Texas Instruments has introduced two 3-phase, brushless DC (BLDC) motor drivers that allow designers to spin motors in minutes rather than months. Traditional BLDC motor designs require five to ten components, along with firmware. The sensorless 5-V, 680-mA DRV10866 and the 12-V, 1.5-A DRV11873 cut this component count to one with no firmware required, significantly reducing board space and system costs. The devices also provide the lowest operating voltage and standby current to reduce power consumption by up to 75%.

 

The high integration of the new devices eliminates the need for external gate drivers, inverters, position detection and feedback, along with a microcontroller (MCU) and firmware. A wide operating voltage range of 1.65 V to 5.5 V and low quiescent current of 5 uA extends the battery life of portable devices, such as toothbrushes and shavers, compared to existing solutions. The chips are robust, reliable and fully protected thanks to advanced on-chip protection, including over-current, over-temperature, shoot-through and under-voltage lock-out, increases system reliability.