Performance Controls, Inc., designs, manufactures sells and services high bandwidth, low noise electronics for precision amplification and/or control of voltages and currents in medical, government and industrial markets. PCI's safe and reliable products use the latest technology to couple with a wide impedance range for inductive, capacitive or resistive loads.

Performance Controls' experienced and responsive technical staff has the listening, application, system integration and project management skills to provide cost effective, tailored solutions to meet your amplification and power management requirements. We can adapt our solutions to be compatible with your design.

In General:

Typical specifications for PCI Power Amplifiers are outlined in the following table. These are not meant to be all inclusive, but only to illustrate PCI capabilities.  If you have an application requiring a responsive, high performance, high power PWM amplifier with requirements in or near the ranges indicated, contact us.

MRI Gradient Amplifiers

Gradient Amplifiers provide power to generate the variable (gradient) magnetic field component for the MRI process. The fidelity, repeatability, stability and bandwidth of the gradient amplifier, along with power available are key parameters affecting the quality of the MRI image.

Here are some key points about PCI gradient amplifiers and related services.

• Certified to meet UL-60601 and EN-60601 -1 -2 safety standards
• Operating voltages are among the highest available for gradient amplifier applications:
  • 1000 – 1400 VDC, 600 A peak (600 – 840 kVA); 400 – 800 VDC, 600 A peak (240 – 480 kVA); and 100 – 300 VDC, 200 A peak (20 – 60 kVA)
  • All ratings are per axis
• Exceptional bandwidth and fidelity permitting demanding spiral scan techniques
• Repeatability and stability for echo planer imaging techniques
• Power supplies sized to meet diffusion scan requirements

Multi-axis Shim Amplifiers

Shim Amplifiers are employed to control or adjust magnetic fields. These amplifiers shape (shim) the magnetic fields present in the scan volume. PCI will work with you to meet your specific requirements.

Some key points:

• Implemented with a full feature set and optional form factors
  
• Excellent thermal stability - < 60 uA/deg C
• Certified to meet UL-60601 and EN-60601 -1 -2 safety standards
• Designed for easy multi-channel configuration
• Available with CANbus (CANopen), I2C, Profibus, DeviceNet, and RS232 interfaces
• Provides for high order linearization
  • Eddy current compensation
  • Magnetic field linearization
• Usable with fixed or gradient coils having permanent or cryogenic magnets
• Typical applications require 50 VDC, 15 A peak; tell us what you need
  

Precision Voltage and Current Controllers

PCI has a broad set of competencies important to a wide range of voltage or current control applications. If your application is unique and challenging, PCI can help, often when others can not or will not. PCI is your most experienced supplier when power, precision, or bandwidth are difficult to achieve; when your "load" begins to look like a short circuit or an open circuit and your existing solutions fall short of requirements. Here is a partial list of applications.

• Linear motor or DC brush and brushless motor drives (particularly if available power, bandwidth, or fidelity are challenging)
• High speed spindle motors
• Motors having more than 3 phases (multiphase), or requiring flux vector control. Example: Magnetic self-bearing (passive bearing) motors and low inertia motors or very high speed motors where maximum torque over a wide speed range is important
• Applications requiring fast and precise high voltage or current slew rates The MRI gradient amplifier is one example
• Extremely fine and repeatable positioning or velocity control as with celestial tracking associated with telescopes and observatories
• Exceptionally low torque ripple for precise torque control or positioning applications like photo-lithography or optical scanners
• High bandwidth output for voice coil actuators or electromechanical vibration systems
• Management of electro-magnetic fields. MRI shim amplifiers would be one example; particle accelerators and particle beam focusing systems are another
• Active or passive magnetic bearings and levitation systems
• Multi-axis or multi-channel versions of any of the above
  

Magnetic Bearing Amplifiers and Controllers

Magnetic bearing technologies have many applications. These include vibration control and damping; very high speed spindles; flywheel power storage; vacuum, clean room or harsh environments; levitated vehicles; rotating machinery diagnostics; multiple degrees of freedom; gyroscopes; and precision positioning, to name just a few.

Magnetic bearing and associated motor/actuator applications lend themselves to a numerous design options. Designers may choose between passive or active bearings; integrated (self) bearing options; force reacting and force creating devices; unique rotor - stator configurations; and multi-pole, multi-phase, and slotless configurations. Depending on the application, performance requirements vary over a wide range. Our experienced staff will work with you to tailor a solution meeting your specific requirements. PCI is uniquely positioned to meet the requirements of magnetic bearing (and actuation) designers for the following.

• Multiple channel amplifier configurations
• Multiple phase control
• Flux vector control
• A wide range of power delivered with unexcelled fidelity and bandwidth
  (0.75 kVA to 3000 kVA peak; 0.5 W to 700 W rms)
• Integrated motor drive, magnet control, and two or four quadrant power management possibilities

Two and Four Quadrant Power Systems

The two or four quadrant power system is generally associated with a motor/generator where voltage and current reversals are likely. In these applications the load can absorb power from the power supply and return power to the power supply. PCI has significant experience with two and four quadrant power systems and can supply a two or four quadrant power system to meet your particular needs.

Two or four quadrant power systems may be required in these applications.

• Cryogenic-magnet ramping supplies
• High voltage battery forming (100V - 900 V)
• Particle accelerators
• Electro-magnet gradient amplification
• Flywheel energy storage and management systems
• Dynamometers
  

Ground Bond Test Systems

Ground Bond Test Systems are used to verify the functionality of protective earth ground as implemented in electronic or electrical products. Safety certification typically requires the completion of the ground bond test during certification testing, and often on 100% of production units bearing the safety certification label. Solutions abound for ground bond test requirements to 60 A. PCI can meet your ground bond testing needs that require up to 500 A or more. Remember that test standards typically require that test currents exceed the maximum load found in the tested device by up to 100%.

Our experienced staff will work with you to meet your unusual requirements.

• Target your specific need with units rated for 50 - 100 A, 100 - 200 A, 200 - 400 A, or 50 - 500 A
• Get the features you need - we can tailor the unit to meet your specific needs for program memory, remote communication and control, output voltage, test dwell time, and data display

High Power Broadband Audio

We doubt that you have an application requiring all the high fidelity broadband audio power we can deliver, but we would welcome discussion about any requirement for a kilowatt or more delivered to one or multiple channels.

• Power from 1 kW to 100 kW per channel
• Small signal bandwidth to 100 kHz
• Full power bandwidth to 20 kHz
• Dynamic range greater than CD audio quality (94+ dB)

Passive Analog Filters

Stray magnetic fields, excessive ripple currents, MRI systems installed in unshielded environments and other dv/dt sources can be significant problems in many installations. Passive treatment of these "noise" elements can be very effective at reasonable cost. PCI has a large experience base and has achieved successful noise reduction in numerous applications.

One excellent application uses passive filters to improve the performance of unshielded MRI systems. This technique is most useful for MRI installations where a shield room has not been utilized for one reason or another. Passive filtering offers improved imaging, often at significant savings, when compared to the cost of an add-on shield room upgrade.

• Pass through filters
• Gradient filters
• dv|dt line filters
• Unshielded (usually older) MRI installations