Hardware / software platform targets industrial drive and servo topologies

Texas Instruments (TI) has unveiled DesignDRIVE — a single hardware and software platform that makes it easier for engineers to develop and evaluate solutions for many industrial drive and servo topologies. The DesignDRIVE kit and example software offer an easy path to begin exploring a wide variety of motor types, sensing technologies, encoder standards and communications networks, as well as easy expansion to develop with real-time Ethernet communications and functional safety topologies, enabling more comprehensive, integrated system solutions. Based on the real-time control architecture of TI’s C2000™ microcontrollers (MCUs), DesignDRIVE is ideal for the development of industrial inverter and servo drives used in robotics, computer numerical control machinery (CNC), elevators, materials conveyance and other industrial manufacturing applications. DesignDRIVE Kit features integration and flexibility - The DesignDRIVE Kit offers an integrated design with full power stage to drive a three-phase motor, easing evaluation of a diverse range of feedback sensing and control topologies. The kit includes a 180-pin HSEC controlCARD based on TI’s C2000 Delfino TMS320F28377D MCU, which integrates dual C28x real-time processing cores and dual CLA real-time co-processors, providing 800 MIPS of floating-point performance with integrated trigonometric and FFT acceleration. The sophisticated sensing peripherals on the MCU, including eight sigma-delta filters, four high-performance 16-bit ADCs and eight windowed comparators, enable the DesignDRIVE Kit to support shunt, fluxgate/HALL, and delta-sigma current sensing simultaneously. For position feedback, the kit leverages integrated MCU support for interfacing to resolvers and incremental encoders. In addition, customers can also explore configuration options that allow the MCU to be placed on either side of the high-voltage isolation barrier. The DesignDRIVE Kit plugs into 110V/220V AC mains, delivers up to 8 Amps and is rated to drive motors up to one horsepower. DesignDRIVE scalable software eases development - DesignDRIVE Software is supported by the C2000 controlSUITE package and includes specific examples of vector control of motors, incorporating current, speed and position loops, to help developers jumpstart their evaluation and development. The DesignDRIVE Kit will serve as a common platform showcasing new drives projects from TI that will be delivered via future controlSUITE releases. In addition, the Kit comes with TI’s Code Composer Studio integrated development environment (IDE), providing code generation and debugging capabilities. Altair's VisSim model-based simulation software tool is also supported for TI’s C2000 F28377D MCU. Designers can begin evaluating a diverse range of industrial drive designs with TI’s DesignDRIVE Kit (TMDXIDDK377D), which includes the hardware, software and a high-voltage PMSM motor with QEP encoder. Alternatively, customers can adapt their own motors and purchase the kit without a motor (TMDXIDDK377D), says the company.