VIPER Motor Control
Discover VIPER - the solution for electronic speed control
VIPER is a sensorless motor control solution designed to integrate seamlessly with a wide range of motor types, including BLDC, PMSM, IPM, and stepper motors. Its scalable and flexible architecture makes it an ideal choice for applications with varying voltage and power requirements.
VIPER is particularly well-suited for demanding forestry and agricultural equipment. Whether used in chainsaws, log splitters, winches, sprayers, or battery-powered hydraulic systems, it delivers efficient and reliable motor control in harsh, real-world environments. High torque demands, dynamic load changes, and exposure to dirt, moisture, and vibration are handled with ease—ensuring consistent performance in the field.
Read below to learn how the Motor Control Unit (MCU) of Solar Team Twente leverages VIPER’s versatility and adaptability to its advantage.
World-class solar-powered race car
Solar Team Twente is building one of the fastest solar race cars in the world. Such solar-powered race cars are all about speed, maximized by high efficiency of the drive system. To achieve this goal, we have partnered with Solar Team Twente to develop a gallium nitride-based motor inverter based on our VIPER platform.
Kendrion 3T has proudly served as a sponsor and technology partner of Solar Team Twente since 2006, continuously enhancing the Motor Controller Unit (MCU) to propel Solar Team Twente toward greater speed and efficiency.
Forestry & agricultural equipment
Designed for rugged outdoor environments, VIPER powers the electrification of modern forestry and agricultural equipment. From chainsaws and wood splitters to winches, sprayers and battery-powered hydraulic systems, it delivers efficient and reliable motor control for demanding applications.
Optimized for 12–48V systems, VIPER maximizes battery runtime while providing high torque and stable performance under dynamic loads. Its robust, vibration-resistant design ensures consistent operation in wet, dirty, and extreme temperature conditions – making it the ideal solution for heavy-duty field use.
The motor control development board VIPER can be flexibly tailored to your needs
VIPER stands out as a sensorless motor control dev kit tailored for motors equipped with permanent magnets. Packed with a robust processor, intelligent FET driver, and discrete power stage, VIPER delivers an impressive 1kW (in its basic version) to a variety of motors, including BLDC, PMSM, IPM, and stepper motors. It operates smoothly with supply voltages of 8 to 80V.
The motor control board VIPER concept is inherently scalable, allowing adaptation to different voltages and power requirements. This versatile development board easily integrates with a wide array of sensors, encoders, UARTs (RS232), CAN buses, EEPROMs, and has additional digital and analog I/O to connect anything that is required by the customers application.
With its potent processor, VIPER enables the incorporation of customer-specific functions. Beyond motion control capabilities, it can log usage data, monitor faults, store device behavior settings, and facilitate software updates. In essence, VIPER offers complete customization, crafting unique solutions that precisely match customer requirements.
Primary VIPER Features:
- Power output up to 1 kW (scalable)
- Phase currents -68A to 68A
- Supply voltage 8 to 80V
- Efficiency upto 98% @ 800 W
- Supported motors: BLDC / PMSM / IPM / stepper motors (micro-stepping)
- 3-phase sensorless sine wave steering based upon FOC (Field Oriented Control)
- Protected outputs and configurable edge switching (EMC)
- Flexible platform for customer-specific functionalities
- Extendable with a bootloader for software updates and PC tooling for configuration and logging
- Full Matlab/Simulink models available to develop required control algorithm
What is the function of a motor controller?
What is the function of a motor controller?
A motor controller regulates how an electric motor operates by controlling speed, torque and energy efficiency.
In applications such as battery-powered equipment, hydraulic systems and mobile machinery, the motor controller ensures that systems:
- run efficiently
- remain stable under load
- perform reliably under demanding conditions
Without precise motor control, even high-quality motors cannot deliver consistent performance.
Why is motor control becoming more important?
Why is motor control becoming more important?
Motor control is a key technology driving the electrification of mobile machinery and industrial systems.
As industries move towards:
- battery-powered solutions (12–48 V)
- higher energy efficiency
- compact, high-performance equipment
standard motor controllers often reach their limits.
Advanced motor control is required to handle dynamic loads, harsh environments and mission-critical applications.
What is VIPER Motor Control?
What is VIPER Motor Control?
VIPER is a high-performance motor control solution by Kendrion, developed for applications where standard motor controllers are not sufficient.
It is designed for:
- high dynamic loads
- harsh environmental conditions
- continuous and reliable operation
VIPER is ideal for mission-critical systems that require maximum reliability.
Which applications is VIPER suitable for?
Which applications is VIPER suitable for?
VIPER motor control is designed for battery-powered and hydraulic applications in demanding environments.
Typical use cases include:
- agricultural and forestry machinery
- construction equipment
- mobile hydraulic systems
- battery-powered machines (12–48 V)
It is ideal for applications requiring robust performance under changing load conditions.
What makes VIPER different from other motor controllers?
What makes VIPER different from other motor controllers?
VIPER is engineered for real-world reliability, not just peak performance.
Key benefits:
- Fully potted design for protection against water, dust and vibration
- Sensorless motor control reduces components and failure risk
- Stable performance under dynamic loads with no drop under stress
- Rugged hardware for harsh environments
Unlike many controllers, VIPER is designed to sustain performance over time, not just reach short peak values.
