Luminary Micro has commenced production of a brush DC motor controller module (MDL-BDC) and reference design kit (RDK-BDC).

The MDL-BDC provides variable speed control for 12 V brushed DC motors at up to 40 A continuous current. It offers an industry-standard R-C servo type (PWM) interface, and a Controller Area Network (CAN) interface. The high-frequency PWM enables DC motors to run smoothly and quietly over a wide speed range, according to the company. The CAN interface provides real-time monitoring of current, voltage, speed, and other parameters; configurability of module options, including tuning of motor control parameters, and the ability to load module firmware.

The module also features a status LED that indicates Run, Direction, and Fault conditions, along with control options and sensor interfaces including a motor brake/coast selector, forward and reverse limit switch inputs, analog inputs, and quadrature encoder interfaces. It uses optimized motion control software and a 32-bit Stellaris LM3S2616 microcontroller to implement multiple motion control algorithms, including open-loop speed control as well as closed-loop control of speed, position, or motor current. The module is enclosed in industrial plastic and cooled by a self-contained, temperature-controlled fan.

The RDK-BDC reference design kit ships with a Mabuchi 12 V Brush DC Motor and a separate CAN console, based on the EK-LM3S2965 CAN evaluation board, that demonstrates the ability to control and monitor the MDL-BDC real-time over the integrated CAN network. The RDK-BDC includes the cables needed to connect the components in the kit, a universal input wall power supply, a JTAG interface cable for debugging user code modifications to the MDL-BDC module, and a CD containing all the documentation and design information.