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Privacy PolicyThe motorBench® Development Suite is a GUI-based software development tool for Field-Oriented Control (FOC) that accurately measures critical motor parameters, automatically tunes feedback control gains and generates source code for an MPLAB® X IDE project by utilizing the Motor Control Application Framework (MCAF). This graphical, interactive development environment helps motor control embedded engineers save time in starting up and running new motors with no load or a constant load, especially when the motor parameters are unknown. The motorBench Development Suite is a library used with MPLAB Configurator (MCC), a plug-in for MPLAB X IDE.
The user interface takes you step by step through the project with context-sensitive help files at your fingertips within the tool. With motorBench Development Suite, you can:
- Select between start-up methods, rotor position feedback options and additional control features supported by the MCAF
- Measure and report the electrical parameters for the motor and the mechanical parameters for the system
- Quickly get stable Proportional Integral (PI) control loop gains for velocity, flux and torque
- See how the control loop gains affect the system through Bode plots
- Generate code straight into an MPLAB X IDE project to spin the motor
- Refer to the integrated help files to guide you through each step
Version 2.45 of motorBench Development Suite and MCAF R7 introduce the following major new features:
- MCC Melody support for the dsPIC33CK family to automatically configure the dsPIC® Digital Signal Controller (DSC) pins and peripherals for the selected device and board
- Single-channel current measurement (single-shunt) available on dsPIC33CK devices
- Triple-channel current measurement (triple-shunt)
- Zero-Speed/Maximum-Torque (ZS/MT) estimator that accurately determines the rotor position at start-up, standstill and at slow speeds to maximize the motor torque output
- Dynamic current limiting that supports momentary overload and improves torque response
- Alternate outer control loop with voltage or speed control options
- Closed-loop stopping that ramps down the speed at a safe rate to prevent circuit damage
- New methods for Motion Control API (MCAPI)
- Support for on-chip (internal) dsPIC DSC op amps, which saves cost and improves control loop performance
motorBench supports the following development boards:
- dsPICDEM™ MCLV-2 Development Board (DM330021-2)
- dsPICDEM MCHV-2 (DM330023-2) or dsPICDEM MCHV-3 (DM330023-3) Development Board
- dsPIC33CK Low-Voltage Motor Control (LVMC) Development Board (DM330031)
- MCS MCLV-48V-300W Development Board (EV18H47A)
The following PIMs are supported by the dsPICDEM™ MCLV-2 Development Board (DM330021-2) and dsPICDEM MCHV-2 (DM330023-2) or dsPICDEM MCHV-3 (DM330023-3) Development Board:
- dsPIC33EP256MC506 External Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA330031-2)
- dsPIC33CK64MC105 External Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA350051-1)
- dsPIC33CK64MC105 Internal Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA330051-2)
- dsPIC33CK64MP105 External Op Amp Motor Control PIM MA330050-1)
- dsPIC33CK64MP105 Internal Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA330050-2)
- dsPIC33CK256MP508 External Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA330041-1)
- dsPIC33CK256MP508 Internal Op Amp Motor Control PIM (MA330041-2)
The following DIMs are supported by the MCS MCLV-48V-300W Development Board (EV18H47A):
The following are supported reference motors available from Microchip:
Getting Started
The following instructions outline the installation procedure for motorBench® Development Suite:
- Verify that your Internet connection is stable.
- Open MPLAB X IDE.
- Launch MCC, select MCC Melody and click “Finished”.
- Open the Content Manager. MCC will automatically attempt to download a copy of motorBench® Development Suite v2.45.0.
- Expand the library group to verify that v2.45.0 shows up in the drop-down menu for motorBench® Development Suite.
If the Content Manager fails to download and install v2.45.0 automatically, follow the manual procedure.
- Download a copy of the motorBench® Development Suite v2.45.0 library file.
- Open MPLAB X IDE.
- Go to “Tools”, “Options”, then “Plugins” and use the “Install library” button to manually install v2.45.0.
- Log in to your myMicrochip account.
- Click on "Registered Development Tools" in the left side panel.
3. Click on "Register MPLAB X IDE Plugins"
4. Select motorBench Development Suite in the drop-down menu for part number.
5. This will register your plugin and allow you to use motorBench Development Suite, even after the trial period ends.
6. To view your registration at any point of time, you can click on "List of Plug-ins" at step 3.
This framework contains the application firmware for motor control on dsPIC® DSC devices. MCAF is integrated into the motorBench® Development Suite and consists of files used to generate the code into the desired MPLAB X IDE project, including a Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL).
For more information, refer to the Motor Control Application Framework User's Guide and Motor Control Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) files.
- v2.45
- v2.35
- v2.25
- v2.15
- v2.0
- v1.15
Release Notes for motorBench Development Suite v2.45
This document contains information about new features, system requirements, installation, limitations, and known issues.
motorBench Development Suite v2.45 User's Guide
This document describes how to setup hardware, configure, and operate motorBench® Development Suite as well as aid in troubleshooting issues with motors.
Motor Control Application Framework User's Guide
This document covers code generated by motorBench Development Suite, including the overall architecture, a description of firmware components, and detailed algorithm notes.
Sample MPLAB X IDE Projects for motorBench Development Suite 2.45
These sample MPLAB X IDE project files can be used with the motorBench Development Suite plug-in.
Using MCLV-2 with motorBench Development Suite to Support Alternative Current and/or Voltage Ratings
Guidelines for using the dsPICDEM MCLV-2 Development Board with motorBench Development Suite when there are hardware modifications to alter current or voltage ratings
Range Limits of Motor Parameters and Metrics: MCLV-2
Analysis of the supported ranges of motor parameters for use in motorBench Development Suite with the dsPICDEM MCLV-2 Development Board.
Range Limits of Motor Parameters and Metrics: MCHV-2 and MCHV-3
Analysis of the supported ranges of motor parameters for use in motorBench Development Suite with the dsPICDEM MCHV-2 and MCHV-3 Development Boards
Motor Self-Commissioning Description
Basic description of the motor self-commissioning that is performed by motorBench Development Suite.
motorBench Development Suite Training
This free Microchip University class introduces the motorBench Development Suite and demonstrates how it can help you save time in starting up and running new motors, especially when its parameters are unknown.
