Experience of the use of ASIC methods in a motor control application

This paper describes experience in the use of ASIS design in the control of the speed and torque of a brushless DC motor. Considerable improvements in both system costs and performance can be achieved when compared with microprocessor based or discrete component designs, but the design methodology necessary to achieve a correct and reliable system leads to a long design cycle without prototype hardware. As part of this extended design process many of the activities normally carried out after the completion of a prototype (for example system tests) must be completed before device fabrication. Whilst this can be seen as a disadvantage by potential users, accurate system models in software form may be able to provide more information on the functioning of the systems in more extreme conditions, than would be possible with the actual hardware