OREANDA-NEWS. June 08, 2011. Fujitsu Semiconductor America (FSA), a global leader in microcontroller design and development, has developed a new webcast focused on motor control applications, design requirements, and the selection of the optimal controller solution for the new generation of home appliances, consumer electronics products, and other systems.

The webcast is available now on Electronic Engineering Times at
http://www.eetimes.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/courses/4215185/Intelligent-Motor-Control-with-the-Fujitsu-FM3-Family-of-ARM-Cortex-M3-Microcontrollers.

It describes the basics of electric motor control and the current emphasis on technologies that combine maximum performance with minimum environmental impact.

The webcast also reviews the industry's move from motors driven at a constant speed directly from the AC line to sophisticated motor-control electronics and algorithms that precisely control motor speed and optimize torque to conserve energy. For example, precise speed control allows washing machines to use less water, conserving both water and the energy needed to heat it. Speed control means that washing machines can spin loads faster and remove more water, significantly reducing the energy used in the drying process.

The webcast reviews how innovation and integration of microcontroller architectures enable developers to improve motor precision, performance, power efficiency, and motor longevity by using complex, intelligent motor types and control mechanisms. The focus is on advanced motor types, including AC Induction, Brushless DC (BLDC) and Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors. The integrated features of the new Fujitsu FM3 family of 32-bit general purpose microcontrollers (MCUs), which has been developed to optimize real-time performance and efficiency through intelligent motor control techniques, is described.

Also included is a detailed discussion of different motors and control schemes, including methods for controlling BLDC motors and others. A comprehensive table with control methods is included, with details on specific peripherals that can be incorporated into controllers to optimize motor performance. Engineers can find a complete analysis about how to select the best MCU for their performance requirements, along with a review of the Fujitsu FM3 series of MCUs.