It is for Orca Series motor customers that want to control the motor and receive feedback using digital and analog signals instead of serial messages.

It is useful when Orca Series motors are used in industrial settings that already have traditional PLC infrastructure and in projects and products where simple microcontrollers are used to control motion and force.

It is especially suited for  replacing pneumatic actuators with Orca Series electric motors as most of the time it allows the Orca to be swapped in without much downtime!

The IO SmartHub uses a high speed Modbus serial connection to the motor and prevents users from sending serial messages when in use. Therefore, anyone that wants to take advantage of the numerous configuration and control options that are available using serial messages should not use the IO SmartHub.

The IO SmartHub provides a simple and robust way to directly control the position target,  force output, or trigger pre-configured paths from the Orca motor making it an ideal tool to support the following applications: pneumatic replacement, polishing or grinding, automated windows and doors, valve control, packaging, warehouse automation, testing and quality control, and assembly machines.

Yes! In fact we recommend this during development as the GUI provides a lot of useful information and configuration options.

There are two analog outputs which provide Motor Position and Motor Force. There is also a digital output used for error reporting.

There is an analog input which can be used to control the Motor Force, or the Motor Position. There are also digital inputs that can be used to trigger Pre-Programmed Motions. 

Force Mode, Position Mode, and Kinematic Mode.

Each IO SmartHub connects to a single Orca Series motor.