Rapid Prototyping Platform for the Control and Testing of Electric Drives

Abstract

This paper presents a cost-effective rapid prototyping platform for the control and testing of electric drives. The proposed platform consists of a Zed Board development board and a custom-designed printed circuit board featuring a two-level voltage source inverter for motor control. The implementation of control algorithms and peripherals management in FPGA on the ZedBoard is automated using the HDL Coder toolbox in MATLAB /Simulink, while real-time parameter tuning and data logging are enabled by Embedded Coder toolbox. The modularity of the platform allows for easy adaptation to different motor types and control strategies. The paper provides a description of the hardware architecture, the implementation of control algorithms on the rapid prototyping platform, and the capabilities of FPGA-based motor control. Experimental results demonstrate the platform’s ability to perform real-time control with minimal latency, showcasing its suitability for research and development of advanced motor control strategies. These results highlight the potential of the proposed system as a versatile and efficient tool for both academic research and industrial applications.