STMicroelectronics AEK-CON-AFLVIP2

Overview

AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 from STMicroelectronics is an AutoDevKit connector board designed to integrate MCU, stepper motor driver, LED driver, and high-side switch boards into a complete adaptive front lighting (AFL) demonstration system for automotive LED headlights. It supports three independent SPI buses, accepts 8–15 VDC input, features a 65 × 100 mm PCB with ≤27 mm component height, and includes cable harnesses for two AEK-MOT-SM81M1 boards and one AEK-LED-21DISM1 board.

For engineers reviewing the AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 datasheet, AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 pinout, AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 application, or AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 equivalent, this board enables rapid prototyping of vehicle AFL systems using SPC5-Chorus4M-based control, coordinated multi-axis beam steering, digitally controlled LED channel management, and fan switching via VIPower high-side drivers - all within ST's validated AutoDevKit ecosystem.

Technical Context

The AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 implements signal routing and power distribution between an SPC5-Chorus4M MCU discovery board (AEK-MCU-C4MLIT1) and up to four peripheral boards: two AEK-MOT-SM81M1 stepper motor drivers (for left-right and up-down beam adjustment), one AEK-LED-21DISM1 LED driver (with four independent L99LD21 channels), and one EV-VNx high-side switch board (e.g., EV-VN7050AS) for cooling fan control.

It provides three dedicated SPI interfaces (DSPI-0, DSPI-1, DSPI-2) with separate chip select lines, GPIO-controlled fan enable (J103), 12 V input conditioning, 5 V logic rail generation, and a top-layer 4×37 male expansion header. All ST components are AEC-Q100 qualified for automotive use, and the board complies with RoHS and WEEE directives.

Key Specifications

Availability

AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for adaptive front lighting development, automotive ECU prototyping, and AutoDevKit-based functional safety validation requiring stable component supply and traceable sourcing.

Supply support for AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 includes scheduled delivery planning, volume procurement assistance, BOM continuity management, traceable sourcing, and lifecycle availability coordination for OEM customers, industrial embedded developers, connected-device designers, and electronics production programs.

Manufacturer

STMicroelectronics is a global semiconductor leader headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, designing and manufacturing microcontrollers, power ICs, sensors, and automotive-grade analog and mixed-signal solutions.

AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 belongs to the AutoDevKit initiative - a modular hardware and software platform enabling rapid development of automotive application prototypes using standardized, interoperable evaluation boards and SPC5-Studio auto-generated drivers.

FAQ

What MCU boards are compatible with AEK-CON-AFLVIP2?

The AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 is specifically designed for the AEK-MCU-C4MLIT1 - an SPC5-Chorus4M automotive MCU discovery board with a 4×37-pin connector. Its pin mapping and SPI routing match only that board's signal layout; other MCU boards require custom adapter design and are not supported out-of-the-box.

Does AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 include voltage regulation for connected peripherals?

Yes - it accepts 8–15 VDC input and internally generates a regulated 5 V rail used to power SPI peripherals, logic interfaces, and the MCU's I/O domain. The board does not provide 3.3 V or 12 V outputs to peripherals; those voltages must be supplied by their respective boards (e.g., AEK-MOT-SM81M1 supplies its own motor drive voltage).

Can the EV-VNx slot accept any high-side switch board?

The slot is mechanically and electrically optimized for EV-VNx series boards such as EV-VN7050AS, with matching pinout, footprint, and GPIO assignment (e.g., FAN_EN on J103). Other high-side switches require PCB redesign and firmware adaptation - no alternate footprints or pin-compatible alternatives are supported.

Is SPC5-Studio required to use AEK-CON-AFLVIP2 in a project?

Yes - AutoDevKit relies on SPC5-Studio to auto-generate pin assignments, SPI initialization code, and peripheral drivers for the connected boards. Without SPC5-Studio, users must manually reverse-engineer signal routing from the schematic (DB3991) and implement low-level register configuration - no standalone HAL or Arduino-style libraries are provided.