Date: 17/04/2011

MCU kit for brushless DC and permanent magnet synchronous motors

Texas Instruments Incorporated has introduced a complete motor control evaluation kit for spinning brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM). It spins motors out of the box, speeding development of sub-50-V and 6.5-A brushless motors for driving medical pumps, gates, lifts and small pumps, as well as industrial and consumer robotics and automation.

Key features and benefits:
Out-of-the-box motor control and driver solution includes the DRV8312 motor driver, a 32-bit C2000 Piccolo microcontroller (MCU) controlCARD module, a quick-start graphical user interface, full development source code, Code Composer Studio (CCStudio) integrated development environment (IDE) and a three-phase BLDC motor.
Flexible control platform that supports sensorless FOC, and sensorless and sensored trapezoidal commutation control for rapid evaluation and development of three-phase motors. By adding a separate shaft encoder, the DRV8312-C2-KIT can also support sensored FOC.
DRV8312 three-phase, fractional-horsepower motor driver provides current output up to 6.5 A, without the need for a external heat sink. The DRV8312 motor driver is fully protected with cycle-by-cycle over-current, over-temperature, cross-conduction and under-voltage protection, reducing design complexity and board space, and ensuring higher system reliability.
C2000 Piccolo MCU performs control, communications, and debug functions. The 32-bit C2000 MCU integrates analog feedback, digital control peripherals and CPU capability in an embedded MCU device family starting under $2. This includes access to the most thorough set of motor control software modules, real-time debug capabilities, and open-tooled reference designs via free controlSUITE software.

Availability and pricing: The DRV8312-C2-KIT is available now for $299. This price includes CCStudio IDE with no compiler or memory limitations. All documentation, software source, and the hardware development package - including bill of materials, schematics, and gerbers - is freely available through controlSUITE.

A complete evaluation kit based on the DRV8412 motor driver is also available for spinning brushed DC and stepper motors. The DRV8412-C2-KIT is priced at $299.

Check out motor control block diagrams, application notes, videos and selection guides at www.ti.com/motorcontrol-pr