Power stage design
Gate driver circuits, MOSFET or IGBT selection, and protection features sized for your motor and application.
Motor Control Design
Motor control design that runs smooth, efficient, and cool under real load
I design the power stage and the control firmware together for BLDC and AC motors, so your drive spins smoothly and efficiently as the load changes, not just at idle.
20+ years experience
Clients in 15+ countries
Bench-tested in-house
No strings attached
20+
years of professional electronics design
20+ yearsIn electronics design
15+Countries served
Concept to prototypeEnd to end delivery
In-house labBench-verified, not just simulated
Why it matters
Getting a motor to spin is easy. Making it spin smoothly and efficiently under load is the hard part.
Motor control is where power electronics meets real-time control. I pair Field-Oriented Control and sensorless techniques with carefully designed hardware so torque stays smooth, efficiency stays high, and the drive holds up as the load changes. Where it fits, sensorless control drops the Hall sensors and encoders, cutting cost and improving reliability without giving up performance. Every application is different, so the control strategy and hardware are tailored to what your motor and product actually need. This covers BLDC motor controller design with field-oriented control (FOC), sensorless or sensored, including VESC-based designs where the gate drive, current sensing, and thermal path all have to survive real stall and startup currents.
What you get
Everything the drive needs, hardware and control together
Control algorithm
FOC, sensorless, or another control strategy implemented and tuned for your specific motor.
Current sensing
Accurate phase current measurement using shunt resistors or current sensors.
Position and speed feedback
Hall sensor interface, encoder interface, or a sensorless observer implementation.
Protection features
Overcurrent, overtemperature, overvoltage, and stall detection.
Tuning procedures
A documented process for tuning control loops across different motors.
Test results
Measured performance data including efficiency, torque ripple, and dynamic response.
What it prevents
The failures a considered design keeps out of your motor
Torque ripple
Vibration and acoustic noise from improper commutation timing or control.
Starting problems
Inability to start under load or in certain rotor positions.
Sensorless failures
Observer instability at low speeds or under rapidly changing loads.
Thermal damage
MOSFETs or motor windings overheating under sustained operation.
EMC issues
Conducted and radiated emissions from fast switching edges.
Efficiency losses
Poor control leading to excessive losses and reduced battery life.
How it works
From motor parameters to a validated drive
1
Motor characterization
I measure or obtain motor parameters: resistance, inductance, back-EMF constant, and mechanical characteristics. These parameters drive the control design.
2
Control strategy
I select the control approach for your requirements: trapezoidal, sinusoidal, FOC, or DTC, and determine the sensor requirements or sensorless feasibility.
3
Power stage design
I design gate drivers, power stage, and current sensing, selecting components based on voltage, current, and thermal requirements.
4
Control implementation
I implement the control algorithms on an appropriate microcontroller, then design and tune current loops, speed loops, and any sensorless observers.
5
System integration
I integrate the motor control with your system-level requirements, test under all operating conditions, and verify the protection features.
Who does the work
George Saliba
An electronics design engineer with 20+ years of professional experience across analog, digital, RF, and power designs, delivered to clients in 15+ countries. Your project is handled by the person who has shipped hardware like it, start to finish.
See the project portfolio
Questions
Frequently asked
What motors and control methods do you work with?
BLDC and AC motors with field-oriented control, sensorless control, direct torque control and space vector modulation, for smooth and efficient operation.
Do you design the power stage and the control together?
Yes. The gate drive, current sensing, protection and the control firmware are designed as one system, because motor control lives or dies on how well those parts work together.
Can you handle the firmware as well as the board?
I prefer to deliver the full package including the control firmware, but it is fine if your team or another engineer owns the firmware and I provide the hardware and bring-up.
Do you test under real load?
Yes. I bring the drive up on the bench and test it with the actual motor and load before it goes anywhere near production.
Do you design BLDC and FOC motor controllers?
Yes. BLDC motor controller design with field-oriented control (FOC), in sensored or sensorless form, is core work: gate drivers, phase current sensing, protection, and the thermal path are sized for the real stall and startup currents rather than the datasheet ideal. VESC-based designs are supported where that firmware fits the application.
Ready when you are
Get a motor drive that runs smooth and efficient
From simple fan controllers to precision servo drives, considered motor control design delivers smooth operation and maximum efficiency. Tell me about your motor application and I will map out the approach.
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