SDAA048 July   2025 DRV8376

 

  1.   1
  2.   Abstract
  3.   Trademarks
  4. 1Introduction
  5. 2Advantages and Challenges of Low-Side Current Sensing with DRV8376
    1. 2.1 Advantages of Low Side Current Sensing
      1. 2.1.1 Low Common Mode Voltage
      2. 2.1.2 Cost Effectiveness
    2. 2.2 Challenges of Low side Current Sensing
      1. 2.2.1 Gain Error
      2. 2.2.2 Temperature Drift
  6. 3DRV8376 Current Sense Amplifier (CSA) Architecture
    1. 3.1 Gain Error vs Temperature
    2. 3.2 Calibration Methods
  7. 4Summary
  8. 5References

4 Summary

The DRV8376 integrated low-side current-sense amplifiers provide a design for precise current monitoring in BLDC motor applications, enabling robust overcurrent protection, torque control, and commutation. By addressing challenges such as gain error and temperature drift through calibration methods such as room-temperature, multi-temperature, self-calibration, and software-based compensation, engineers can achieve high measurement accuracy across a wide temperature range. The senseFET-based architecture, combined with adaptive offset calibration and programmable gain, enhances performance while reducing BOM costs and PCB space. Implementing the recommended firmware and PCB layout strategies is designed for operation in demanding environments such as automotive and industrial systems. This application note equips engineers with practical tools to maximize the potential of the DRV8376 for precision motor control applications.