In this study an integral-proportional (IP) controller with on-line gain-tuning using a recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) is proposed to control the mover position of a permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) servo drive system. The structure and operating principle of the PMLSM are first described in detail. A field-oriented control PMLSM servo drive is then introduced. After that, an IP controller with on-line gain tuning using an RFNN is proposed to control the mover of the PMLSM for achieving high-precision position control with robustness. The backpropagation algorithm is used to train the RFNN on line. Moreover to guarantee the convergence of tracking error for the periodic step-command tracking, analytical methods based on a discrete-type Lyapunov function are proposed to determine the varied learning rates of the RFNN. Furthermore, the proposed control system is implemented in a PC-based computer control system, Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed PMLSM servo drive system is demonstrated by some simulated and experimental results. Accurate tracking response and superior dynamic performance can be obtained due to the powerful on-line learning capability of the RFNN. In addition, the proposed on-line gain-tuning servo drive system is robust with regard to parameter variations and external disturbances.