Blog

CNC Fun: Powering up a Roland EGX-300 Desktop Engraver

shabaz — Sat, 02 Aug 2025 17:23:25 GMT

Introduction The Roland EGX-300 is an ancient (several decades old) CNC machine intended for applications such as engraving door signs. It cannot handle material larger than 305 x 230 mm. The machine has the footprint of a washing machine, and is abo...(read more)

Replacement alternative to an NTE263 power transistor

colporteur — Wed, 22 Feb 2023 00:24:53 GMT

I am in need of an NT 263 darlington-pair power transistor. The component is responsible for providing a variable output on a DC model train power pack. I have had limited success in finding something at a reasonable price for a Canadian. I...(read more)

Poll Seeking Feedback on the Information Provided on Semiconductors for Motor Drives

rscasny — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 18:10:00 GMT

I am seeking your feedback to determine how relevant the information provided on the following page is for an engineer. Here's the link. Semiconductors for Motor Drives Thank you In Advance Randall--element14 team (read more)

Benefits of Infineon's AURIX™︎ TC4x MCU's for automotive electric-electronic (E/E) architectures

Randy Scasny — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 20:32:00 GMT

The proliferation of connected vehicles has made them vulnerable to security challenges as it is hard to unite automotive and security systems in real-time. The automotive industry lacks the competence in software engineering to satisfy functional an...(read more)

Next-Generation Automotive Actuator and Sensor Microcontrollers

Randy Scasny — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 19:44:00 GMT

Actuators and Sensors are the crucial components for determining system performance. Systems in the automotive domain, such as power train applications, are prolific users of these devices. Sensors measure physical parameters such as temperature, flo...(read more)

Hello Motor!

mbrown — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 19:28:23 GMT

Precision. Motor. Control. Enter those three words into your favorite search engine and you'll be happy to see hundreds of promising results. Most claim to demonstrate some combination of low-cost hardware platform, ease-of-use, and precision. W...(read more)

Mitsubishi Releases FR-E800 Series Variable Frequency Drive

rscasny — Fri, 15 May 2020 22:17:26 GMT

Mitsubishi Electric Automation, Inc. released the newest addition to its lineup of variable frequency drives, the FR-E800 Series. The micro-drive features a built-in PLC, and will include safety functionality meeting IEC 61508 standards and support v...(read more)

ABB introduces ACS6080 drive with MP3C technology for high performance motor control

rscasny — Fri, 15 May 2020 22:05:32 GMT

ABB has expanded its drives offering to include the ACS6080 medium voltage (MV) drive for critical applications. The new drive introduces a breakthrough control technology, developed by ABB, that brings high performance motor control to demanding pro...(read more)

HighPowerMotorFeatherWing - a motor driver board for the JECCbot mini and other robots

bernhardmayer — Mon, 24 Feb 2020 20:49:21 GMT

Robot platforms like the Open Source Outdoor Robot platform JECCbot mini need a decent motor driver board. The requirements are quite standard and should be similar with every other robot platform: Requirements drive two motors with m...(read more)

Trinamic Stepper Motor Controller TMC2300 - C++ Custom Firmware Pt 3: Try to Replicate Evaluation Kit Conversation

Jan Cumps — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 18:59:09 GMT

Follow up from Pt 2: Wire Up and Comms Analysis: I don't have good news yet. Even though the data I send looks like the data I captured from the evaluation kit, I haven't been able to get an answer from the TMC2300.Because I've made ...(read more)

Trinamic Stepper Motor Controller TMC2300 - C++ Custom Firmware Pt 2: Wire Up and Comms Analysis

Jan Cumps — Sun, 16 Feb 2020 10:47:51 GMT

I'm road testing Trinamic TMC2300 EVAL KIT (2-PH Stepper Motor). It's their latest design that targets battery powered devices.In this post: part 2 of a custom program to control the driver over UART.This series of posts is an attempt to use the TMC2...(read more)

Trinamic Stepper Motor Controller TMC2300 - C++ Custom Firmware Pt 1: Datagram Classes

Jan Cumps — Sun, 09 Feb 2020 17:20:39 GMT

The firmware has drastically changed between this post and the next. I'm not updating what I've changed here, and left the firmware attached. For those interested, it can show the evolution of a design in progress.The biggest change is that w...(read more)

Trinamic Stepper Motor Controller TMC2300 - Evaluation Kit and IDE Functionality, basic functionality

Jan Cumps — Fri, 07 Feb 2020 14:01:04 GMT

I'm road testing Trinamic TMC2300 EVAL KIT (2-PH Stepper Motor). It's their latest design that targets battery powered devices.In this post: use the kit and software to evaluate the driver.This series of posts reviews the IDE functionality with the d...(read more)

Trinamic Stepper Motor Controller TMC2300 - UART Interface

Jan Cumps — Sun, 26 Jan 2020 17:25:14 GMT

I'm road testing Trinamic TMC2300 EVAL KIT (2-PH Stepper Motor). It's their latest design that targets battery powered devices.In this post: the UART protocol used to control the driver.This post reviews the lowest level of integration with the devic...(read more)

A Primer on Direct Torque Control

rscasny — Fri, 13 Sep 2019 22:43:19 GMT

Electric motors are often at the spearhead of modern production systems, whether in metal processing lines, robotic machining cells, or building and office automation systems. The motors we see today have certainly benefited from advances in electric...(read more)