Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced a family of three new highly integrated brushed DC motor controllers. The DRV8871 is a brushed-DC motor driver with built-in current sense and H-bridge driver circuit using N-channel power MOSFETs. Its 4.9 x 6.0 mm 8-pin HSOP outline and 3.6 A peak drive current will make it a good choice for many DC motor drive applications where space is at a premium. TI suggest multifunction printers, appliances and industrial machines as possible areas of application but their built-in features also make them attractive as traction drive controllers for small robots. The inputs can be pulse-width modulated (PWM) to control motor speed, using a choice of current-decay modes. Setting both inputs low enters a low-power sleep mode.

The DRV8871 uses a standard low-cost, low-power external resistor to set the current threshold. The ability to limit current to a known level can significantly reduce the system power requirements and bulk capacitance needed to maintain stable voltage, especially for motor startup and stall conditions. The device is fully protected from faults and short circuits, including under-voltage (UVLO), over-current (OCP), and over-temperature (TSD). When the fault condition is removed, the device automatically resumes normal operation.

The type DRV8870 controller features integrated regulation to limit current to an external current-sense resistor while the DRV8872 incorporates fault monitoring mechanisms to provide better system reliability.

Key features of the DRV8871:

• H-Bridge motor driver
o Drives one DC motor, one winding of a stepper motor or other loads
• Wide 6.5 V to 45 V operating voltage
• 565 mΩ typical RDS(on) (HS + LS)
• 3.6 A peak current drive
• PWM control interface
• Current regulation without a sense resistor
• Low-power sleep mode
• Small package and footprint
o 8-Pin HSOP with PowerPAD
o 4.9 × 6.0 mm

• Integrated Protection Features

o VM undervoltage lockout (UVLO)
o Overcurrent protection (OCP)
o Thermal shutdown (TSD)
o Automatic fault recovery

The 8-pin DRV8871 family is available in a 4.9 x 6.0 mm thermally enhanced small outline package (HSOP). Pricing in 1,000-unit quantities starts at US$1.40 for the DRV8871 and US$1.28 for the DRV8870 and DRV8872.