Development of Brushless D.C. Motor Drive System for Teaching Purposes Using Various PWM Control Techniques

Abstract

In this paper, a test bench was developed for teaching purposes to enhance power electronics and real time control of a brushless d.c. motor. Particular emphasis was placed on PWM techniques and theoretical signal generation using a MATLAB/Simulink environment and experimentally with a DSP programming kit. First, a model was developed in MATLAB/Simulink derived from electrical and mechanical equations for the 120° mode. The control strategies implemented involved two PWM techniques, namely soft and hard switching. The system was built in such a way that students are able to carry out modelling and confirm their results through the test bench using these techniques. The approach used has been effective in generating student satisfaction. Improvements in student learning are evident with regard to the drive control applications, either as a variable speed drive or in embedded systems.