Texas Instruments has introduced an evaluation kit for driving three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) and  permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSM). The DRV8312-C2-KIT a high-performance, power-efficient, cost-effective platform is  for sensorless field-oriented control (FOC) and sensored or sensorless trapezoidal commutation. It is aimed at brushless motors with operating specs below 50 V and 7 A, used to drive medical pumps, gates, lifts and small pumps, and in industrial and consumer robotics and automation.

 

The evaluation kit is a ready-to-use motor control and driver solution and includes TI’s  DRV8312 motor driver, a 32-bit C2000 Piccolo microcontroller (MCU) controlCARD module, a quick-start graphical user interface, full development source code, the Code Composer Studio (CCStudio) integrated development environment (IDE) and a three-phase BLDC motor. It supports sensorless FOC and sensorless or sensored trapezoidal commutation, and it can support sensored FOC with the addition of a separate shaft encoder.

 

The DRV8312 three-phase, fractional-horsepower motor driver delivers up to 6.5 A without an external heat sink. It is robust, reliable and features cycle-by-cycle overcurrent, overtemperature, cross-conduction and undervoltage protection. The 32-bit C2000 Piccolo MCU performs control, communication and debug functions. It integrates advanced analogue feedback, digital control peripherals and CPU capability, including access to motor control software modules, real-time debug capabilities, and open-tooled reference designs via free controlSUITE software.

 

The kit includes an NEMA17 BLDC/PMSM 55-W motor, a 24-V power supply module (with adapters), a DRV8312 baseboard with controlCARD slot, a Piccolo Isolated F28035 controlCARD, USB cable, USB stick with GUI, CCStudio IDE, Quick Start Guide, and link to controlSUITE for all documentation.

 

The DRV8312-C2-KIT is priced at USD 299, including CCStudio IDE with no compiler or memory limitations. All documentation, software source, and the hardware development package – including bill of materials, schematics and Gerber files – is freely available through controlSUITE.

Image: Texas Instruments