STMicroelectronics EVAL6206PD

Overview

EVAL6206PD from STMicroelectronics is an evaluation board for the L6206 DMOS dual full-bridge motor driver IC, designed to validate bipolar stepper and dual/quad DC motor control in 8–52 V systems. It supports 5.6 A peak output current per bridge, features programmable high-side overcurrent detection, diagnostic outputs, cross-conduction protection, thermal shutdown, and integrated fast freewheeling diodes.

For engineers reviewing the EVAL6206PD datasheet, EVAL6206PD pinout, EVAL6206PD application, or EVAL6206PD equivalent, this board enables rapid functional validation of L6206-based motor drive stages-including bootstrap gate drive setup, OCD threshold tuning via PROGCL resistors, EN/OCD feedback loop timing, and paralleled half-bridge configurations-under real load and thermal conditions.

Technical Context

The EVAL6206PD implements the full reference schematic of the L6206 IC in PowerSO36 package, including charge pump (VCP oscillator at 600 kHz), bootstrap capacitor network (CBOOT = 220 nF), external PROGCL resistors (5 kΩ default), and RC networks on ENA/ENB (100 kΩ + 5.6 nF) for configurable disable delay (~200 µs). It routes all 36 pins with test points for VSA/VSB, OUT1A/OUT2A/OUT1B/OUT2B, SENSEA/SENSEB, OCDA/OCDB, and BOOT.

Board-level design enforces critical layout rules: short trace lengths for SENSEA/SENSEB to ground, separate power/signal ground planes, localized 100 nF ceramic decoupling on VSA/VSB, and thermal vias under the exposed slug (pins 1/18/19/36). It supports both standalone operation and integration with host microcontrollers via TTL/CMOS-compatible logic inputs (IN1A/IN2A/IN1B/IN2B).

Key Specifications

Availability

EVAL6206PD is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for motor control prototyping, industrial automation validation, robotics actuator development, and automotive subsystem testing requiring stable component supply and documented reference design fidelity.

Supply support for EVAL6206PD 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 specializing in power management, motor control, and embedded processing solutions for industrial, automotive, and consumer applications.

The EVAL6206PD belongs to ST's motor driver evaluation platform family, engineered to accelerate adoption of their high-voltage, high-current DMOS bridge drivers by providing fully tested, layout-optimized hardware with complete application schematics and tuning guidance.

FAQ

What power supply configuration is required to operate EVAL6206PD?

The board requires a single 8–52 V DC supply connected to VSA and VSB terminals, with local 100 µF bulk capacitance (C1) and 100 nF ceramic decoupling (C2) as specified in ST's reference design. The bootstrap circuit (CBOOT, CP, D1, D2) must be populated to enable high-side MOSFET switching; omission prevents full-bridge operation.

How is overcurrent protection configured and verified on this evaluation board?

OCD is set using 5 kΩ resistors (RCLA/RCLB) on PROGCLA/PROGCLB, yielding ~4.42 A trip threshold at room temperature. Verification is performed by monitoring OCDA/OCDB open-drain outputs with a pull-up resistor while applying controlled overload to OUT1A/OUT2A or OUT1B/OUT2B; fault response time is measurable via tOCD(ON) (~200 ns) and disable delay (~200 µs with 100 kΩ/5.6 nF RC).

Can EVAL6206PD support paralleled half-bridge operation as described in the L6206 datasheet?

Yes-the board provides accessible test points and jumper options to parallel OUT1A with OUT1B and OUT2A with OUT2B, matching Figure 15 of the datasheet. This configuration maintains independent OCD sensing per bridge while doubling effective current capacity per output pair, provided external current sharing resistors and synchronized PWM are implemented at the system level.

Does EVAL6206PD include thermal measurement capability for junction temperature validation?

No dedicated thermal sensor is mounted, but the board's PowerSO36 footprint includes a thermally enhanced exposed slug (internally tied to GND pins 1/18/19/36) with multiple thermal vias. Engineers can attach a thermocouple to the slug or use IR imaging to correlate case temperature with the L6206's 165 °C thermal shutdown threshold, leveraging the documented Rth-j-case (1 °C/W) and Rth-j-amb values.