About the Company

Where does the name Galil come from?

The co-founder of Galil, Jacob Tal was born in Israel near the sea of Galilee. The company name is derived from this region.

Do you have local support for Galil products?

Galil sells its products through a worldwide network of independent representatives and distributors who have attended factory training. These technical representatives are engineers who are trained to understand the requirements of your specific application and to help integrate Galil products into your system. Contact Galil at 800-377-6329 for the representative nearest you or use our distributor finder .

What type of technical support is offered when I buy a Galil controller?

Galil provides technical support of its products at no charge. Phone support is offered Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm Pacific Standard time. Galil has a full staff of degreed engineers who have been specially trained in motion control. While Galil does provide support of its products as components operating within a system, Galil does not assume system-level responsibility. Galil has a network of qualified system integrators who provide these services. Galil also offers motion seminars , product training workshops , and web-based classes.

Where are Galil controllers used?

Galil controllers are used in any application that requires precise motion control. Over 750,000 Galil controllers are in use worldwide in a variety of industries such as medical, semiconductor, test and measurement, machining, textiles, food processing and many more. Many applications are described in Galil's customer stories.

Does Galil offer quantity discounts to OEMs?

Yes! Galil controllers are very cost-effective and Galil offers significant discounts for volume purchases. Typically the unit price in 100 quantity is half the single quantity price. Galil guarantees that its pricing for 100+ quantities is less than any other manufacturer with similar product features. Galil is also competitive against in-house solutions and offers prices as low as $100 per axis in 1000 quantity.

  Controller Formats

Can Galil controllers be operated "stand-alone" without a computer?

Galil offers motion controllers and PLCs with RS232, USB or Ethernet connectivity which are designed to sit outside of the PC bus. After initial programming and downloading of a motion program into non-volatile memory they can operate without a host computer. Galil's Ethernet/RS232 DMC-40x0 box-level controllers are packaged with drives in a rugged, metal enclosure. The DMC-41x3 and DMC-21x3 Ethernet/RS232 series are card-level or DIN rail mount controllers.

Is there any limitation on the size of motors that can be controlled with Galil controllers?

There is no limitation on the motor size , and Galil controllers provide precise control of motors ranging from a few Watts to over 22 kW. Galil controllers produce a +/-10 Volt or step/direction output that can be sent to any size amplifier. Galil also offers plug-in, multi-axis stepper and servo drives for use with its DMC-41x3 controllers and DMC-40x0 controllers which form a cost-effective controller and drive solution with minimal wiring. Galil's servo drives control brush or brushless servo motors up to 1200 Watts.

What type of feedback sensor is required?

For servo motor control, Galil controllers accept input from an incremental encoder. The encoder may be rotary or linear as long as it produces two channels of information in quadrature or pulse/direction format. Galil can also accept sin/cos encoders or absolute encoding in SSI or BiSS format as an option. For each axis of servo control, most Galil controllers accept inputs from two separate encoders (main and auxiliary) allowing for dual-loop control. Galil controllers with analog inputs also accept an analog sensor as feedback using the AF command. For step motor control, input from an encoder is not required although input from one encoder is accepted for each axis allowing for position verification.

What happens if I cannot find exactly what I want in Galil's controller line?

Galil offers customization of any of its controllers. Galil has handled hundreds of special requests including hardware and firmware modifications such as adding special commands, communication interfaces, connectors, and physical layouts. Consult a Galil application engineer to discuss your special needs.

Can Galil motion controllers close a position loop with a stepper motor?

Yes, Galil's motion controller can close a position loop with a stepper motor. The two-phase brushless amplifier feature (2PB) allows a stepper motor to be run like a servo motor. Also standard in Galil's firmware is a 'stepper position maintenance mode' which calculates an error signal based on the stepper position.

Can motion controllers work with non-linear systems?

Yes our controllers can work with non-linear systems. This is possible using various approaches including two sets of PIDs as well as changing PIDs on the fly, also called gain-scheduling.

What are the various options for power for Galil motion controllers and RIO PLCs?

Galil's controllers accept a large variety of DC voltages including 12V for mobile applications. See the part-number-generators for the various options. We offer a number of AC to DC power supplies for users than need AC.

  Controller Programming

What is Galil's programming language?

Galil commands are intuitive, two-letter, English-like ASCII commands such as "BG" for begin motion and "SP" for speed. Over 200 commands are provided to specify motion, compensation, and I/O events. In addition, commands are provided for program sequencing such as conditional jumps, IF/THEN, and event trippoints. Commands may be sent in ASCII format and are upward compatible between controller models.

I need to display the position of each axis continuously. Doesn't this tie up the controller?

Galil controllers provide a secondary FIFO buffer which captures real-time data such as position, torque and error continuously. This buffer can be transmitted continuously over PCI or UDP/IP. Accordingly, the host PC does not have to poll for this data and other communications are taking place through the primary communications FIFO buffer. Galil's software tools   provide a real-time display of important motion data such as position, velocity and torque.

What is multitasking?

Most Galil controllers can execute up to eight application programs at the same time. This means eight totally independent operations can be accomplished with just one controller. The DMC-3x01x can execute six application programs at the same time while the RIO can execute up to four.

What is the best method of getting high bandwidth data from my motion controller or my RIO PLC?

Galil provides a 'data record' including all motion status and I/O information. This 'data record' can be asynchronously transmitted to the host PC at frequencies at 500Hz plus.

What are the features of DMC code?

DMC code is an easy-to-use, high-level programming language that has been continually developed and improved since 1983. It is particularly well suited for motion and I/O applications including event-driven execution, motion and I/O trip points, local scope variables, subroutine stacks, conditional statements, mathematical functions and multi-threaded execution.

Can I communicate to various industrial Ethernet protocols such as EtherCAT, Modbus and Ethernet/IP?

Yes. The DMC-50xx0 is an EtherCAT master that can be connected to various slaves. All Ethernet products support Modbus. Additional protocols such as Ethernet/IP and Modbus RTU are available as firmware customizations.

Can a host process be interrupted upon an event on a Galil motion controller?

Yes, a host process can be interrupted. Galil's software supports PCI and Ethernet interrupt functions. The interrupts can be generated automatically based on motion or I/O events or can be programatically called within embedded code by the UI command.

Can one Galil controller communicate to another controller without an external device such as a PC?

Yes. Galil's controllers can communicate to each other via Ethernet or RS-232 connections.

Can a Galil motion controllers pulse an output at a specified motor position?

Yes, output compare, also known as pulse-on-position, provides high-performance I/O synchronization based on motor position.

Can a Galil motion controller save motor position based upon digital input?

Yes. The hardware latch, also known as position capture or touch probe, provides a high speed capture of the encoder position based upon the edge of a digital input.

Can my prior-generation controller's DMC code be easily migrated to a newer generation controller like the DMC-40x0?

Yes it can. Galil puts a high value on maintaining backwards and forwards compatibility to support our customer's existing and future applications. Application ports to new products typically require very little to no code changes.

Can I re-use code for a different axis on a Galil multi-axis controller?

Yes, Galil provides many methods for code reuse, including variables for axes and subroutines with local scope variables.

  Modes of Motion

Can Galil's motion controllers support non-orthagonal coordinate systems?

Yes coordinate transformation for applications such as delta-robot, hexapod, SCARA plus more are available. Contact application support for details.

  I/O and Peripherals

Can Galil motion controllers interface with the Galil RIO PLCs?

Yes Galil's motion controller interface over Ethernet via Modbus TCP/IP to the RIO PLCs. Up to eight RIO's can easily be added to a motion application to extend I/O capabilities.

Can Galil motion controllers provide precise motion for vision system cameras, bar-code readers, weight-scales and so on?

Yes Galil supports industry standard communication protocols for 3rd party devices such as the sensors listed above.

When can I use Power over Ethernet (PoE) to power an RIO?

A number of the RIO's can be powered by PoE. For PoE to work, the user must have a PoE compatible Ethernet switch to provide the power to the RIO over the Ethernet cable. This power is very limited and will be sufficient when only the inputs and low power outputs of the RIO are used. If high power outputs are used an external power supply is required.

Can I connect the RIO directly to my PC or do I need an Ethernet switch?

Most of the RIO's can plug directly to your PC's RJ45 port with a standard Ethernet cable. For the RIO-47100 and RIO-47120 you must use a cross-over cable. An Ethernet switch is not required unless you intend to power the RIO with Power over Ethernet (PoE).

What is the second Ethernet port of the RIO good for?

The second port of the RIO can save you the cost and extra wiring of an Ethernet switch. By attaching the RIO directly to the PC and daisy chaining an additional device to the RIO's second port, your PC can connect to both devices without a switch. Also you could connect the RIO to 2 PC's if you desire.

Can the RIO operate without a PC present?

Yes, the RIO has nonvolatile internal memory, PID loops, and counters. It can be programmed to run your I/O control application automatically upon power up with no PC or other host present.

I have an SSI encoder. Can I feed it into an RIO?

Yes, with the encoder input option SSI and BiSS encoders can be interfaced to the RIO.

I have K type thermocouples. Can I input them to a RIO?

Yes, the SCB-48306 is used to interface up to 6 thermocouples to any RIO-471xx. Similarly an SCB-48206 will interface up to 6 resistive thermal devices (RTD) to the RIO-471xx.

I need to drive relays, which RIO's can do that?

All of the RIO's can drive relays. Connect the relay between one of the 500 mA sourcing outputs and ground. Make sure you should check the relay manufacturers data sheet to be sure that 500 mA or less is sufficient current, and to choose the proper voltage for that relay.

How do I input a 4-20 mA sensor to an RIO?

Specify the 4-20 mA for your RIO and you can input your sensor directly to the RIO.

Can I interface a sensor with a 24 volt output to the RIO?

The RIO's have opto-isolated inputs which can work with switches and sensors from 5V to 24V.

I like screw terminals, but I want to be able to detach them easily for servicing. How can I do this with the RIO?

If you choose a RIO with screw terminals (RIO-472xx, RIO-473xx), you will not be able to detach them for servicing but will have to unscrew each wire. With the RIO-471xx you can use the ICS-48044m and the ICS-48026m. This allows you to have screw terminal connections and then you can simply detach these 2 boards for servicing.

Because the RIO has opto-isolated inputs, do I need a separate supply to power my sensors and switches?

This is an area of general confusion. If you wish to have a truly opto-isolated system, then you need to have an isolated supply for your I/O separate from the RIO. However, this is rarely required. Powering your I/O from the RIO's supply will work just fine in the vast majority of applications. The opto-isolators still act as a filter and a buffer even when there isn't true isolation.


Do I need a tachometer to stabilize my servo motor?

No! Galil controllers provide a digital PID filter that eliminates the need for tachometer feedback and assures robust, stable closed-loop control. The PID parameters are programmable and the Galil Design Kit software automatically tunes most servo systems for optimum performance.

What do I do to correct for resonance in my system?

Galil DMC-40x0 , DMC-41x3 and DMC-3x01x controllers include a programmable notch filter to minimize resonance. The notch frequency and bandwidth are programmable allowing for correction at the specific resonance frequency.

Can my existing program loop run faster?

Your existing program loop can run faster. To learn how to increase speed, contact an application engineer. Code optimization, a faster Galil controller, and even firmware modifications can provide the performance your application requires.

What is the highest bandwidth I can achieve with a Galil Controller?

We develop our hardware and firmware such that the controller doesn't limit the bandwidth. Limitations come from the amplifier or the mechanical characteristics of the application.

What types of motors can Galil's motion controllers control?

Galil has been in the motion control business since 1983 and has been exposed to every type of actuator and motor on the market. The short list contains: brush, brushless, 2 and 3 phase, hydraulic, linear, voice coil, piezo crystal, ultrasonic, and galvo motors.

What is the maximum speed I can achieve with my stepper motor using Galil motion controllers?

The stepper speed is not limited by the controller, it is limited by the motor inductance and bus voltage.

  Prior Generation Controllers

My system uses a controller that is now listed as a Prior Generation product, what does that mean for availability?

The Prior Generation label is simply used to help direct new applications to the latest line-up of Galil controllers. The Prior Generation label does not affect the availability, price, or reparability of a product. We understand the need of OEMs to develop their products with components that will be available throughout the life of their application. As long as our controllers have sufficient demand and we can obtain parts, we will continue to manufacture Prior Generation controllers. Galil controllers have had life cycles of up to 25 years.

If product availability is an important aspect of your application, join our mailing list to receive notifications regarding product revisions and obsolescence. If you have any specific questions or concerns about the availability of a Prior Generation product, feel free to contact the factory directly, toll free at 1.800.377.6329.

  Ordering Information

Can I add axes to my existing controller?

Galil can usually add axes to existing controllers at the factory. Please contact Galil with the serial number of the model to be upgraded for an exact price.

How long to repairs typically take?

3-5 business days is typical but always ask at the time of RMA request. This is subject to change.

How much do repairs typically cost?

Repairs rarely run more than $150 if the board is repairable. If the board is not under warranty authorization for a $150 charge is required. We will contact you if the price exceeds $150.

How long is Galil's warranty on new product?

Galil warranties new controllers and amplifiers for 18 months - Galil covers repair for any manufacturing defect

How long is Galil's warranty on repairs?

Galil covers repair for any manufacturing defect for 90 days after repair or until the end of the original warranty period, whichever is longer.

How long will Galil repair products?

There is no specific cutoff for repairs. If the component in need of replacement is still available Galil can likely repair your unit regardless of age.