Trinamic evaluation board and connection kit
You are probably familiar with the old adage, “don’t reinvent the wheel”. Well, PCBA developers routinely ignore this advice. Most circuit board designs are custom and intended for new product introduction (NPI), even though similar boards or products may already exist. On the other hand, some developers take advantage of previous designs and simply make modifications or add additional circuitry so that their desired performance and/or functionality is achieved.
In many cases, especially during prototyping or the introduction of a new high functionality component, reference designs or evaluation boards are utilized to expedite development. Additionally, the use of these development tools is an asset for concurrent engineering among teams for large and/or complex designs. One company in particular, Trinamic of Maxim Integrated, specializes in providing design tools for industrial automation as well as other applications.
However, to fully leverage the advantages of Triaminic evaluation boards and choose the best solution for your design and development needs, you should utilize a comprehensive component library that includes verified manufacturer information and CAD files.
The Advantages of Evaluation Boards
Every electronic circuit board design is unique in some respect. And, most boards follow the same path to production, which includes a verification or prototyping stage where the functionality, performance, and physical construction are defined. Of course, most successful products will go through multiple revisions over their lifetime to enhance performance, improve capability, or some other reason. Prototyping, however, is where the design is developed and evaluated.
There are several development board types that may be utilized for refining and/or analyzing a component or circuit board. Development board types include protoboards, break-out, and evaluation boards. Evaluation boards are typically used to evaluate a component’s capability or applicability to or within a larger system. Common applications are to drive motors or mechanical systems for standalone devices, appliances, equipment, and automated industrial production units.
Trinamic Evaluation Boards for Industrial Automation
For industrial automation applications, Trinamic provides a wide range of evaluation board solutions. For example, the following boards can all be utilized in step and directional motor control applications.
| Trinamic Evaluation Boards | Common Applications |
| TMC2100-EVAL | 3D Printers |
| TMC2130-EVAL | Textile |
| TMC2160-EVAL | Robotics |
| TMC2225-EVAL | 2-phase stepper motors |
| TMC2300-EVAL | IoT and hand-held devices |
| TMC2590-EVAL | Factory and lab automation |
| TMC2660-EVAL | Factory automation |
| TMC4361A-EVAL | Pumps and valves |
| TMC5130-EVAL | Liquid handling |
| TMC5160-EVAL | Robotics and industrial drives |
| TMC5161-EVAL | High-speed 3D printers |
| TMC8461-EVAL | Industrial IoT |
| TMC8462-EVAL | Process automation |
The list of Trinamic evaluation boards is not exhaustive, yet it shows that the company manufactures a wide range of boards for industrial automation, including Industry 4.0 applications. Additionally, Trinamic provides breakout boards, reference designs, and SilentStepSticks—which are motor driver boards—for industrial automation systems. All of these boards are open-source designs, therefore, modifying them to meet specific needs is simplified.
Choosing the Best Evaluation Board for Your Needs
As shown in the previous section, Trinamic offers a wide variety of evaluation board designs targeted at the industrial production environment. This means that, if selected properly, you can acquire the best board solution for your design or project. For evaluation boards, this begins with good component selection practices.
A common paradigm for comparing components is to research part datasheets. For example, consulting the TMC2130 and TMC2208 datasheets will reveal that both are stepper motor drivers; however, their communication protocols and currents differ. This process may be satisfactory for finalizing your choice between two or even a few parts. However, when there are literally tens or dozens of comparable components, searching through datasheets can be quite time-consuming.
A better and much faster way of reducing a large group of parts to a manageable list is to search for electronic components online. However, care must be exercised in choosing to use an online parts library, as all component databases are not equal. For example, if the parts are not vetted properly, you may wind up with counterfeit components. Another common problem is not enough information or inaccurate data. Additional headaches are a lack of available information and not being able to download part data in the format you need.
These issues can be avoided by choosing the world’s largest online PCB CAD library, Ultra Librarian, where CAD files are manufacturer verified and availability data from the most trusted parts distributors in the industry ensures accuracy.
If you’re looking for CAD models for common components or application-specific parts, such as Trinamic evaluation boards for industrial automation, Ultra Librarian helps by compiling all your sourcing and CAD information in one place.
Working with Ultra Librarian sets up your team for success to ensure streamlined and error-free design, production, and sourcing. Register today for free.