Delta Tau is a world leader for innovating high-performance motion control solutions and has a decade-long association with Observatory Sciences. With more than 1,000,000 axes of motion installed, Delta Tau provides solutions from the simplest to the most complex applications including general automation, robotics, semiconductor manufacturing, machine tools, medical and packaging equipment, and many more.

Observatory Sciences applies this leading edge technology in both of their main fields of expertise: astronomical telescopes and high energy physics. For instance, at the Diamond Light Source in the UK, 800 axes will be installed using Delta Tau motion controllers to control components in the second phase of synchrotron beamlines. These complement 700 already installed in Phase I. OSL has worked with Delta Tau PMAC systems throughout the Diamond control system, including work in collaboration with Micromech Ltd. as well as ongoing beamline commissioning and enhancement work being performed by OSL consultants at DLS. 

Observatory Sciences collaborated with Delta Tau UK to produce the next generation motion controller for Diamond, using the Delta Tau Geo Brick LV. Diamond plan to use the Geo Brick LV for the remainder of their Phase II beamlines and for their Phase III beamlines. The latest development of this system has seen OSL produce EPICS software embedded in the GeoBrick LV-PC, to enable plug-and-play EPICS software integration. 

As part of a work package for the Australian Synchrotron project, performed under contract to Accel GmbH, OSL produced a Linux software driver for Delta Tau's PMAC motion control system. This driver has since been made open source, making it freely available to all potential users. To download a copy, click here. Associated EPICS support software is also available for download here. 

Delta Tau PMAC was chosen for the motion control of the Gemini Telescopes built in Hawaii and Chile in the 1990s, and OSL staff were involved in the production of the software for, and commissioning of, these systems. 

Delta Tau PMAC technology was adopted as the standard motion control solution for many of the telescope control projects undertaken by OSL with the Belgian telescope company AMOS.