With the increasing complexity of today's automobile applications, we help engineers looking to reduce design time and cost with a set of low-cost boards and a related developer ecosystem tailored to their needs.
Easyboards
For specific product typologies, such as VIPower drivers, ST has developed the Easyboard concept to provide customers with the opportunity to evaluate products without committing to the expenses, time, and resources typically required to design a customized circuit board. Easyboards are simple and low-cost evaluation tools that wire a VIPower product to a load, allowing for straightforward evaluation of the device and all application functionalities, including auto-protection capabilities under hazardous conditions.
Each board is designed following the application schematic reported in the databrief and includes the device, the BOM and connectors to connect the board with the external environment. The small 2-layer PCB is optimized to guarantee the best performance in terms of current capability, thermal dissipation, and ease of use. These boards are available for a range of applications, including high and low side drivers, LED drivers, and motor controllers.
In addition, a generic motherboard based on a 32-bit automotive microcontroller is available and can be used in conjunction with the specific Easyboard to provide a complete application solution. By connecting the motherboard board, which is programmed with dedicated firmware, to the Easyboard with a user-friendly software GUI, engineers can set device parameters and display real-time diagnostics, currents, and output status. This enables engineers to monitor battery voltage, board temperature, and other values depending on the application environment.
To help you find the best fit for your application in just a few clicks, try our TwisterSIM, a dynamic electro-thermal simulator.
Once the appropriate products have been selected, a wide range of samples and evaluation boards is available to help you get started and reduce your development times. In addition to boards, ST provides schematics, BOM, and Gerber files to facilitate your hardware design.
Demonstration software packages are also available to aid in your development process.
Evaluation Boards
Evaluation kits are also available for driving different loads using DC, brushless or stepper motors. Each kit typically consists of a motherboard equipped with the microcontroller and a daughterboard assembling the Smart Power device.
To further help you reduce your design cycle, ST provides a dedicated, user-friendly software GUI that lets you set device parameters and, at the same time, display real-time diagnostics like current, output evolution, battery voltage monitoring, board temperature and other values depending on the application environment.
Our AutoDevKit initiative is another way ST helps ensure cost-effective R&D for improved time-to-market.x
