Thanks for the swift response! I've been interested in haptic feedback for a long time, but so far have not come across any general way to calculate the acceptable power dissipation for a given motor and driver circuit. Physical controls have so much to offer in ease-of-use, but the chief downside of them currently is that there is no easy 'two-way binding'.
Motors often run at high rpm and then shut off, coasting to a stop. I would expect any standard bldc controller circuit to be able to handle any potential generated by manual movements without difficulty.
