New Industry Products

SoC Includes Motor Controller + Drive for Brushless DC Motors

November 15, 2019 by Paul Shepard

Qorvo has introduced what is claimed to be the highest-performing MCU and integrated motor control and drive product on the market. The single, system-on-chip (SoC) controller enables high efficiency, high performance and a longer battery life in tools powered by brushless dc motors (BLDCs).

David Briggs, director, Qorvo Power Management & Motor Drive Products, said, "Qorvo is the first to deliver an integrated, programmable and intelligent gate driver solution with a high-performance FLASH MCU in a single device. The PAC5527 allows OEMs to design high-performing, highly reliable tools in the smallest footprint."

Qorvo's new PAC5527 Power Application Controller® (PAC™) integrates multiple devices into a single SOC - a high-performance, FLASH-based 150MHz Arm® Cortex-M4F® with 128kB of FLASH; power management; programmable-current high-side and low-side gate drivers; and signal conditioning components. This combination enables significant PCB space savings and reduces the BOM by as much as 30 percent over competing solutions.

Its high-performance MCU allows designers to add other value-added features, such as safety standards, diagnostics and self-checking capabilities, enhancing tool reliability and quality. Consumers benefit from lighter, more compact and reliable tools with longer battery life.

BLDC motors are seeing widespread adoption, thanks to their maintenance-free operation, longer life span, power efficiency and quieter operation. In addition to power and garden tools, next-generation systems that are switching from brushed dc motors to BLDCs include white goods, HVAC systems, automobiles, aerospace, defense and medical devices.

The PAC5527 is available now and offers these specifications:

Summary of Key Features

  • Fully programmable 150MHz Arm® Cortex-M4F®
  • 128kB flash, 32kB SRAM
  • Integrated 48V charge pump dc-dc
  • Integrated buck-boost dc-dc for regulated low-side gate drive
  • Integrated programmable-current gate drivers (60mA to 1A)
  • Integrated PGA (3 differential, 4 single-ended)
  • Integrated DACs and comparators
  • UART, CAN, I2C and SPI serial interfaces
  • Extremely low total hibernate mode
  • Minimal external components
  • 6x6mm, 48-pin QFN