Standalone Controller Series Hardware Manual

Hardware Differences        

This page is currently under development.  As the release of the CMD-2ED-SA gets closer this page will be updated with the most current information.

The CMD-2ED-SA was designed to be drop-in compatible with the PMX-2ED-SA

The enclosure style of the CMD-2ED-SA, are very close to the enclosures used of the PMX-2ED-SA. The CMD-2ED-SA are also pin to pin compatible to the PMX-2ED-SA. In most cases, no changes to mounting and connector locations, panel cutouts, brackets, or cable harnesses will be necessary.

Some new features are using pins which were labeled N/C in the PMX-2ED-SA. Please review the manual before connecting the CMD-2ED-SA to your system.

Stepper Motor Drivers:

The CMD-2ED-SA uses a more advanced stepper motor driver, Toshiba TB67S128FTG, which adds these features:

• Motor Axis power LED and Enable LED added.
• Microstepping can be set (full to 1/8) with jumpers on PCB for backwards compatiblity. If no microstepping jumpers are installed, microstepping (full to 1/128) can be set in the softwere and changed on-the-fly.
• Jumper set current setting adjusted to match stepper motors from Nippon Pulse.
• ON PCB Potentiometer added for custom current setting adjustment.        
• Position latching inputs were added to pin 20 (Latch X-axis) and pin 24 (Latch Y-axis) of the 50-Pin Connector Control/Encoder IO connector.

Dimensions and mounting

The CMD-2ED-SA uses the same enclosure, cover and base as the PMX-2ED-SA. The outside dimensions, the four Ø0.150 in mounting holes, the two side mounting holes and the panel cut-outs are identical. The CMD-2ED-SA mounts in the same location with the same hardware.

Figure 1: Enclosure dimensions in inches. The drawing is from the PMX-2ED-SA manual and applies to both products.

Front and side panel connectors

The controller power, USB and RS-485 connectors on the front panel, and the motor and driver power connectors on the side panel, have the same pinout, pin order and position on both products. The same mating plugs fit.

Figure 2: Front and side panel connector pinouts, identical on both products.

Power input

Both products use separate controller (logic) and driver (motor) power inputs, each on the same connector and with the same polarity as before.

Communication

USB

The USB Type B connector and its position are unchanged. The host software and drivers are different; see Software Differences.

RS-485

The RS-485 connector pinout (485+, 485-, G) and the supported baud rates (9600, 19200, 38400, 57600 and 115200 bps) are unchanged.

The CMD-2ED-SA has an AC termination (120 Ω in series with 1 nF) permanently fitted across 485+ and 485-. The PMX-2ED-SA had no on-board termination.

50-pin Control/Encoder I/O connector

The 50-pin connector is the same part, in the same position, with the same keying and the same mating connector. Pins 1 to 19, 21 to 23 and 25 to 50 are unchanged. Pins 20 and 24, which were No Connection on the PMX-2ED-SA, are now the X and Y latch inputs.

Figure 3: 50-pin Control/Encoder I/O connector pinout. Changed pins are shaded.

Digital inputs and outputs

Digital inputs

There are still 8 opto-isolated digital inputs (DI1 to DI8) on pins 33 to 40, wired the same way: pull the input to opto ground to activate it. The internal series resistor changes from 3.3 kΩ to 3.0 kΩ, so the input current is about the same and no external resistor is needed. The CMD-2ED-SA inputs are specified at 4 to 8 mA and are internally current limited.

Digital outputs

There are still 8 opto-isolated open-collector outputs (DO1 to DO8) on pins 41 to 48, sinking to opto ground (pin 32). The output current rating is lower.

Motion, latch and analog inputs

The limit and home inputs (+LX, -LX, HX, +LY, -LY, HY) are on the same pins with the same opto-isolated sinking circuit. As with the digital inputs, the internal series resistor changes from 3.3 kΩ to 3.0 kΩ with no change in wiring.

The new latch inputs on pins 20 (X) and 24 (Y) are opto-isolated inputs that capture the axis position. They are used with the Commander latch commands.

The two analog inputs (AI1 and AI2) stay on pins 15 and 16 with a 0 to 5 V input range. Resolution increases from 10-bit to 12-bit. The analog inputs can still be used for joystick control of the X and Y axes.

Encoder inputs

The encoder inputs are fully compatible. The pinout is unchanged, the inputs are TTL compatible, and the maximum input frequency is 5 MHz on both products. The +5 V encoder supply on pin 1 is rated 200 mA on both products.

Motor connection

The motor connectors are fully compatible. The motor cable 210-291-01 used with the PMX-2ED-SA plugs into the CMD-2ED-SA the same way, and the motor phase pins are pin-to-pin compatible. A motor turns in the same direction for the same command.

The built-in driver changes from the Allegro A3977 to the Toshiba TB67S128FTG. This raises the maximum motor current to 2.3 A and adds software-selectable microstepping up to 1/128. The motor voltage range (+12 to +24 VDC) is unchanged.

Driver current and microstep settings

The driver current and microstep settings are set with jumpers inside the unit, as on the PMX-2ED-SA. Remove the cover to change them. The current values are different, and the jumper headers are new: they use 1.27 mm (0.05 in) pitch jumpers, so the 2.54 mm jumpers from a PMX-2ED-SA do not fit.

For the full setting procedure, see Stepper Motor Driver Overview in the CMD-2ED-SA manual.

Figure 4: PMX-2ED-SA jumper locations (from the PMX-2ED-SA manual).

Figure 5: CMD-2ED-SA jumper locations. J13 and J12 set the current; J9 and J6 set the microstep.

Driver current

Use this table to choose the CMD-2ED-SA setting that matches your PMX-2ED-SA setting:

To use ADJ, fit the jumper on the ADJ position (pins 9-10), then measure the voltage at the axis Vref test point against the GND test point (TP1, near the driver power connector) and turn the trimmer until Vref = required current ÷ 0.78.

Microstep

The microstep jumper table for full step to 1/8 step is the same as on the PMX-2ED-SA. On the CMD-2ED-SA, MS1 is the jumper position nearer the back of the unit and MS2 is nearer the front panel.

Grounding

On the CMD-2ED-SA, logic ground is connected through a ferrite bead to the four mounting holes and to the USB connector shield. When the unit is screwed to an earthed panel, logic ground is therefore connected to earth through the ferrite. The PMX-2ED-SA did not have this connection.

Indicators

The front panel status LED is unchanged. Inside the unit, the CMD-2ED-SA adds a green Enable LED and a red Motor Power LED for each axis.

Electrical specifications comparison

Last updated Friday, October 16, 2026