Cape Town Branch
December 2004
SAIMC
There was great interest recently with the presentation of the Matrix Controller VSD. Will Law of Varispeed Jhb kindly presented an extract from a paper previously presented at a Jhb Conference. Will explained the concept of the Matrix controller and noted that the design/concept had been known of for some time.
Yaskawa in Japan has taken this concept and turned it into reality by producing 200 prototype 22 kW Matrix Controller Drives. Will explained the advantages of the design and the benefits when a total solution is considered (The Matrix Controller all but alleviates the need for a number of chokes, filters and regen resistors).
We were extremely fortunate to have one of these drives in CT powered up and running as part of the meeting and thanks must go to Yaskawa Japan.
Huge thanks also go out to Ian Robertson and Rory Pentz (amongst others) of Cape Technikon who gave us fantastic support and assistance for the evening. These guys helped organise the venue, catering, power and test equipment! (What else was there?)
Rory Pentz of Cape Technikon
With the help of Cape Technikon, we were able to show (live) the drive harmonics, input and output waveforms as proof of the Matrix Controller effectiveness. Tony Woodford of Varispeed CT provided some insight and thoughts of the new drive's probable applications and expected delivery of production models.
Another great topic coming up at the end of January
We will be discussing UPS Technology on Thursday, 27 January 2005 and we will be back at our normal venue of the Eskom Technology Centre in Edgemead. This promises to be a great evening and a great start to the New Year's Professional Development Program.
Derwyn Oxley, [email protected]
Further reading:
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SAIMC: Johannesburg branch
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From the office of the CEO: Power Hour goes national
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South Africa’s automation, control, mechatronics and computer engineering community is changing fast, and the SAIMC is changing with it. I am excited to announce a new national initiative that will reshape how we deliver technical knowledge, strengthen branch identity and bring our community together like never before.
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