The development of electronic devices goes in several directions: reduction of dimensions, improvement of their manufacturing technology, the emergence of innovative design solutions, etc. All these directions are in good agreement with the intended use of equipment in various fields. Over time, circuit solutions and new technologies appear that improve the performance of electronic equipment. One of these devices can rightfully be called a PWM controller. This is a small-sized device, which is mainly used in power supplies of various capacities. It implements a voltage conversion method and works great both in various household appliances and in production.
Modern PWM controller has high speed and is used, for example, in switching power supplies. The principle of its operation is quite simple, it converts a constant voltage into rectangular pulses of a certain duty cycle and frequency. These pulses drive a powerful transistor-based output module. This allows using a simple circuit to obtain an adjustable voltage source. This is important for electronic equipment, where the dimensions arefundamental importance. The PWM controller made it possible to create compact electronic devices: laptops, computers, TVs, etc.
With it, you can implement various circuit solutions for controlling the speed of the electric drive. Feedback in this case can be carried out according to various parameters - current or voltage, which reflect the state of the control object. It can be linear or angular speed, motor emf, temperature sensor signal, etc. Depending on the situation and the command signal, the PWM controller will increase or decrease the speed of the motor. A good example of using this device in production is a frequency converter.
In household equipment, the TL494 PWM controller is most often used, which has proven itself well in operation. The microcircuit has a built-in frequency generator. This gives it a certain independence from external signals. One- or two-stroke mode of operation allows you to simultaneously receive direct and inverse signals at the output, which can be used for further conversion. In general, its operation is optimized for use in switching power supplies. The number of inputs / outputs meets the requirements of already developed circuits using it.
Besides standard circuits, PWM controllers are heavily used in the design of innovative devices. Some of them, most likely, will soon begin to be applied on an industrial scale. With their help, it is easy to assemble a control scheme thatcan work in a variety of areas.
With the development of manufacturing technology for these devices, we can say that over time, compact high-speed devices will appear that implement the above-described principle of operation. This will allow the development of controllers with good characteristics. Such devices may well compete with their analog or digital “rivals” and be used in electric drive control circuits.
