dsPIC Tools Simplify Motor-Control Designs
December 10, 2009
Two new tools from Microchip Technology aim to help engineers overcome the headaches that come with the design of motor controllers. First, the dsPICDEM MCHV Development System helps engineers evaluate and design of a variety of high-voltage, closed-loop motor controllers. Applicable motors include AC induction motors (ACIMs), brushless DC (BLDC) motors, and permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). This development system combines a proven motor-control system and power-factor correction (PFC) circuitry. The dsPICDEM MCHV Development System (DM330023) costs $US 650.
Second, the dsPICDEM MCSM Development Board helps engineers use unipolar or bipolar stepper motors in a design. This board uses a microcontroller from the dsPIC33 Motor Control family to create open-loop and current-closed-loop micro-step routines. This development tool also provides engineers with a control GUI that lets them fine-tuning the stepper motor’s operation. (By using closed-loop current control, stepper motors can operate faster than their rated speeds but still offer high torque and low-noise operation.) The dsPICDEM MCSM Development Board (DM330022) costs $US 130. Engineers can purchase the dsPICDEM MCSM Development Kit (DV330021) that includes a stepper motor and a 24-V power supply for $US 270.
Free Sample Software
Royalty- and license-free source code accompanies five application notes for the dsPICDEM MCHV and one for the dsPICDEM MCSM. Thus, engineers can start with Microchip’s proven and efficient code and reducr their software-writing and -debugging efforts. These six app notes comprise:
AN957 Sensored BLDC Motor Control Using dsPIC30F2010
AN984 An Introduction to AC Induction Motor Control Using the dsPIC30F/dsPIC33F DSCs [Digital Signal Controllers]
AN1078 FOC [Field Oriented Control] Sensorless PMSM [Permanent Magnet Syn- chronous Motor] with SMO [Sliding Mode Observer?] Estimator, Field Weakening and Dual Shunts
AN1160 Sensorless BLDC Control with Back-EMF Filtering Using a Majority Function
AN1299 FOC Sensorless PMSM with SMO Estimator, Field Weakening and Single-Shunt
AN1307 Stepper Motor Control with dsPIC® DSCs
My added notes in brackets–Jon
Some app notes refer to other MCUs, but according to Microchip, the tools offer “Seamless migration options from and to the PIC24F, PIC24H, dsPIC30F & dsPIC33F product families for this device.” (From the dsPIC32FJ16MC304 MCU data sheet.)
For more information about dev-kits and -systems, software, application notes and dsPIC MCUs, visit: www.microchip.com/get/SVSE.
Have you used a dev kit of -system to assist you with a motor-control design? If so, which ones did you evaluate and eventually use? –Jon Titus
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