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Freescale Drives Motor Control Efficiency with Intelligent Analog IC

AUSTIN, Texas--Freescale Semiconductor has introduced a three-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor driver integrated circuit (IC) designed to help drive small motors reliably with reduced board space. The MC34929 IC provides a cost-effective, small-footprint BLDC motor driver solution for a variety of consumer, portable and office equipment applications containing small motors.

The single-chip MC34929 IC has built-in over-temperature, under-voltage and stalled-rotor protection circuitry, making it ideal for small-motor applications. The MC34929 operates efficiently with supply voltages from 8 V to 28 V and provides continuous motor drive current up to 1A.

Designed with a built-in three-phase hall-effect sensors interface and a hall sensors voltage supply, the MC34929 motor driver IC can operate BLDC motors autonomously with a pushbutton or switch interface or under the control of an external microcontroller (MCU), such as Freescales 8-bit MC9S08QG8CDTE MCU. Its state machine accommodates several modes of operation, including clockwise, counterclockwise, run/stop, brake, variable speed and torque current limit.

Freescales MC34929 device provides sophisticated analog/mixed-signal integrated functions that result in a highly flexible product that is adaptable and configurable to its environment, said Arman Naghavi, vice president and general manager of Freescales Analog, Mixed-Signal and Power Division. It allows designers to differentiate their products with functions such as adjustable, autonomous and continuous modes.

Manufactured with Freescales proprietary SMARTMOSTM process, the MC34929 has built-in stall detection and protection circuitry, logic level control and various configuration and communication features for active monitoring of operation and increased reliability. Offered in a compact, low-profile 24-pin 4 mm x 4 mm x 1 mm ultra-thin QFN package, the MC34929 is ideal for industrial, home and office electronics applications that require a compact BLDC motor driver solution.

MC34929 features

  • Single-supply operation (8V28V)
  • Efficiently drives three-phase BLDC motors up to 1A
  • Autonomous BLDC control without requiring an MCU interface
  • Built-in hall sensors controlled-supply (VH)
  • Three-phase hall sensors interface
  • Two tachometer outputs (1X and 3X hall frequency)
  • Adjustable maximum current limit (torque limiting)
  • Adjustable stalled rotor detection and protection
  • Short circuit detection and protection
  • Over-temperature detection and thermal shutdown
  • Under-voltage detection and shutdown
  • Low-profile, compact quad flat no-lead (QFN) 4x4x1mm package
  • Restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) compliant

Pricing and availability

The MC34929 is available in production quantities at a suggested resale price of $1.42 (USD) in 10,000-piece quantities.

The MC34929 evaluation boards are available now for a suggested resale price of $90 (USD). The KIT34929EGEVBE development tool incorporates digital I/O, making it easy to use with an MCU in a closed-loop motor control system.

For more information on the MC34929 motor driver IC, visit http://www.freescale.com/files/pr/mc34929.html.