World’s First 60W Single-Coil Sensorless BLDC Driver

Melexis in Belgium has developed the world’s first 24V/60W sensorless single-coil BLDC driver specifically designed for motor, fan and pump applications.

The MLX90416 sensorless single-coil BLDC driver is aimed at both consumer electronics and industrial designs. Many electric fans, air purifiers, vacuum cleaners, water pumps and ventilation systems use 3-phase BLDC motors with a driver IC or an AC induction motor.

The MLX90416 simplifies motor design and manufacturing processes without the need for a feedback sensor and instead uses an integrated drive and feedback algorithm (BEMF), which provides quiet and vibration-free operation similar to that provided by 3-phase drivers. 

This enables designers to relocate the BLDC driver outside of the fan body, independently from the magnet. This then allows a single PCB to be used across multiple fan diameters, eliminating the need for redesign and resulting in a substantial reduction in manufacturing complexities, design efforts, and Bill of Material (BoM) costs.

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The MLX90416 incorporates everything needed to drive 24V fans with a peak operating power of 60W. It features plug-and-play, code-free setup, supported by a user-friendly GUI for seamless configuration, allowing for rapid deployment and adaptability across various applications. The driver offers support for bi-directional operation and features an advanced 8-point configurable speed curve. This functionality allows for precise tuning to address resonance and vibration concerns, something not possible with fixed-curve solutions.

The MLX90416 provides PWM and FM modulation control, with I2C compatibility to further enhance its versatility. The integration provides higher reliability versus discrete sensorless solution, as well as reduced design efforts and packaging considerations.

“Melexis has a rich history with single-coil designs with our first product hitting the market in 1993. Now, over 30 years later, we are still leading the way with the MLX90416,” stated Xuanhong Ou, Regional Marketing Manager at Melexis. “This product brings real value to our customers, helping them to reduce development efforts and costs, while increasing the intelligence and digitization of their designs to the end-users’ benefit.”

The MLX90416 is available now in a tiny DFN-10 package.