MCU Motor Control Kits Support Power Factor Correction

Two Piccolo motor control kits help implement power factor correction (PFC) and sensorless control of up to two motors with a single low-cost microcontroller (MCU). The kits include everything needed to begin development of cost-sensitive motor control applications such as pumps, HVAC, refrigerators, and other appliances/white goods. These controlCARD-based kits include a Piccolo controlCARD, Code Composer Studio IDE, software libraries, and a hardware designer’s package. The motor control and PFC developer’s kit includes one permanent magnet motor while the dual motor control and PFC developer’s kit includes two. Developer kits include a 60-MHz TMS320F28035 MCU with128 kbytes of flash and control-oriented peripherals such as a 12-bit, 16-channel on-chip ADC and high-resolution PWM outputs. Sensorless field-oriented software that’s tuned for the kits’ motors allows developers to begin design right out of the box. The dual full-bridge PWM motor drivers include programmable cycle-by-cycle current limit and two-stage thermal protection capabilities. Isolated onboard USB JTAG emulation eliminates the need for an external JTAG emulator. The motor control and PFC developer’s kit (TMDS1MTRPFCKIT) and the dual motor control and PFC developer’s kit (TMDS2MTRPFCKIT) are priced at $369 and $399, respectively. Both kits are in stock. TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INC., Dallas, TX. (888) 772-3544.