That is the programming header. The step/dir/24V power is a green Phoenix plug-in header on the other side.
The AIM series just needs an RS485 dongle plugged in once so you can set the parameter for steps/rev. It’s not called “microsteps” anymore. The motor has a built-in magnetic 15 bit resolver. So far they’ve been shipped with 16,384 steps/rev or at least something REALLY slow. It still calculates the rotation internally with 15 bit resolution, so it will run extremely smooth and quietly.
The programmable steps is a really good thing. Direct drive makes a lot of sense. You can calculate for the pulley to be like 0.01mm per step and the laser doesn’t need more resolution than that. Or maybe there’s raster cases where it does, in which case you could change it really quick.
The motors sent by SMC shipped with the cable that plugs in there, ending in wire pigtails. You need an RS485 dongle, and you have to connect 5v and ground on the header, and also give it +24V motor power on the green header.
Once programmed, it’s the same step/dir and high current DC power you plugged into a stepper drive, except they skip the drive and plug that straight into the motor. They are 24V. Don’t look at the absolute max of 32V or whatever, it runs on 24V and may see surges of several volts on braking if you don’t have a brake circuit. It needs the headroom. It will meet full specs at 24V. You will NOT get any performance gains by giving it >24V.
57AIM30 and 42AIM30 are the same motor inside. The 57 is more bulky to be able to bolt up to a NEMA23 faceplate.
The 42AIM15 is literally half the 30. Half the torque and power. It is the same dia. It is shorter, but not 1/2 the length because the resolver and FOC PCB are in there taking up a fixed part of the volume. You’d only consider this if you absolutely had no space for the 30 and thorough calcs showing you could meet your design goals with a 15.
IMHO the xxAIM30 is a better motor than the ihsv57. More low-end torque with the AIM, but it’s not spec’ed to go to as high an RPM as the ihsv. I did have an ihsv57 burn out on me but that may have been due to back EMF and/or flaky power connector. But the behavior of the ihsv57 gets kinda wonky when you start to overload it. Just seems like the AIM is another gen past the ihsv. But I wouldn’t be surprised if the ihsv just software updated their motors and started sending out better ones.
If you’re going to direct drive- which, again, would probably be pretty sweet if you can figure out how to support the pulley so the belt tension isn’t bending the motor shaft- you’d probably want torque over speed thus the AIM30.
