open-bldc

This project aims to create a fully open-source Brushless Drive Controller.

Where is the hardware

The hardware design files got split into a separate repository on github called open-bldc-hardware.

Current design

The current design uses an STM32 microcontroller, Allegro halsensor based current sensors, IRS2101 bridge drivers. This combination will allow:

• Vectorfield control for smooth and very exact torque and speed control
• N-Mosfet only powerstage design to increase efficiency
• Many different interfaces (PPM, I2C, CAN, USART, USB) for interfacing

Targetted features

• 3/4C LiPo cell support
• 20A constant power output or more
• Active freewheeling
• Adjustable timings
• Active break with power pushback to the batteries?
• Different interfaces:
  ** PPM
  ** Serial
  ** I2C
  ** CAN
• As small as possible; current design is 60x26mm (may and probably will change in the future)
• Software license: GPL, version 3 or later
• Hardware license: CC-BY-SA 3.0
• Rotation speed controller
• Detatchable powerstage
• Vector control support
• Hall sensor support

Inspiration references

Some application notes were consulted while designing the circuits of the drive conntrollers:

http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc7518.pdf http://www.atmel.com/dyn/resources/prod_documents/doc7658.pdf

Also some inspiration was taken from the brushless controllers designed by Holger Buss for the Mikrokopter project (http://www.mikrokopter.de). But the design is constantly changing and moving away from designs that were considered as inspirations quickly.

For more information take a look at http://open-bldc.org. A lot of progress reports are posted on http://www.esden.net, so this page may be worth a look too.

Licensing

All sourcecode is licensed under GPL version 3 or later, all circuitry designs and pcb layouts are available as original source files and licensed under CreativeCommons BY-SA 3.0.

Feel free to use everything here as you wish! :)