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Product ReleaseMicronor Offers the World’s First Totally Passive, Fiber Optic Rotary Encoder for Harsh Environments
 Micronor’s new MR312 ZapFree Incremental Rotary Encoder (patent pending) is the world’s first commercially-available, entirely passive encoder for rotation sensing applications. There are no integral electronics within the encoder housing and the all-optical design requires just a single optical fiber connection – the utmost in simplicity, reliability and ease of installation. The MR312 offers immunity to lightning and atmospheric static that would “zap” conventional encoders; outdistances copper cable by allowing link lengths to 1000 meters (3280 feet); its inert nature proves ideal for use in hazardous and explosive environments; and its intrinsic EMI/RFI resistance allows for safe and reliable operation in and around medical equipment and other “noisy” industrial environments.ZapFree by Micronor represents the application of fiber optic technology in a novel and ingenious way to maximize sensor and transducer performance in a wide range of industrial, aerospace and other harsh environments. Every ZapFree product embodies the fundamental advantages of using fiber optics - EMI/RFI resistance, passivity, light weight and the ability to transmit high data rates over extremely long distances. The design of the MR312 rotary encoder goes one step further by utilizing telecom-proven WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) technology by assigning each internal optical path to a wavelength so that all wavelengths/paths can be combined onto a single fiber. It was deliberate to avoid the use of multiple fibers as this tends to drive up the cost of the optical harness. A single-fiber cable is inherently more cost effective than any multi-wire or multi-fiber or hybrid cable assembly - and easier to handle and install as well. It doesn’t get any simpler. Micronor offers the MR312 Encoder and MR310 Remote Encoder Interface (REI) as a turnkey solution with industry standard interfaces. The MR312 is packaged in a standard Size 58 (58mm OD) encoder housing and mechanically interfaces to motors and shafts like conventional encoders. The optical connection between the MR312 Encoder and MR310 Remote Encoder Interface (REI) module is via a single strand of industry standard 62.5/125 multimode optical cabling. Downstream, the MR310 REI converts the optical quadrature signals to both industry standard open collector outputs (A, B) and line driver outputs (A, A’, B, B’) for ease of connection to a conventional counter, PLC or computer interface board. The interface module is packaged in a standard 35mm DIN rail mountable module and draws a maximum 50 mA from a readily available 12-32 VDC power connection. MR312 is an ideal match for applications exposed to lightning, atmospheric static or plasma fields, such as found with aerial trams, ski lifts, wind turbine generators, radar/satellite antennas and semiconductor plasma-etching equipment. It provides safe use in petrochemical processing plants and other hazardous/explosive environments. The use of this product ensures reliable machine operation in the presence of electrical noise, RFI and other forms of interference found in and around industrial environments and heavy machinery, i.e. motors, brakes, clutches, smelters, and power transformers. For nuclear power plant and space applications, the simple design allows for ease of engineering radiation hardened and space compliant versions. Simplicity, design elegance and the ability to perform in a wide range of harsh environments are the hallmarks of the Micronor MR312 ZapFree Incremental Rotary Encoder. The product can operate over a wide temperature range, -40°C to +80°C, with an Extended Temperature option which covers -60°C to +150°C. The MR312 series is initially offered in 100 ppr and 256 ppr configurations. While offered in a standard Size 58 package, the MR312 can be easily upsized or downsized for specific applications. About Micronor Micronor is a leading supplier of reliable and rugged components for industrial automation and process control industries as well as military, aerospace and other harsh environment applications. Motion control products include encoders, resolvers, cam timers, programmable limit switches, motorized potentiometers, pulse generators and ergonomic pendant stations. Micronor was founded in 1968 and has regional headquarters in both the United States and Europe. |
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Micronor’s new MR314 ZapFREE™ High Resolution Fiber Optic Rotary Encoder was designed for large drive and rotary shaft applications requiring EMI immunity, higher resolution (1024ppr) and the mounting convenience of a traditional hollow shaft encoder package. There are no integral electronics within the encoder housing and the all-optical design requires just a single optical fiber connection – the utmost in simplicity, reliability and ease of installation. The MR314’s totally passive design outperforms conventional optical and magnetic rotary encoders over a wide range of harsh and/or hazardous environments: wide extended operating range (-60°C/+150°C); outdistances copper cable; intrinsically safe and ATEX-compliant; immune to EMI/RFI and ground loops; unaffected by high magnetic fields; and radiation resistant. Special versions can be easily engineered for thermal-vac environments.
This new Micronor product provides a simple and inexpensive solution for automating existing systems controlled by manually-operated potentiometers, rheostats or rotary cam switches. Motor Pots may not seem like a sexy control product but they fulfill a wonderful niche in process control! They are simple to use and easy to set up. No computers required or software to write. Easy to maintain and never obsolete. The user-specified potentiometers provide absolute positional feedback information or function as a variable resistor in an analog control or bridge circuit. The motor pot provides a smooth uniform ramp throughout its timing cycle. Rotary limit switches are programmed (via cams) to electrically control events (or provide status) at pre-stages. A few common applications include ramping up the field current of a DC motor or controlling the start-up of a generator.
Micronor’s MR310 ZapFREE Remote Encoder Interface (REI) Module is the system interface end of the ZapFREE Fiber Optic Rotary Encoder system – for motion control applications in harsh and hazardous environments.
Extends Reach Between Controller and Encoder
Micronor’s new MR121 Encoder Cable is guaranteed to solve nagging ground loop and interference problems in motion control systems. The product uses Micronor’s ZapFREE technology which employs the use of fiber optic technology within the cable assembly, but in a manner completely transparent to the user. The MR121 product looks and functions like a standard electrical encoder cable. The equipment operator simply disconnects the existing controller-to-sensor connections and replaces them with corresponding MR121 ZapFREE Encoder Cables. No engineering redesign is required or needed.
