Bipolar Stepper or Dual DC-Motor Driver Requires Little Support

The A3916 low-voltage, bipolar stepper or dual dc-motor driver IC is designed for pulse-width-modulated (PWM) control of low-voltage stepper motors or dual DC motors and is capable of output currents up to 1A per channel.

Operating voltages span from 2.7V to 15V. The device integrates all motor control including a fixed off-time PWM regulator that sets a peak current in motor winding based on the selection of a low value a current sense resistor. A single supply eliminates the need for external LDO and an integrated charge pump requires only one external capacitor. Output diagnostic is provided by an active low fault output that notifies the user of a TSD or overcurrent protection event.

Two package options are offered, a low-profile 3 × 3 mm 16-terminal QFN (suffix “ES”) and a drop-in replacement for the A3916 in a low-profile 4 × 4 mm 20-terminal QFN (suffixes “ES, -1”), both products have an exposed power tab for enhanced thermal dissipation. The ES package option is priced at $0.47 and the ES-1 package option is priced at $0.51 each/1,000.