BRUSHLESS MOTOR CONTROLLERS
September 2019 - January 2020, for MRover and EECS 373: Embedded Systems. A 2 kW (42V, 50A) brushless motor controller for robotics applications.
Schematic
Schematic
eecs373_DriverBoard.PDF
Current Issues:
Gate driver (TI DRV8353RS) high-side charge pump cannot deliver more than 600 mA of gate drive current, which is not enough for the power FETs in use
12V Buck Regulator internal to gate driver also often fails. Failure mode appears to be internal switching FET breakdown
Gate traces (between gate driver and gates) are longer than recommended
Next Steps:
Select a simpler, more robust gate driverSelect easier-to-drive gates
This project was, unfortunately, abandoned due to competing priorities on MRover.