STMicroelectronics B-G431B-ESC1 Discovery Kit

STMicroelectronics B-G431B-ESC1 Discovery Kit is based on the STM32G431CB microcontroller, the L6387 driver, and STL180N6F7 power MOSFETs. The kit comprises the main power board and a daughterboard with embedded ST-LINK/V2-1. It is an electronic speed controller (ESC) that drives a single 3-phase brushless motor (BLDC/PMSM). It performs a sensorless FOC algorithm and 6-step control with speed regulation and an active braking function algorithm. STMicroelectronics sensorless FOC algorithm ensures longer flight times and optimal dynamic performance. This unit accepts a command signal from an external unit for driving and monitoring, for instance, a flight control board or equivalent. For this purpose, several communication bus interfaces (UART, CAN, PWM channel) are present. A potentiometer and a user button are available for user applications. The daughterboard includes a 5V battery eliminator circuit (BEC) and the main board embeds an overcurrent/overvoltage and thermal protection circuit. The form factor makes it suitable for small and very light R/C vehicles (FPV race drone) and the motor current capability fits the power requirement of big vehicles like a prosumer drone.

Features

Full reference design for electronic speed controller capable of both sensorless FOC and 6-step algorithm
Designed for drones with up to 6S LiPo battery pack or equivalent suitable DC supply
3-phase driver board for BLDC/PMSM motors with discrete N-channel 60V, 120A STripFET F7 power MOSFETs
STM32G431CB Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit MCU, 213 DMIPS, 128Kbytes of Flash memory, 32Kbytes of SRAM, analog rich, math accelerator
Onboard ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/programmer detachable from the mainboard
40A output peak motor current (maximum peak current tested with a propeller to have air-forced cooling)
Designed with SMD ceramic capacitors with a very low profile
BEC available through the daughterboard (5V for external board supply, for example, a flight control board)
Support for motor sensors (Hall or encoder)
Supported by software kit with motor profiler
3-shunt mode supported for motor current sensing

L6387 high-voltage high- and low-side driver with integrated interlocking function
Overcurrent and overvoltage protection feature (OCP/OVP)
Thermal measuring and overheating protection with NTC on board
ESC ready for communication with any standard flight control unit (FCU): PWM/CAN/UART
Potentiometer and user button available on the daughterboard
Two user LEDs: one green LED for 3.3V level, and one red LED configurable by the user
Target applications: motor driving for R/C vehicles, UAV drone, electric car or boat
PCB type and size
- FR-4 PCB material
- 8-layer layout
- Dimensions (including the daughterboard with ST-LINK part): 30mm×41mm
- Weight (including the daughterboard with ST-LINK part): 9.2g
RoHS compliant