The new TMC7300 drives one or two DC motors from 2.0 to 11V DC, and employs UART-based control for torque and velocity.

TRINAMIC Motion Control GmbH & Co. KG has announced the TMC7300, a low-voltage driver for one DC motor up to 2A peak, or two DC motors up to 2.4A peak on a single or dual Li-Ion cell or at least 2 AA batteries. The TMC7300 is ideal for battery-operated equipment such as IoT and handheld devices, printers and POS applications, toys, cameras, and mobile medical devices. Thanks to an integrated direct bridge, the chip can also control solenoids, relays, and other actuators.

Available in a small form factor, 20-pin QFN (3x3 mm) package, the TMC7300 offers high power density using integrated power MOSFETs and complete integrated DC motor control logic. As a result, the TMC7300 can control velocity and limit torque, or be used in torque-controlled operation.

Michael Randt, Founder, and CEO of the Hamburg, Germany-based company, explains: “By rolling out our new family of driver ICs for battery-powered applications, we want to fuel the imagination of engineers around the world by giving them the tools needed to develop new applications and turn proven concepts into easy-to-use portable devices for both consumers and professionals.”

For ease of use, the TMC7300 includes a single-wire UART interface to control the direction, velocity, and torque of up to two DC motors. Together with Trinamic’s development environment, including open-source hardware and software, the new chip enables rapid prototyping with reduced overhead cost.

Protection and diagnostic features support robust and reliable operation, including PWM control for smooth acceleration and deceleration; an internal current limiter to protect both the DC motor and power source; and mechanical load sensing. By adapting the sense resistor to the desired maximum current, the chip can disable the power stage and report the error via the interface or the DIAG output.

The TMC7300 is the second IC Trinamic has designed specifically for low-voltage applications. Trinamic previously announced the TMC2300, a motor controller designed to improve the user’s experience for IoT and portable devices. The TMC2300 offers virtually silent operation and low power consumption. It can control two-phase stepper motors up to 1.2A RMS over a voltage range of 1.8V to 11V DC.

The TMC7300-LA motor driver, along with the TMC7300-BOB breakout board and the TMC7300-EVAL evaluation board, will be available at the end of January 2020 through Trinamic’s distribution channels.

TMC7300 Block Diagram

Features

Voltage range of 1.8V to 11V DC

Driver for 1 DC motor up to 2A, or 2 DC motors up to 2.4A

Battery operation with 1 or 2 Li-Ion cells, or at least 2 AA batteries

Single-wire UART with velocity control, torque control, and direction

Standby current draw of <50nA typical

Low RDSon with LS 170mΩ & HS 170mΩ (typical)

Full protection and diagnostics, including motor load feedback

PWM control of LEDs

Suited for solenoids

QFN20 package (3x3 mm)

Source: MotionControl.com