Microsemi Corporation announced it is sampling the LX7720 radiation-tolerant motor controller, the newest member of its Space System Manager (SSM) product family. As the industry's first highly integrated radiation-tolerant motor control integrated circuit (IC), the LX7720 significantly reduces weight and board space relative to conventional discrete motor control circuits, offering a unique solution for satellite manufacturers sensitive to area and weight challenges.
Microsemi's SSM product family of special purpose mixed signal devices leverages the company's more than 50 years of space heritage and provides its customers with innovative space system solutions solving application-specific challenges.
As the second member of the SSM family, joining the previously announced LX7730 radiation-tolerant telemetry controller IC, the new LX7720 works with a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and complements Microsemi's other components specifically designed for the demanding space market.
The LX7720 has already been adopted by customers to enable various motor control applications in space robotics and human-rated space programs. Additional target applications for the device include motor driver servo control, linear actuator servo control and driving stepper, brushless direct current (BLDC), and permanent-magnet synchronous (PMSM) motors.
These motors can be found on satellite busses (solar panel deployment and driving reaction wheels), on spacecraft payload instruments (multi-axis pointing mechanisms for antennas and laser terminals; precise motion control of lenses, filters, and mirrors), and in robotics applications (pressure-sensitive motion control).
