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

2 Advantages and Challenges of Low-Side Current Sensing with DRV8376

Low-side current sensing, as implemented in the DRV8376 integrated current-sense amplifier (CSAs), is a widely adopted approach for monitoring phase currents in brushless DC (BLDC) motor drives. This configuration uses an integrated sense FET based method, offering distinct advantages for cost-sensitive and high-performance motor control applications. However, the application is also susceptible to specific error sources, notably gain error and temperature drift, which must be addressed to verify precision. This section outlines the key benefits of low-side sensing with the DRV8376 and the challenges that require careful calibration methods.