Microchip's Latest MCU Series Addresses Noise, Vibration, and Ruggedness in Systems
Microchip Unveils Cutting-Edge MCUs with Enhanced Timer/Counter Capabilities for Improved Motor Management and Smart Home Applications
Microchip's latest microcontroller units (MCUs) come equipped with sophisticated timer/counter modules to optimize the performance of motor control, facilitate predictive maintenance, and innovate home automation solutions.
With an emphasis on mitigating issues related to Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH), Microchip introduces the AVR EB series MCUs, which are specifically engineered for high-accuracy control of Brushless DC (BLDC) motors. These new devices aim at eliminating the root causes of noise and vibration for a more streamlined and efficient approach to motor control.
The latest Microchip MCU family targets improved motor control, reducing the impacts of noise, vibration, and harshness on electrical systems, including moving parts.
This article takes a closer look at the family's specs to get a sense of how the AVR EB family accomplishes NVH reduction for such control. We'll also examine the other peripherals of the MCUs to determine where an AVR EB MCU could be useful in various motor designs.
Smoother Motor Control
BLDC motors afford a high degree of control, allowing designers to reduce the impacts of NVH on device longevity. This advanced control, however, typically requires designers to develop complex control algorithms and waveform designs.
Timers with waveform extensions and event systems enable designers to rapidly adjust BLDC waveform parameters, helping to remove the NVH problem in motor systems.
To remove the complexity associated with BLDC motors, Microchip’s AVR EB family of MCUs incorporates speed, timing, and waveform control in a single chip, allowing designers to simplify the control process and further reduce NVH impacts in sensitive applications. In addition, the onboard processor supports more complex interaction with the entire system.
Hands-Free Event Handling
The AVR EB family (datasheet linked) includes a 20-MHz AVR CPU with 16 KB flash memory and 2 KB SRAM. Complementing the devices' motor driving performance is a 12-bit ADC with 300 kilo-samples per second (kSps). The 24-bit Timer/Counter F (TCF) joins the 16-bit Timer/Counter E to provide multiple options for waveform generation and event triggering.
The AVR EB block diagram highlights the utility of the event system, allowing peripherals to directly interact without loading the CPU with repetitive tasks.
The AVR EB family also includes a dedicated event-handling system designed to allow peripherals to interact without loading down the CPU. As a result, the peripherals included can use up to six event channels to automatically route data and handle events as needed, allowing designers to simplify repeatable actions without dedicated processing power.
The AVR EB family and a Curiosity Nano development board are currently available for designers looking to evaluate the performance of the chip in their own applications.
Smaller, Smarter Motors
The benefits of the AVR EB family combined with the small size make it useful for applications where space is constrained, allowing engineers to leverage the benefits of BLDC motors without needing bulky or power-hungry controllers. As a result, the AVR EB family may not only improve the performance of BLDC motors currently in products but also allow BLDC motors to be used in a wider variety of applications.
The reported performance of the AVR EB family and the incorporation of more peripherals may not only better automate advanced motor control but also allow designers to minimize the impacts of moving parts in solid-state systems.
