How to connect a resistive load to IHM16M1 motor driver board for testing (without motor)?

[Jeffrey1]

Hello everyone,

I am using the STMicroelectronics IHM16M1 motor driver board with STM32 MC Workbench–generated six-step PWM firmware.

Before connecting a real BLDC motor, I want to test the inverter stage using a purely resistive load to verify:

• PWM switching behavior

• Absence of shoot-through

• Proper high-side / low-side commutation

I would like guidance on the correct way to connect a resistive load to this board.

My specific questions are:

1. Load connection

   • Should I connect three equal resistors in star (Y) or delta (Δ) across the U, V, W motor outputs?

   • Is one end of the star point left floating, or tied to DC-?

2. Resistance & power rating

   • What resistance value per phase is recommended for low-risk testing?

   • What minimum power rating (W) should each resistor have to avoid overheating?

3. DC bus considerations

   • Is it safe to power the board with the rated DC bus voltage when using resistive loads, or should the voltage be reduced?

   • Any recommendation on current limiting?

4. MC Workbench / firmware

   • Are there any MC Workbench settings (dead-time, PWM mode, sensing) that should be modified when using a resistive load instead of a motor?

5. Limitations

   • Are there any known limitations or risks when operating IHM16M1 without an inductive (motor) load?

My goal is safe functional verification only, not performance testing.

Any official recommendations, application notes, or reference schematics would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.