Chapter 29 – Other Actuators

The final chapter covers other common actuators in mechatronics, including solenoids, voice coil actuators, RC servos, stepper motors, and brushless DC motors (BLDCs). With the background of brushed permanent magnet DC motors developed earlier, the presentation of these actuators is simplified. The chapter concludes with PIC32 sample code for driving a BLDC with the assistance of a three-phase motor driver chip. The sample code covers two cases: BLDC commutation using Hall effect sensor feedback, and driving a BLDC at desired angular velocities by using open-loop commutation without Hall effect sensor feedback, exploiting the motor’s tendency to synchronize with the driving.