I am working on a BLDC motor 6-step (trapezoidal) control using a NUCLEO-G474RE controller board and NUCLEO-IHM07M1 (L6230) power board with a 48V supply.
Below is my phase activation for one commutation step:
__HAL_TIM_SET_COMPARE(&htim1, TIM_CHANNEL_1, curr_duty);
__HAL_TIM_SET_COMPARE(&htim1, TIM_CHANNEL_2, 0);
__HAL_TIM_SET_COMPARE(&htim1, TIM_CHANNEL_3, 0);
HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOC, GPIO_PIN_10, SET); // UL Enable
HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOC, GPIO_PIN_11, SET); // VL Enable
HAL_GPIO_WritePin(GPIOC, GPIO_PIN_12, RESET); // WL Disable
Problem
The L6230 gate driver IC overheats quickly, even though I am running only an open-loop 6-step sequence.
My Parameters
Switching frequency: 9 kHz (tested from 8 kHz up to 50 kHz)
PWM duty cycle: ramping from 10% → 40%
Step duration: ramping down from 60 ms → 20 ms
What I Have Tried
Changing commutation step duration (15 ms → 60 ms)
Slower and faster duty-cycle ramp
Changing PWM switching frequency
Verified PWM compare values and GPIO logic for each step
Symptoms
Even at ≤ 20% duty, the L6230 driver gets noticeably hot within a short time.
Questions
Is there any issue with my 6-step commutation logic for the IHM07M1?
Does the L6230 require a specific PWM strategy (e.g., high-side PWM vs low-side PWM)?
Could mis-timed enable/disable of the high-side and low-side MOSFETs cause shoot-through, resulting in heating?
Has anyone successfully implemented 6-step open-loop control on this board with a similar setup?
What are the possible reasons for the L6230 driver to overheat even at low duty cycles and moderate load?
Any suggestions or insights will be greatly appreciated. I want to ensure the commutation sequence and PWM method are correct to avoid stressing the L6230 driver.
