit and integration time
  • Derivative cut-off filter
  • Floating point digital PID loop with velocity and friction feed forward
  • 2 kHz servo rate
  • Backlash compensation
 PI control
Complex Trajectory Support
Trajectories
  • Synchronized point to point
  • Line-arc mode
  • Catmull-Rom Splines
  • PVT (Trajectory based on position, velocity and time)
  • Synchronized point to point
  • Line-arc mode
  • Catmull-Rom Splines
  • PVT (Trajectory based on position, velocity and time)
  • Synchronized point to point
  • Line-arc mode
  • Synchronized motion start
  • Stop all
  • Synchronized motion start
  • Stop all
Motion Features
  • Jogging mode including on the fly changes
  • Synchronized point to point
  • Spindle motion
  • Gantry mode including XY gantries
  • Analog tracking
  • Master-slave including single master-multiple slaves
  • Jogging mode including on the fly changes
  • Synchronized point to point
  • Spindle motion
  • Analog tracking
  • Master-slave including single master-multiple slaves
  • Advanced motion programming capabilities and complex digital I/O functions
  • Full featured front panel with position and status displays for each axis
  • Trapezoidal velocity profile
  • S-curve velocity profile
  • Jogging
  • Point to point motion
  • S-gamma profile
  • Jerk time control
  • Watchdog timer
  • Software limits
  • Forward and reverse limit
  • Software limits
  • User units
  • Absolute and relative moves
  • End of range checks
  • Power limit checks
  • Watchdog timer
  • S-gamma motion profiler
Software & GUI          
GUI Web browser page Web browser page Web browser page SMC100 GUI CONEX GUI
Memory/Command buffer Internal flash Memory Internal flash Memory 300MB Program memory Internal flash Memory Internal flash Memory
Software Object oriented command language Object oriented command language ASCII language and command set SMC GUI & ASCII language and command set (86 cmds) Conex GUI & ASCII language and command set
Software Features
  • Real time execution using TCL scripts
  • Multi user capability
  • Axis position or speed controlled by analog input
  • Auto-tuning and auto-scaling, Auto configuration
  • User defined units
  • Real time execution using TCL scripts
  • Multi user capability
  • Axis position or speed controlled by analog input
  • Auto-tuning and auto-scaling, Auto configuration
  • User defined units
  • User defined units
    
SW drivers and Languages .NET, TCL .NET, TCL .NET .NET .NET
Platform Components          
Accessories XPS-GCODE, TG5 XPS-GCODE   SMC-RC CONEX-BP, CONEX-PS
Driver Cards XPS-DRV11, XPS-DRV00P, XPS-EDBL XPS-DRV11, XPS-DRV00P, XPS-EDBL Integrated None None
Weight & Dimensions          
Weight (max) 8.75 kg 7.8 kg 6.5 kg 1 kg 1 kg
Dimensions (in) 17.4 x 15 x 7 12.6x13.4x7 12x17x4 5.5x6.5x1.3 3.7x2x1

Piezo Motor Controllers

Series Number of Axis Compatible Motors Communications Analog I/O Digital I/O
AG-UC8 Agilis™ Piezo Motion Controllers 2 (up to 8 on AG-UC8) Agilis Piezo Motor USB No No
MC-NPC3-1 3-Channel Piezo Stack Controllers 3 Piezo stack USB
RS232		 1 Channel NONE

New Focus™ Picomotor™ Controllers

Series Number of Axis ESP Stage Detection Compatible Motors Communications I/O
8753_iPicoDriver Open-Loop Picomotor™ Motion Controller Modules 1 to 4 No Picomotor Piezo RS485, Ethernet, USB No
8753_iPicoDriver Closed-Loop Picomotor™ Motion Controller Modules 1 to 2 No Picomotor Piezo RS485, Ethernet, USB No
8703_driver TTL and Analog Picomotor™ Motion Controller 1 No Picomotor Piezo Motor No 1 Analog In
4 TTL In

Newport Hexapod Controllers

Series Number of Axis Compatible Motors Communications Analog I/O Digital I/O
MC-XPS-S Hexapod Motion Controllers/Drivers 6 HXP-MECA Ethernet 4 Channels 30 Channels