Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) has introduced the EPC91121 motor drive inverter evaluation board at APEC 2026. This compact and advanced board is built around the Gen-7 EPC2366 40 V eGaN power transistor and is currently on display at EPC’s booth (#1935).
With dimensions of 79 mm × 80 mm, the EPC91121 is specifically engineered for rapid prototyping in applications such as drones, robotics, and industrial automation. It is ideal for compact electromechanical systems where high efficiency and power density are paramount. The board is a comprehensive three-phase inverter solution, capable of delivering up to 70 A_peak (50 A_RMS) output current from input voltages between 18 V and 30 V, making it suitable for battery-powered systems with a 24 V supply. It integrates essential functions like gate drivers, housekeeping power supplies, voltage and temperature monitoring, and current sensing.
The board features high-bandwidth current sensing on all three phases, supporting measurements up to ±125 A. Phase and DC-bus voltage sensing provide feedback for precise monitoring and advanced motor-control techniques such as field-oriented control (FOC) and space-vector PWM. Additional features include shaft encoder and Hall-sensor interfaces, alongside multiple test points for simplified system integration, measurement, and debugging.
Central to the design is the 40 V EPC2366 Gen 7 eGaN FET, known for its ultra-low on-resistance of 0.84 mΩ. This enables efficient power conversion and rapid switching performance. The evaluation platform supports PWM switching frequencies up to 150 kHz, far exceeding typical silicon-based motor drives. This allows engineers to reduce magnetic component size, minimise switching losses, and enhance overall system responsiveness.
Marco Palma, director of motor drives systems and applications at EPC, stated, “With the EPC91121, engineers can evaluate high-frequency GaN-based three-phase inverter designs while leveraging integrated sensing and control interfaces for advanced motor control.”
The board’s layout is optimised to ensure low-distortion switching, which reduces motor acoustic noise and torque ripple. It controls dv/dt to below 10 V/ns for stable operation and improved electromagnetic compatibility. For swift development, the board features a 40-pin controller interface compatible with platforms from Renesas, Microchip, Texas Instruments, and STMicroelectronics, enabling engineers to utilise existing motor-control ecosystems.
Complete design support files, including schematic, bill of materials (BOM), and Gerber files, are accessible on the EPC91121 product page. The reference design board is priced at $335 and is available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key and Mouser.
