Part Number: 778916-04
The National Instruments 778916-04 motion controller is designed for a diverse range of motion applications, from basic to advanced, and is a key component of the PCI-7344 series, recognized for its superior performance. This device features a dual-processor architecture, incorporating a Motorola MC68331 32-bit CPU and an Analog Devices ADSP-2185 digital signal processor (DSP), ensuring optimal command throughput and system performance. The 778916-04 supports both stepper and servo motors, enabling fully programmable control for up to four independent or coordinated motion axes. With its blended motion trajectory control, it delivers smooth transitions between motion paths and offers multiple motion control modes, including vector-space, gearing, circular, linear, and point-to-point control.

Equipped with extensive motion I/O, the device accommodates trigger inputs, breakpoint outputs, encoder feedback rates up to 20 MHz per axis, and connections for home switches and end-of-travel limits. It also features non-dedicated user input and output with digital (32 bits) and analog inputs (four channels) for loop closure feedback and analog sensor monitoring. The 778916-04 facilitates seamless integration with National Instruments products through the Real-Time System Integration (RTSI) bus, allowing for high-speed connectivity and synchronization across motion, image acquisition, and data acquisition systems in response to a single trigger or timing event.

Programming the controller is straightforward, thanks to its high-level application programming interface (API), which supports setup and motion control functions across multiple programming languages, either statically or dynamically linked. Complete feature set implementations are available for industry-standard software products such as LabVIEW and LabWindows/CVI. The 778916-04 operates with an embedded, event-driven real-time operating system, which enables multitasking and independent execution of several motion control tasks without relying on the host PC. With a power consumption of 5.7 W and maximum working voltages of 12 V channel to earth and 22 V channel to channel, the 778916-04 is engineered for reliability and efficiency in industrial automation applications.