MOSFET body diodes

Oct 24, 2005 28 Replies

In article , Mike Young wrote: [....]

As others have said, it is the result of how the part is made.

In your case, the simple freewheeling diode should not be used. You need bidirectional control.

OR: You need to give up on this single wheel idea and just add another wheel and handle bars.

[....]

Unless the surface this is operating on is smooth and fairly level, you will need to be able to make pulses of power much greater than the average running power. You are going to have to have a higher voltage, bigger motor and bigger MOSFETs than you may at first suspect. The pulses of power are short enough that the heat sinking requirements are not so bad.

Your H bridge needs to be able to go to 4 states: "forwards", "backwards", "open" and "short".

When the bridge goes to the "open" state, the diodes across the MOSFETs will conduct briefly as the current in the motor comes to a stop.

In the "short" state turns on, lets say, both bottom transistors. This shorts out the terminals of the motor. This will create a strong braking effect. In many situations, pulsing this braking effect will be a better way to slow down than reversing the motor.

You also should place a small inductance in series with the motor. The iron in a DC motor isn't very good at high frequencies. Any high frequency power that goes to the motor will just end up as extra heat.

-- kensmith@rahul.net forging knowledge

"Mike Young"

** Mike - why did you snip the question out of sight ???????????

That is a usenet hanging offence in my book.

** Which does not answer the damn question.

You alluded to "diagrams" ??????

But will now not say what they were for .

H - bridge ??

Drive with dynamic breaking??

Simple forward drive ??

How asinine of you.

........ Phil

did you see the paper in IEEE trans. industry applications, where some guys did just that? within the last 2 years

yeah, I'd buy that. I just recalled Win mentioning the sub-ns snap-off....

nice. any ref's?

"Mike Young" Phil Allison

** Simple, forward only PWM drive.

In that case there is no reverse current in the switch.

As another posted already pointed out, the "freewheeling " diode connects across the motor, not the mosfet.

Seems to me this is the type of PWM you need for a scooter.

Maybe you would like to spell out the requirements for a "segway" ???

........ Phil

not PICs, and it was about 3 feet high. The control algorithms are fairly complex AIUI.

I once saw a nice video of an inverted pendulum with a mouse in a cage as a dynamic load. PID controller....

Cheers Terry

"Mike Young"

** The body diode in a power mosfet is inherent in the structure.

Pure bloody bad luck if you do not want it.

** I had a suspicion that was the case.

A "freewheeling diode" keeps current flowing steadily in the motor when the PWM switch is off. Provided a reasonably high frequency is used ( ie

1kHz to 10 kHz) motor current is steady at all speed settings with only small ripple at the PWM rate. Ideally the diodes used are Schottky types for low on losses.

A permanent magnet motor will behave as if it is being fed varying, regulated DC voltage - smooth speed control results particularly at low rpms and with varying loads.

The motor still sees sharp ( full DC supply) voltage steps and this overcomes contact resistance in the commutator and helps defeat stiction.

** Good luck.

......... Phil

OK. A few turns around a powdered iron toroid, then?

There are also small shunt caps on the motor. Not the same thing?

In article , Mike Young wrote: [...]

Brush motors tend to make high frequency noise. The capacitors are intended to keep the RF from getting out.

If there are capacitors involved, the small inductors are even more important.

-- kensmith@rahul.net forging knowledge

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