Luminary Micro Announces Availability of the Stellaris® CAN-enabled Brushed DC Motor Controller Module and Reference Design Kit |
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
Luminary Micro, Inc.
2499 South Capital of Texas Highway,Suite A-100
Austin, TX, 78746
USA
Press release date: November 13, 2008
MDL-BDC "Jaguar" designed for the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition now available worldwide
AUSTIN, TX, USA - November 13, 2008 - Luminary Micro, creators of the award-winning Stellaris® family of ARM® Cortex(TM)-M3-based microcontrollers (MCUs), today announced availability of the Brushed DC Motor Controller Module (MDL-BDC) and Reference Design Kit (RDK-BDC). Announced earlier this year as the next-generation motor speed controller in the 2009 FIRST Robotics Competition official Kit of Parts, the module and associated reference design kit are now available for purchase worldwide. Offered both as a volume production module and a complete, open-tooled reference design, the MDL-BDC module provides OEMs with the freedom to choose how to go to production: (1) through volume procurement and integration of the cost-effective MDL-BDC module unit, or (2) by using the complete MDL-BDC hardware and software design files and RDK-BDC reference design kit as a jump-start to a customer-tailored Stellaris-based design.
"Our Brush DC motor controller module has generated worldwide excitement in industrial market segments for the abrasive, high-contact environment that the module was designed to withstand," said Jean Anne Booth, Chief Marketing Officer at Luminary Micro. "Initially designed to meet the high reliability and ease-of-use requirements of the FIRST Robotics Competition, the MDL-BDC exemplifies Luminary Micro's unique ability to rapidly create and deliver new products based on our Stellaris technology to help solve our customers' problems."
MDL-BDC: Ready-to-run and Software-customizable Quiet Control of Brushed DC Motors The MDL-BDC provides variable speed control for 12 V brush DC motors at up to 40 A continuous current. It provides two options for motor speed control, an industry-standard R-C servo type (PWM) interface, and a Controller Area Network (CAN) interface. The CAN communications 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 a rich set of control options and sensor interfaces, including a motor brake/coast selector, forward and reverse limit switch inputs, analog inputs, and quadrature encoder interfaces. The high-frequency PWM on the MDL-BDC enables DC motors to run smoothly and quietly over a wide speed range. The module uses highly optimized motion control software and a powerful 32-bit Stellaris 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 securely enclosed in industrial plastic and is cooled by a self-contained, temperature-controlled fan.
The MDL-BDC is powered by the Stellaris LM3S2616 microcontroller featuring CAN and advanced motion control capabilities. The LM3S2616 microcontroller's robust combination of features, along with the efficient and deterministic performance of the ARM® Cortex(TM)-M3 core, positions the modules into a wide variety of consumer and industrial applications, including factory automation devices and systems, mobile robots, household appliances, pumping and ventilation systems, and electric wheelchairs and mobility devices.
RDK-BDC: Brushed DC Reference Design Kit Showcases Motion Control in a CAN Network Packaged to demonstrate the simultaneous motor control and connectivity capabilities of the MDL-BDC module, the RDK-BDC reference design kit ships with a Mabuchi 12V 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 also includes all 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.
Having It All: Rapid Time-To-Market and Cost-Effective Volume Production with Open-Tooled Solutions The Stellaris MDL-BDC module supports rapid time-to-market with cost-effective volume production price points. Luminary Micro supports very high volume applications by "open-tooling" each module: all the module design information is openly available, NRE- and royalty-free, for use and modification on any Stellaris-based design. Available module design information includes schematics, BOM, Gerber files, StellarisWare software source code, and documentation.
Pricing and Availability The Stellaris Brushed DC Motor Controller Module with CAN is available immediately through Luminary Micro's global sales channel (www.LuminaryMicro.com/sales) and online: * USD 109 Stellaris Brushed DC Motor Controller Module with CAN (MDL-BDC) (qty 1) (www.LuminaryMicro.com/products/mdl-bdc.html) * USD 219 Stellaris Brushed DC Motor Controller Module with CAN Reference Design Kit (RDK-BDC) (qty 1) (www.LuminaryMicro.com/products/rdk-bdc.html)
About Luminary Micro and Stellaris
Luminary Micro, Inc. designs, markets and sells ARM Cortex-M3-based microcontrollers (MCUs). Austin, Texas-based Luminary Micro is the lead partner for the Cortex-M3 processor, delivering the world's first silicon implementation of the Cortex-M3 processor. Luminary Micro's introduction of the award-winning Stellaris® family of products provides 32-bit performance for the same price as current 8- and 16-bit microcontroller designs, providing entry-level pricing at $1.00 for an ARM technology-based MCU. Stellaris mixed-signal microcontrollers contain specialized capabilities for applications in energy, security, and connectivity markets. With the world's largest selection of ARM-based microcontrollers, Luminary Micro's Stellaris family allows for standardization that eliminates future architectural upgrades or software tools changes.
Luminary Micro Company Contact: Jean Anne Booth CMO +1.512.917.3088 mobile +1.512.279.8801 office JeanAnne.Booth@LuminaryMicro.com
Luminary Micro, 108 Wild Basin Suite 350, Austin, TX 78746, USA PH: 512-279-8800
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