STMicroelectronics EV-VNH5180A

Overview

EV-VNH5180A from STMicroelectronics is a preassembled evaluation board for the VNH5180A-E VIPower® H-Bridge driver IC, designed to simplify prototyping of 12 V automotive bidirectional motor control circuits. It integrates thermal heat-sinking, provides CMOS-compatible 3 V/5 V microcontroller interface, and supports diagnostic feedback via dedicated current sense pins and EN/DIAG terminals.

For engineers reviewing the EV-VNH5180A datasheet, EV-VNH5180A pinout, EV-VNH5180A application, or EV-VNH5180A equivalent, this board enables rapid validation of H-bridge drive capability, overload protection behavior, open-load detection, and thermal performance under real load conditions in PMDC motor control designs.

Technical Context

The EV-VNH5180A implements a complete hardware interface for the VNH5180A-E - a system-in-package H-bridge fabricated in ST's VIPower M0-5 technology and housed in PowerSSO-36. It exposes all critical device pins (INA, INB, IN_PWM, ENa/DIAGa, ENb/DIAGb, CS_DIS, CS) through dual 36-pin connectors J1 and J2.

Board-level design includes dedicated thermal vias (0.3 mm diameter, 1.2 mm spacing), 2-layer FR4 PCB (51 × 58 mm, 70 µm Cu), and external 10 kΩ pull-up resistors on control lines. The layout separates GND_A and GND_B domains and requires external bridging of SOURCE_HSa ↔ DRAIN_LSa and SOURCE_HSb ↔ DRAIN_LSb to close each half-bridge leg.

Key Specifications

Availability

EV-VNH5180A is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive motor control prototyping, industrial actuator development, and educational robotics projects requiring stable component supply and validated reference hardware.

Supply support for EV-VNH5180A 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 analog components for automotive, industrial, and consumer markets.

The EV-VNH5180A belongs to ST's VIPower® evaluation board family, developed specifically to accelerate adoption of their high-voltage, high-current H-bridge drivers in automotive-grade motor control applications.

FAQ

Does EV-VNH5180A include the VNH5180A-E IC?

Yes. The board is preassembled with the VNH5180A-E H-bridge IC in PowerSSO-36 package. No soldering or component placement is required to begin functional testing - only external power, motor load, and microcontroller signal connections are needed.

What external components must be added to use EV-VNH5180A?

External bridging wires are required between SOURCE_HSa and DRAIN_LSa, and between SOURCE_HSb and DRAIN_LSb, to form functional H-bridge legs. A current-sense resistor (Rsense) must also be installed between CS and GND to enable analog current monitoring per channel.

Can EV-VNH5180A operate with 3.3 V microcontrollers?

Yes. All digital inputs (INA, INB, IN_PWM, ENa/DIAGa, ENb/DIAGb, CS_DIS) are CMOS-compatible and accept logic-high thresholds down to 2.0 V, making them fully interoperable with both 3.3 V and 5 V microcontrollers without level-shifting circuitry.

Is thermal management built into the EV-VNH5180A board?

Yes. The board incorporates thermal vias beneath the PowerSSO-36 footprint and uses 70 µm copper layers to enhance heat transfer from the VNH5180A-E die to the PCB plane. This allows sustained operation up to 42 A peak current per leg when used with appropriate heatsinking or airflow.