Microchip Technology has launched a new family of dsPIC digital signal controller-based integrated motor drivers. These devices incorporate a dsPIC33 digital signal controller (DSC), a three-phase MOSFET gate driver and optional LIN or CAN FD transceiver into one package.

This integration is designed to reduce the component count of a motor control system design, and allow smaller printed circuit board (PCB) dimensions. The devices are supported by development boards, reference designs and application notes, and will be included in Microchip’s field-oriented control (FOC) software development suite, the motorBench Development Suite.

The integrated motor driver devices can be powered by a single power supply up to 29 V (operation) and 40 V (transient). An internal 3.3 V low dropout (LDO) voltage regulator powers the dsPIC DSC, which eliminates the need for an external LDO to power the device. Operating between 70 and 100 MHz, the dsPIC DSC-based integrated motor drivers provide high CPU performance, and can support efficient deployment of FOC and other motor control algorithms.

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Microchip offers an extensive ecosystem of motor control software and hardware development tools to help make the design process faster and reduce the customer’s time to market. These include the dsPIC33CK Motor Control Starter Kit and the MCLV-48V-300W, two new integrated motor driver development boards that provide rapid prototyping solutions; and the motorBench Development Suite, a free GUI-based software development tool that measures critical motor parameters, tunes feedback control gains and generates source code using the motor control application framework (MCAF).

“Automotive, consumer and industrial designs are evolving, and require higher performance and reduced footprints,” said Joe Thomsen, VP of Microchip’s digital signal controllers business unit. “These expectations often come at a higher expense and increase in dimensional size. By integrating multiple device functions into one chip, the dsPIC DSC-based integrated motor drivers can reduce system-level costs and board space.”

Source: Microchip Technology