STMicroelectronics STEVAL-VNH5019A

Overview

STEVAL-VNH5019A from STMicroelectronics is an evaluation board for the VNH5019A high-current H-bridge motor driver IC, designed for bidirectional DC motor control in automotive and industrial motion systems. It integrates a pre-assembled VNH5019A daughterboard (30 A max output, 18 mΩ R_DS(on) per leg, 41 V V_CC max) with an STM8-based motherboard providing logic control, real-time diagnostics, and GUI-driven PWM/direction configuration.

For engineers reviewing the STEVAL-VNH5019A datasheet, STEVAL-VNH5019A pinout, STEVAL-VNH5019A application, or STEVAL-VNH5019A equivalent, this board enables rapid validation of VNH5019A's thermal protection, cross-conduction prevention, motor current monitoring, and charge-pump reverse-polarity safeguarding in window lift, sliding door, and seat regulation subsystems.

Technical Context

The board implements a two-tier architecture: the VNH5019A daughterboard delivers power-stage switching with integrated short-to-V_CC/GND protection, undervoltage/overvoltage shutdown, and analog current sense output; the STM8 motherboard provides microcontroller-based command interface, real-time telemetry (battery voltage, board temperature, output current), and USB-connected GUI control.

Hardware interfaces include dual 10-pin expansion headers (IO_CON1–IO_CON12), CAN transceiver (ST's TJA1042T), LIN UART, SPI, I²C, and USART peripherals - all routed to accessible test points and connectors for system-level integration and signal probing.

Key Specifications

Availability

STEVAL-VNH5019A is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive body electronics, industrial actuator development, and DC motor control prototyping requiring stable component supply, full documentation access, and production-ready reference design validation.

Supply support for STEVAL-VNH5019A 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, specializing in automotive, industrial, and power management solutions with vertical manufacturing and broad IP portfolio.

This evaluation board belongs to ST's STEVAL (ST Evaluation) series, purpose-built to accelerate adoption of its VIPower® motor drivers by delivering fully tested hardware, GUI software, and application schematics for real-world motion control use cases.

FAQ

Does STEVAL-VNH5019A support closed-loop current control?

Yes - the VNH5019A provides an analog current sense output (CS pin) proportional to motor phase current, enabling external ADC sampling and real-time feedback. The included GUI displays live current evolution, and the STM8 firmware supports configurable current threshold alerts and PWM duty cycle adjustment based on sensed values.

What communication interfaces are exposed for host-system integration?

The board exposes CAN (TJA1042T transceiver), LIN UART, SPI, I²C, and USART signals via labeled test points and IO_CON headers. All are directly accessible from the STM8 microcontroller and documented in Figures 7–9 of DocID025030 Rev 3, supporting custom host MCU integration without modifying the evaluation board.

Can the charge pump output be used to drive external high-side gate drivers?

No - the on-board charge pump (CP pin of VNH5019A) is internally dedicated to generating the bootstrap voltage for the high-side N-channel MOSFETs within the VNH5019A. Its output is not broken out to external pins and is not rated for driving external loads.

Is the GUI software compatible with modern Windows OS versions?

The official STSW-VR012 GUI software was validated for Windows XP/Vista/7. While it runs on Windows 10/11 in compatibility mode, ST does not officially certify or update it for newer OS versions. Source code for STM8 firmware is provided, allowing users to adapt communication protocols and build custom host applications.