Can I use GigaBlox with a very noisy voltage using ESCs?

BotBlox Hardware
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– Copied from customer email –

I am considering using a “GigaBlox – Small GigaBit Switch” in a project of mine, but would like some information about the electrical capabilities of this switch. I intend to power the switch using 12VDC, but the 12V rail that the switch would be connected to is also connected to eight electronic speed controllers. These speed controllers can draw very high amounts of current very quickly and can cause voltage drops as low as 7V for very short periods of time.

I would like to know how the “GigaBlox – Small GigaBit Switch” will react to very sudden and short voltage drops. 7V is still enough to power the switch, but the internal voltage regulator might not be able to react fast enough to the voltage drop and cause connection issues. This characteristic is sometimes known as the “line transient response”.

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That’s a pretty typical application for our products.

In general the response of the board to such a transient would be determined by the decoupling capacitance near the main regulator on the board, along with the latent capabilities of the main regulator chip (TPS54160DGQR).

Without knowing the frequency of your motors, the expected peak current and the harmonics of your system, it’s difficult for me to speak with certainty.

In general, voltage drops to 7V will not cause an issue as it’s above the minimum voltage of around 4.5V and in general, there is plenty of bulk capacitance on the board to sustain such a voltage drop.