A product dev team at a trailer parts company is exploring a new idea. They want to replace a traditional hydraulic mechanism with a small electric brushless motor mechanism. The current hydraulic method requires the driver to exit the vehicle to adjust force and sensitivity, which is annoying during long hauls and up and down mountainsides. With an electric version, the driver could have a control box inside the cab, providing greater dynamic control and fine adjustments while driving across various terrains.
The product needed two circuit boards. One is inside the control box inside the cab, and the other is inside the motor housing, with a cable in between that carries power and signals.
The cab controller needed knobs, switches, an LCD, different driver modes, etc. The motor control board must drive the brushless motor and provide diagnostic feedback such as motor current, speed, and faults.
The PCB prototype must also include Bluetooth communication for streaming live data to a laptop. The developers need to accompany truck drivers, adjust settings, and observe the performance changes. Bluetooth made it easy to switch between vehicles.
Once the product’s housing and motor were designed and approved by management, a group of mechanical engineers sought Henway’s expertise to make the circuit board. Below is the prototype of the brushless DC motor control board. Henway did the schematic design, PCB layout, built the prototypes in-house, and wrote the firmware.
If you need senior level EE designers to join your team and work on your circuit board designs, consider reaching out to Henway. You can visit our website or connect with me on LinkedIn to discuss your project.