STMicroelectronics EVAL-L9026-YO

Overview

EVAL-L9026-YO from STMicroelectronics is a dedicated evaluation board for the L9026 smart power driver IC, enabling rapid validation of 8-channel automotive load control (LEDs, relays, solenoids) under 3–18 V input, with SPI and parallel input interfaces, daisy-chain capability, and limp-home fault recovery. It hosts the HTSSOP24-packaged L9026 and supports real-time diagnostics including open-load, short-to-GND, overcurrent, and overtemperature detection.

For engineers reviewing the EVAL-L9026-YO datasheet, EVAL-L9026-YO pinout, EVAL-L9026-YO application, or EVAL-L9026-YO equivalent, this board provides full access to L9026's configurable HS/LS drivers, dip-switch-based configuration, expansion headers for microcontroller or PTSCONNECTUM interface integration, and GUI-controlled evaluation via serial peripheral interface and parallel input mapping.

Technical Context

The EVAL-L9026-YO implements a complete hardware testbed for the L9026 - an 8-channel BCD-technology smart power driver featuring two fixed high-side outputs and six programmable HS/LS channels, each rated up to 1 A. It supports cranking operation down to 3 V and delivers <100 µA quiescent current in RESET mode.

Board-level design includes dual 4-layer PCB routing (80 × 65 mm), dedicated test points for VBAT, VLOAD, GND, and signal lines (NCS, CLK, SI, SO, IN0, IN1, IDLE), plus DIP switches for channel configuration and protection settings. All L9026 pins are exposed via 2×12 and 2×6 headers for direct probing, microcontroller interfacing, or daisy-chained SPI cascading.

Key Specifications

Availability

EVAL-L9026-YO is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive LED lighting control, relay actuation in body electronics, solenoid driver validation, and functional safety prototyping requiring stable component supply and traceable evaluation hardware.

Supply support for EVAL-L9026-YO 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 analog, digital, and mixed-signal ICs for automotive, industrial, and consumer applications.

EVAL-L9026-YO belongs to ST's Smart Power Evaluation Platform family, developed specifically to accelerate adoption of their BCD-based intelligent power drivers in automotive body control modules and lighting systems.

FAQ

Does EVAL-L9026-YO require external firmware or drivers to operate?

No. The board operates without host firmware when using parallel inputs (IN0/IN1) and DIP-switch configuration. For SPI control or GUI use, ST provides the PTSCONNECTUM interface and associated software - no custom driver development is needed. All register mappings and command sequences are documented in UM2761.

Can EVAL-L9026-YO be used with microcontrollers other than ST's own MCUs?

Yes. The board exposes standard SPI (3.3 V logic) and GPIO-compatible parallel inputs (IN0/IN1), making it interoperable with any microcontroller supporting SPI Mode 0,0 or Mode 1,0. Level-shifting is not required, as L9026 IOs are 5 V tolerant and compatible with 3.3 V and 5 V logic families.

What protection features of the L9026 can be observed and tested on this board?

All integrated protections are accessible: open-load detection (via SPI status registers), short-to-GND (channel current limiting + flag), overtemperature shutdown (thermal warning flag), and overcurrent latching. Test points allow oscilloscope monitoring of drain-source voltage and current sense nodes during fault injection.

Is daisy-chaining supported with multiple EVAL-L9026-YO boards?

Yes. The board supports 8-bit SPI daisy chaining per ST's L9026 specification. NCS is routed to cascade mode, and SO of one board connects to SI of the next. Up to eight L9026 devices can be chained - verified in application note AN5245 and schematics in DB4286 Rev 1.