Brushed DC motor pre-driver for 12V/24V industrial rails
The Texas Instruments UC3638DW is a controller IC for commutation and direction management of brushed DC motors. It outputs a pre-driver signal to external half-bridge MOSFETs (two half-bridges), so the actual power stage is off-chip. The parallel interface accepts logic-level direction and PWM commands, making it a straightforward fit for PLC-driven or microcontroller-supervised axis control. Supply range of 10V to 36V covers 12V and 24V industrial bus voltages without an extra regulator. Operating temperature is 0°C to 70°C, so this part is specced for indoor control cabinets, not for under-hood or outdoor enclosures. Package is a 20-SOIC wide-body (7.50 mm width), surface-mount. Tube shipment suits engineering samples and low-volume builds; for reel quantities, confirm the order code suffix with your distributor.
Pre-driver vs integrated driver — what it means for your BOM
The UC3638DW is a controller-only IC: it generates gate-drive signals but needs external N-channel MOSFETs and bootstrap circuitry to switch motor current. That gives you flexibility to size the FETs for the actual motor load, but adds board area and BOM lines.
Active lifecycle, no LTB watch needed
The UC3638DW carries an Active product status and is ROHS3 compliant. For a BOM line that needs a brushed DC pre-driver with a wide supply range, this part is safe to qualify into new production without an obsolescence contingency plan.