EVALKIT-ROBOT-1 is a plug-and-play motor control solution designed to help users easily enter the field of servo drives and robot precision positioning, as well as high-level motion control. The solution includes a maxon 100W brushless DC motor with a built-in 1024-pulse incremental encoder. The motor provides maxon's expertise in motor electromagnetic design, with excellent smoothness and balance, and can accurately control the motor even at low rotor speeds.

The servo control board in the solution has ST's STSPIN32F0A smart three-phase motor controller and a complete inverter power stage. The inverter power stage uses ST power transistors and can be connected to the motor. The solution also includes motor control firmware, so users can easily start the motor and send commands.

ST's STSPIN32F0A system-level package integrates the key circuits required for motor control, including the STM32F031C6* microcontroller and three-phase inverter driver in a high-power density 7mm x 7mm VFQFPN package. The microcontroller is pre-set with plug-and-play MODBUS communication firmware and a vector control (Field-Oriented Control, FOC) algorithm with precise positioning capabilities. The module also integrates power management and current detection circuits, making it more flexible and versatile.

The Maxon EC-i 40 is a 100W brushless DC (BLDC) motor with a diameter of 40mm and a built-in maxon ENX 16 EASY 1024-pulse incremental encoder for precise control. The motor also integrates a Hall sensor to detect the rotor position. The motor is optimized to provide high output torque and low cogging torque, which results in smooth operation over the entire speed range and improved positioning accuracy.

The three-phase brushless DC inverter power stage uses ST's STL7DN6LF3 60V low on-resistance N-channel MOSFET with a maximum output power of 6A to drive this motor.

▶Application scenario diagram

▶Demonstration board photo

▶Solution diagram

Core technology advantages

STSPIN32F0A - Advanced brushless motor controller

Integration of Cortex-M0 MCU, gate driver and operational amplifier enables extremely compact solution

ST1S14 - Buck switching regulator

High switching frequency requires small inductor value, thus reducing the overall solution footprint

L78L - 3.3 V linear regulator

Rugged linear regulator in a small package

STR485 - RS485 transceiver

Very compact RS485 differential line transceiver with embedded protection on the bus pins

STL7DN6LF3 - Power FETs

Dual-channel low RDS(ON) MOSFETs provide efficient power stages in a small footprint

Solution Specifications

• Controller board implementing field-oriented control with closed-loop positioning

• 36 V/6 A peak power stage

• STMicroelectronics 32F0A advanced three-phase motor controller embedded with Cortex-M3 MCU

• STL7DN6LF3 60 V, 35 mΩ dual-channel N-channel MOSFET

• Hall sensor

• Position control loop based on field-oriented control

• MODBUS communication protocol via RS-485

• Extremely compact footprint (40 mm x 40 mm)

• maxon EC-i 40 100 W three-phase brushless DC motor

• maxon ENX 16 EASY 1024 pulse incremental encoder