Motor controllers

Microchip Technology has launched a family of 8 bit flash microcontrollers with motor control peripherals that deliver better efficiency, quieter operation, greater range and extend the life of motors in automotive, industrial, appliance and consumer applications.

The 40 pin PIC18F4331/4431 and 28 pin PIC18F2331/2431 microcontrollers (MCUs) are for precise and energy-efficient operation in motor control applications through analog and digital feedback and the new three-phase complementary pulse width modulation (PWM) control system.

Key to the performance of the family is three new modules specifically designed for motion and power control applications.

The power control module has a three-phase PWM structure; the motion feedback module includes a quadrature encoder interface; the third module consists of a high-speed analog to digital converter (ADC), which operates at 200 ksps and can be synchronised with the PWM.

Together, these modules eliminate the need for any external motor control components, such as a high-speed converter and a resonator.

Other features of the devices include: up to eight PWM channels with 14 bit resolution, centre alignment, programmable dead-time and two external fault-protection inputs; two capture/compare/PWM modules; an internal RC oscillator with eight selectable frequencies ranging from 8 MHz to 31.25 KHz; four general-purpose timers; a clock monitor for fail-safe operation; an enhanced USART supporting RS485, RS232 and the LIN protocol; 256 bytes of on-board EEPROM; up to 10 MIPS performance at 40 MHz; a 16-level programmable low voltage detection module; nanoWatt technology that provides enhanced power-management capabilities.