Repository

What?

This is a starter page for hardware project for a DC motor driver (stuff that makes them spin). The final product should be an electronic printed circuit board (PCB) that is possible to make with hobbyist skills and resources.

Why?

there are 3 pieces of integrated circuit DRV8432DKD and some lonely maxton motors available
since everything is integrated and packed, should be piece of cake, right? ;)

How?

read [manuals and datasheets]
use KiCAD or Eagle for schematics and layout

Prerequisities to understand this

understand what is transistor, RCL devices, PWM, H-bridge, DC motor
why you can't simply drive your motor directly with a pin of your favourite uC :)

Prerequisities to be able to build this

skilled in PCB etching for SMDs
skilled in surface mount devices soldering

Prerequisities to be able to use this

have a controller with enough Input/Output ports (e.g. Launchpads MSP430, AVR, Arduino)

Done

16th Feb 2013
- started a project in CADSoft's Eagle (5.7.0 Light version)
- created a library for integrated circuit "DRV8432DKD" according to its datesheet
- started a schematics according to reference schematic from datasheet
- placed on GitHub [1]

TODO

find out how current flow direction can be controlled
try to layout the current schematics
replace RCL parts with SMD versions
make the power stage part of PCB suitable for high currents
fix many errors in schematics
- 12V gate driving power sources are annotated wrong

...

Conclusions so far

Images

later