EPC’s GaN Power ICs Enable a New Era of Robotic Agility

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation announces the launch of the EPC91120, a high-performance 3-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive inverter optimized for humanoid robot joints. Featuring EPC’s EPC23102 ePower™ Stage IC, the EPC91120 delivers superior efficiency, high power density, and precise motion control in a compact 32 mm-diameter footprint designed to integrate directly within robotic motor assemblies.

The EPC91120 evaluation board integrates three EPC23102 GaN monolithic half-bridge ICs with an on-board microcontroller, current and voltage sensing, magnetic encoder interface, and RS-485 communication. The system operates from 15 V to 55 V DC, delivering up to 21 A peak (15 Arms) continuous current and 42 A peak (30 Arms) pulsed.

With a 100 kHz PWM switching frequency and only 50 ns dead time, the EPC91120 achieves exceptional efficiency and dynamic performance, ideal for humanoid robot joint motors and other high-precision motion applications. The board was specifically designed to fit the mechanical dimensions of the Unitree A1 robot motor, enabling direct evaluation in real-world robotic systems (more info).

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