EPC launches compact GaN motor-drive evaluation boards

By AI, Created 4:46 PM UTC, June 03, 2026, /AGP/ – Efficient Power Conversion has introduced four evaluation boards for three-phase BLDC motor drives built around its ePower Stage ICs. The boards target robotics, industrial automation, e-mobility auxiliaries, and battery-powered systems with up to 29 ARMS phase current and broad controller compatibility.

Why it matters: - EPC is pushing GaN further into motor-control design with ready-to-test inverter boards that reduce the time and circuitry needed to prototype high-efficiency drives. - The platforms target applications where compact size, switching performance, and thermal headroom matter, including robotics, industrial automation, e-mobility auxiliaries, and battery-powered systems.

What happened: - Efficient Power Conversion introduced the EPC91128, EPC91129, EPC91130, and EPC91131 evaluation boards on June 3, 2026. - The boards are compact, 3-phase BLDC motor drive inverter platforms built around EPC23108–EPC23111 ePower Stage ICs. - The evaluation boards support input voltages from 10 V to 80 V and output currents up to 29 ARMS. - EPC said the boards are available for immediate delivery through Digi-Key and Mouser.

The details: - The boards integrate gate drivers, current sensing, voltage sensing, housekeeping supplies, temperature monitoring, and protection features. - EPC says the integrated design lets engineers prototype high-efficiency motor drives with very little extra circuitry. - Optimized switching performance is designed to reduce torque ripple and noise while preserving flexible dv/dt control. - All four boards support complementary PWM and single-PWM control schemes, depending on the variant. - The boards are compatible with controller platforms from Microchip, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, and Renesas. - EPC released complete design support files, including schematics, bill of materials, and Gerber files, on the EPC91128/29–EPC91130/31 product page. - The EPC91128/29 boards are priced at $634.57. - The EPC91130/31 boards are priced at $629.63.

Between the lines: - The launch shows EPC is packaging GaN power stages as system-level development tools, not just discrete components. - The multi-vendor controller support lowers integration barriers for engineers already working in common development ecosystems. - The thermal and current test results are meant to show that compact GaN-based stages can handle meaningful motor loads at high switching frequencies. - In validation testing with a 48 V DC bus and switching frequencies up to 100 kHz, the EPC91128 and EPC91129 powered a 3 kW BLDC motor at 15 ARMS steady-state phase current without a heatsink and up to 20 ARMS with natural-convection cooling and a heatsink. - Under pulsed conditions, the EPC91128 and EPC91129 reached peak currents up to 29 ARMS. - The EPC91130 and EPC91131 reached 10 ARMS steady-state without a heatsink, 15 ARMS with a heatsink, and 18 ARMS pulsed current. - CEO Alex Lidow said the boards are a step toward making GaN more accessible for high-performance motor-drive applications. - Marco Palma, vice president of motor drive marketing and system engineering, said the boards let developers focus on optimizing performance instead of building the power stage from scratch.

What’s next: - EPC is positioning the boards as a fast path for engineers developing next-generation motor-control systems. - The company is likely to use the new platforms to accelerate adoption of its ePower Stage IC architecture across industrial and battery-powered motion designs. - Developers can now download the support files and start evaluating the boards in existing controller environments.