DSP, Micros & Memory


Low-power DSCs suit motor control

27 May 2009 DSP, Micros & Memory

With global demand on the rise for greener appliances and industrial equipment, manufacturers are seeking ways to enhance energy efficiency while reducing system cost.

To address these needs, Freescale has introduced a family of digital signal controllers (DSCs) designed to provide energy-efficient motor control at competitive price points.

The new MC56F8006 family combines the functionality of a microcontroller (MCU) and the processing power of a digital signal processor (DSP) with a flexible set of peripherals to create a cost-effective, powerful and versatile embedded control solution. The devices are suitable for motor control applications such as three-phase BLDC motors, variable frequency drives, permanent magnet synchronous motors and handheld tool motors.

In addition to motor control, they can be used to reduce the cost and complexity of digital power conversion applications, such as board-mounted digital power supplies for servers, industrial and telecom power supplies, and smart power metering. The devices’ powerful signal processing capabilities can also be applied to advanced lighting control in commercial buildings and factories.

The new devices are designed to operate at 50 mA at 32 MHz and 3,3 V. They provide an array of power-saving features, such as two power-saving STOP modes, the ability to shut down peripherals independently and fast wake-up time from STOP (less than six microseconds). The energy-efficient devices also feature a very low-power crystal oscillator and ADC modules with ultra-low run current and conversion speed. A partial power-down mode keeps the I/O, RAM, pulse width modulator (PWM) and computer operating properly (COP) module powered while the remainder of the device peripherals shut down. In this state, the DSCs are engineered to consume one microamp in lowest power mode while preserving key state information in RAM.

Key peripherals include three high-speed comparators, dual 12-bit analog-to-digital controllers (ADCs), two programmable gain amplifiers (PGAs) and a PWM with up to six outputs. The PGAs also perform differential-to-single-ended conversion of analog signals and enable precise conversion of analog values. Multiple system faults are detected and processed by on-board hardware to immediately shut down the PWMs in the event of a threatening or dangerous situation. This capability helps ensure system protection with little or no software intervention required.



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