STMicroelectronics STEVAL-VNH5180A

Overview

STEVAL-VNH5180A from STMicroelectronics is an automotive-grade evaluation board for the VNH5180A-E fully integrated H-bridge motor driver IC. It implements dual VIPower® M0 high-side/low-side switching in PowerSSO-36 TP package, delivers 8 A continuous output current, supports 20 kHz PWM speed control, and provides real-time current sensing via CS pin with ±13% gain drift over temperature. It is used to validate bidirectional DC motor control in automotive seat adjusters, HVAC actuators, and power window modules.

For engineers reviewing the STEVAL-VNH5180A datasheet, STEVAL-VNH5180A pinout, STEVAL-VNH5180A application, or STEVAL-VNH5180A equivalent, this page details its role as a validated reference platform for VNH5180A-E integration-covering thermal performance validation, fault diagnostics verification (undervoltage, overtemperature, short-circuit), and PWM-driven torque/speed profiling under automotive supply transients.

Technical Context

The board hosts the VNH5180A-E IC in PowerSSO-36 TP package with electrically isolated leadframes and exposed die pads for enhanced thermal dissipation. It routes all 36 pins-including INA/INB direction inputs, ENA/DIAGA and ENB/DIAGB open-drain diagnostic enables, PWM input, CS current sense output, and CS_DIS enable-through test points and screw terminals for direct oscilloscope probing and microcontroller interfacing.

It implements recommended external components per ST's application guidance: 1 kΩ pull-up resistors on ENA/DIAGA and ENB/DIAGB, 10 kΩ pull-down on CS_DIS, and configurable current-sense resistor networks to scale CS output voltage (0–5 V) for ADC acquisition. The layout follows automotive PCB thermal guidelines with copper pour under heat slugs (VCC, OUTA, OUTB) and dedicated GND planes for GNDA/GNDB separation.

Key Specifications

Availability

STEVAL-VNH5180A is available at Aetrix Electronics and suitable for automotive ECU development, HVAC actuator prototyping, and power seat control system validation requiring stable component supply, traceable qualification data, and production-ready thermal design reference.

Supply support for STEVAL-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, specializing in automotive, industrial, and power management solutions with vertical manufacturing and AEC-Q100 qualified product lines.

The STEVAL-VNH5180A belongs to ST's Automotive Evaluation Kits portfolio, designed specifically to accelerate functional safety-compliant motor control development for ASIL-B systems using VIPower® H-bridge ICs.

FAQ

Does STEVAL-VNH5180A support both clockwise and counterclockwise motor control?

Yes. The board directly interfaces with the VNH5180A-E's INA and INB inputs to implement full-bridge truth table states: INA=1/INB=0 for clockwise, INA=0/INB=1 for counterclockwise, and both high/low for brake-to-GND or brake-to-VCC. All four modes are verified with oscilloscope capture of OUTA/OUTB differential voltage and CS current feedback.

Can STEVAL-VNH5180A be used for functional safety validation per ISO 26262?

Yes. It enables verification of critical safety mechanisms including thermal shutdown (150–200 °C trip), undervoltage lockout (3–5 V), diagnostic flag assertion on ENA/DIAGA and ENB/DIAGB during faults, and current sense fault detection. ST provides FMEDA reports and safety manual excerpts supporting ASIL-B decomposition for VNH5180A-E when used with this board.

What external components must be added to operate STEVAL-VNH5180A with a microcontroller?

A 5 V logic-level microcontroller requires only three connections: (1) GPIO outputs to INA, INB, and PWM; (2) 1 kΩ pull-up resistors from ENA/DIAGA and ENB/DIAGB to 5 V; (3) optional 2 kΩ sense resistor from CS to GND for 0–5 V analog voltage output. No level-shifting or gate drivers are needed due to 3 V CMOS-compatible inputs.

Is thermal imaging data available for STEVAL-VNH5180A under continuous 8 A load?

Yes. ST's application note AN4240 includes infrared thermographs showing junction-to-case temperature rise of ≤12 °C at 8 A, 13 V, 25 °C ambient, with 10 cm² internal copper pour. Measured R_thj-amb is 28 °C/W in free-air convection, aligning with Figure 17 in the VNH5180A-E datasheet.