High speed, high performance motor drives are required for applications such as printers, surveillance cameras, office automation equipment, banking terminals such as ATMs, banknote identification machines, amusement machines, and home appliances.

In parallel, the downsizing of equipment is being accelerated by customer demand for space-saving equipment with excellent design. Measures to reduce heat generated inside equipment and low power consumption of the overall unit are also growing in importance.

Toshiba’s new product has a 2-channel drive function in a two-in-one chip and is capable of running two stepping motors simultaneously. Space can be saved on circuit boards by integrating electronic components as 2-in-1 chips.

Because of the heat generated by the ICs themselves, the previous products could not achieve continuous operation in the driving current range of 2.0A motors that are used in many applications, including office equipment. The new product can simultaneously drive two channels by reducing the output resistance by 50% to cut heat generation*1.

While the regulator circuit for the IC's internal logic in the previous products was in operation at stand-by, the new product can stop the regulator at stand-by, due to incorporation of a sleep function. Consequently, power consumption of the IC is reduced.

Moreover, the new product not only drives stepping motors, it also provides interface for driving brushed DC motors. This provides various combinations of stepping motors and brushed DC motors.