Mosfet H-Bridge questions

Hi! I've few questions about Mosfet H-bridge.

  1. Does it matter if the current rating of N and P are different? for example N is 70A and P is 100A.

  2. Is it bad having Mosfet that's rated way too much than what the load needs. Ex. 6A stall motor with 70A H-bridge.

3.Can I parallel Two H-bridges? Connect the Outputs together and also the Inputs to the Base for Higher Current.

I read a lot that's its hard to build a Mosfet H-bridge, Why would this be harder than any H-bridges when all I have to do is
copy someone else already working H-bridge/Schematics? Hope you guys understand my English lol. Thanks!

I read a lot that's its hard to build a Mosfet H-bridge, Why would this be harder than any H-bridges when all I have to do is
copy someone else already working H-bridge/Schematics?

First you have to find an actual working H-bridge schematic. Below is an interesting read on a DIY H-bridge.

http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=53425.0

  • 1: if you are going for those kind of currents i'd recommend using low side/high side driver IC's with deadband insertion. Then you use he same MOSFETS for borh the low side and the high side. The high side is driven by a bootstrap capacitor There is some more info here:
    G5 HVIC: Next Generation HVIC Platform

  • 2: No, they just cost more

  • 3: Not recommanded because the deadtime can differ and cause shoot-through

Building a h-bridge requires some understanding of its inner workings (bootstrapping, deadtime etc) It also requires that you have a well grounded understanding of electrical circuits and electronics in order to make assessments on losses, conductor area etc. For the first time builder i would not encourage a completely discrete design but as stated before the use of a dedicated driver IC.

Tamulmol:

  1. Does it matter if the current rating of N and P are different? for example N is 70A and P is 100A.

In general, no - just don't exceed the current of the lowest rated device, and you'll be ok.

That said - when sizing MOSFETs for an h-bridge, I've always read to vastly oversize them - that is, you need to control a motor that pulls 25 amps, use a MOSFET rated for 75 or 100 amps (that is, 3 or 4 times more). More on this in a bit...

Tamulmol:
2. Is it bad having Mosfet that's rated way too much than what the load needs. Ex. 6A stall motor with 70A H-bridge.

It shouldn't be; while you shouldn't leave the motor stalled (it can cause bad things to happen to the motor, especially in the case where the bridge can supply the current easily) - if the bridge is oversized for the motor, it will be able to happily sit there supplying current.

Tamulmol:
3.Can I parallel Two H-bridges? Connect the Outputs together and also the Inputs to the Base for Higher Current.

In general, you can parallel a MOSFET-based h-bridge - but not a bipolar transistor h-bridge; in practice, it is possible to do -some- paralleling with bipolar transistors, provided that certain protection measures are put in place - but you really should avoid it.

Regarding again #1 above - this is how in a MOSFET-based h-bridge you can design for a larger current load; just double/triple up on your MOSFETs; you can place them together, and bolt them to the same heat-sink. I've seen this done in a Roboteq h-bridge I own...

Also - you speak of "bases" and "outputs" - MOSFETs don't have "bases" - they have "gates", "drains", and "sources" (vs the bipolar nomenclature of "bases", "emitters", and "collectors").

Tamulmol:
I read a lot that's its hard to build a Mosfet H-bridge,

It's a bit easier to build an h-bridge using P and N-channel devices; doing so with strictly N-channel devices, without the proper means of driving the high-side MOSFETs - can lead to much excitement and money lost in smoked parts. Also, even when you do get a working bridge built, there's no guarantee that it will survive long term while under a real load (or application).

Even using combinations of P and N-channel devices can lead to an inefficient bridge; it might work for a small motor, but blow up on a larger motor. H-bridge design can be a very challenging endeavour, which is why most people recommend purchasing vs building such a bridge, especially one for high-current.

Tamulmol:
Why would this be harder than any H-bridges when all I have to do is copy someone else already working H-bridge/Schematics?

As noted, the problem is in finding a working h-bridge; there are a ton of bad schematics and designs out there.

One other possibility for an h-bridge you may or may not have considered, and that is a so-called "hybrid" design.

Basically, you use a couple of SPDT relays to act as the h-bridge (current flow direction control); they can be controlled using MOSFETs as well. Then, on the low-side (between the bridge and ground) you put in your suitably sized N-channel MOSFET.

Switch direction with the relays, change the speed using the MOSFET on the low-side; the only thing you can easily do is braking, and you also can only change direction with the PWM is zero. This is because by changing the direction with the relays while PWM is engaged can cause arcing and welding of the relay contacts (at best accelerating their aging, at worst damaging the parts).

Thanks all for answering all my Questions! :slight_smile: Based on your replies, I think im just going to buy for bigger motors and build my own for cheap motors.

Tamulmol:
Hi! I've few questions about Mosfet H-bridge.

  1. Does it matter if the current rating of N and P are different? for example N is 70A and P is 100A.

You would never design any MOSFET circuit based on the current limit, you use the on-resistance to estimate power dissipation. If you ever get close to the maximum current
you'll be needing water-cooling and large blocks of copper.... Matching Rds(on) values is
the ideal, but p-channel devices generally have 3 times the on-resistance due to hole-mobility
in silicon...

  1. Is it bad having Mosfet that's rated way too much than what the load needs. Ex. 6A stall motor with 70A H-bridge.

Its not bad, its wise - you want some overhead capability if you don't want exploding
MOSFETs on current spikes. As I said you design from the Rds(on)...

3.Can I parallel Two H-bridges? Connect the Outputs together and also the Inputs to the Base for Higher Current.

I read a lot that's its hard to build a Mosfet H-bridge, Why would this be harder than any H-bridges when all I have to do is
copy someone else already working H-bridge/Schematics? Hope you guys understand my English lol. Thanks!

Its not hard per se, its just that it gets harder as the current increases and a lot harder as
the voltage increases. You need protection circuitry that works, you need to understand
the capacitive feedback inside MOSFETs and design so that dV/dt currents don't overload
your gate driver and blow the gate oxide. You need to understand stray inductance so
that the circuit layout doesn't allow the source voltage to bounce too far below ground
(which again can blow the gate oxide).

A 12V 5A bridge isn't too scary, but say 50V 50A and its a different game (there's kilowatts
of power available to destroy things if you get it wrong).

All big H-bridges are n-channel only BTW.