Nations Technologies, in collaboration with CAS Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology (SIAT), has released a reference module for joint drive and control based on the dual-core microcontroller (MCU) N32H785. This release occurred on September 23, 2026, as reported by Electronic Engineering Album / SECCW and Nations' materials.
The official product branding is Nations Technologies / N32H785, with SIAT serving as the research partner. This kit integrates the drive MCU, a brushless torque motor, two absolute encoders, communication interfaces, and a gearbox into a single module, targeting mass production projects.
The system architecture separates real-time motor control tasks from network communication. The Cortex-M7 core, clocked up to 600 MHz and equipped with a double-precision FPU and DSP instructions, handles FOC implementation, torque/speed/position control loops, data processing from the two encoders, and protection. Meanwhile, the Cortex-M4F core, running up to 300 MHz, manages traffic over CAN FD, EtherCAT, and UART protocols.
Command and state exchange between cores is managed via internal SRAM and hardware semaphores SEMA4, ensuring that communication load does not slow down the control period. Peripheral capabilities include high-precision timers for complementary PWM, multi-channel ADCs/DACs/comparators, up to eight CAN FD interfaces, an Ethernet MAC (for EtherCAT on EC SKUs), and an industrial temperature range from -40°C to +105°C.
Module Specifications
Test data presented with the module release indicates a nominal torque of 20 N·m and a peak torque of 60 N·m. The system demonstrates a current loop frequency of 20 kHz and responds to torque commands within milliseconds. The average time to accelerate from 0 to 100 rpm is approximately 106 ms, with maximum overshoot not exceeding 4.43 percent, and speed pulsations remaining within approximately ±5 percent.
For position tracking, the maximum error reaches 0.01 radians (approximately 0.573 degrees), while the average error is 0.54 degrees. Movement across ±360 degrees stabilizes in about one second. Two absolute encoders read position from both the motor side and the gearbox side. The availability of UART, CAN FD, and EtherCAT interfaces maintains flexibility in bus selection for OEMs.
The SIAT team responsible for electrical drives developed the control algorithms and position fusion strategy. Nations is responsible for chip-level implementation and production verification. For teams developing humanoid equipment, this news presents a ready-made N32H785 joint reference module with published figures of 20/60 N·m and a 20 kHz cycle frequency, which is the result of MCU engineering development, not funding.