Sensorless motor control system just $66

Due to traditional sensorless motor control development being complicated and unattainable for most developers due to cost, time and real world application constraints, TI's InstaSPIN-FOC technology alleviates this complexity for designers by identifying, tuning and efficiently controlling any type of 3-phase, synchronous or asynchronous motor in just minutes. By including InstaSPIN-FOC technology in the on-board Piccolo F28027F MCU, the new $17 USD C2000 InstaSPIN-FOC LaunchPad dramatically reduces the barriers to entry for motor control development.

The C2000 InstaSPIN-FOC LaunchPad utilizes the on-board, low-cost, 48-pin package, 64 KB of Flash-enabled Piccolo F28027F microcontroller with on-chip InstaSPIN-FOC motor control technology to identify and tune all 3-phase sensorless motor types, including synchronous (BLDC, SPM and IPM) and asynchronous (ACI) motors in minutes, cutting cost and design time. It is able to Evaluate quickly and develop full InstaSPIN-FOC based applications easily using the new motor control library (modules, drivers, system examples, documentation) through MotorWare™  software, which offers latest in C object-oriented and API-based coding techniques and over a dozen lab based projects that let you explore the features of InstaSPIN-FOC (Motor ID, saving motor parameters, torque control, tuning speed controller, run-time resistance monitoring, field weakening, modulation techniques and PowerWarp™ solution). Coming with a free version of TI’s Code Composer Studio (IDE), it also provides isolated real-time JTAG debugging and access to most input/output pins of the InstaSPIN-FOC enabled Piccolo MCU.

The compatible $49 DRV8301 motor drive BoosterPack plug-in module, also announced today, creates a low-voltage, medium-current, robust motor control solution that is ready for development of 6- to 24-V, up to 14-A applications and can be used as a low-cost prototyping and evaluation tool for developing a higher-powered system. The DRV8301 BoosterPack is an affordable option to help developers start designing with 3-phase motor control and is the only TI-designed motor driver BoosterPack on the market today – made specifically for the C2000 InstaSPIN-FOC LaunchPad. If designers purchase the LaunchPad and BoosterPack together, they can test and experiment with this unique pairing of motor control hardware and TI’s InstaSPIN-FOC technology, including full hardware design files, debugging, GUI interface and more, to begin creating appliance motors, fans and pumps. The NexFET power MOSFET technology enables higher system efficiency and excellent thermal performance.

The new C2000 InstaSPIN-FOC LaunchPad development kit (LAUNCHXL-F28027F) is now available for $17 USD, and the DRV8301 BoosterPack plug-in module  (BOOSTXL-DRV8301)  is available for $49 USD. For convenience, users can bundle both kits together on the TI eStore. Additional previously released InstaSPIN-FOC enabled kits that support different inverter power ranges, Piccolo, and DRV83xx devices include DRV8301-69M-KIT, DRV8312-69M-KIT, and TMDSHVMTRINSPIN.  The InstaSPIN-FOC enabled Piccolo F2802xF MCUs start at $4 in low volumes, DRV8301 at $2.50, and CSD18533Q5A NexFET MOSFETs at $0.63.