Hello,
I'm looking for some hints and guidelines on a brushless DC motor control project.
+The device will control one or more brushless DC motors up to 48V as a motor voltage.
+User interface will be USB and Ethernet.
Which are the best Arduino boards and shields for this project?
I'm familiar with Arduino DUE. But what about the MKR family?
Brushless DC motors often have a controller.
Recommendations for a controller would require better information about the motor.
Do you have a link to the motor you are going to use?
Some brushless motors, like those used in the radio control aircraft hobby, use an ESC which the arduino connects to using the servo library.
Sensorless BLDC motors require electrical commutation typically done with 6 FETs and Analog readings on the 3 legs of the windings. There are many "hobby" BLDC controllers out there that have a typical "servo" PWM interface that would only require setting the duty cycle of a timer output to control the speed of the motor. If you only need to run the motor in one direction, look and R/C airplane controllers, if you need forwards/backwards, look at R/C car controllers.
If you have a sensored BLDC, less common, you read the state of the sensors and apply power to windings again with 6 FETs. These are easier to control since the sensors basically tell you what transistors to activate. In a sensorless motor, the controller needs to "figure" out where the motor is by activating the legs briefly before it can start it up.
The control algorithms are somewhat complex (startup issues, PWM frequency, efficiency, etc...), so unless you are interested in developing this algorithm, buying an off the shelf controller would be the way to go. Then you can just use the servo libraries to control it.
Castle Creations make a wide variety of controllers and you can find used ones on the R/C modeling sites (e.g., R/C Groups.com). If cost is an issue, HobbyKing and other knockoff sites have decent controllers at a fair price. 48V is pretty high, so if you go the R/C route look for controllers rated at "12S" (12 LiPo Batterys in Series x 4V/cell ~ 48V) or higher. CastleCreations makes controllers that can handle this.
The Arduino motor shield only has an H-bridge driver (4 FETs), so it will not be able to drive a BLDC motor.
Hi,
thanks to vinceherman and tnjyoung.
I'll consider your informations in my research.
Regards