TI's new evaluation platform drives three-phase brushless motors for quicker time to spin

DALLAS, USA: Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) has introduced a complete motor control evaluation kit for spinning brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM).

The DRV8312-C2-KIT is a high-performance, power-efficient and cost-effective sensorless field-oriented control (FOC) and trapezoidal commutation platform. 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 the highest current output in its class, delivering up to 6.5 A, without the need for a costly external heat sink. The DRV8312 motor driver is robust, reliable and 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 industry-leading 32-bit C2000 MCU integrates the most advanced 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.

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.