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RB-Pol-173

Pololu 12A, 5.5 - 24V Single Motor Controller

This carrier board for ST’s VNH5019 motor driver IC operates from 5.5 to 24 V and can deliver a

continuous 12 A (30 A peak). It works with 2.5 to 5 V logic levels, supports ultrasonic (up to 20 kHz)

PWM, and features current sense feedback (an analog voltage proportional to the motor current). Along

with built-in protection against reverse-voltage, over-voltage, under-voltage, over-temperature, and

over-current, these features make this product a great general-purpose motor driver.

Overview

This module is a compact breakout board for ST’s high-power VNH5019 motor driver IC, a fully

integrated H-bridge that can be used for bidirectional speed control of a single brushed DC motor. The

basic operation of the driver is summarized below, but we also recommend careful reading of

the VNH5019 datasheet (629k pdf) before using this product. The board incorporates most of the

components of the typical application diagram on page 14 VNH5019 datasheet, including pull-up and

current-limiting resistors and a FET for reverse battery protection. It ships fully populated with its

SMD components, including the VNH5019, as shown in the product picture.

Features

Operating voltage: 5.5 – 24 V

• Output current: 12 A continuous (30 maximum)

• 3V-compatible inputs

Summary of content (5 pages)

PAGE 1
RB-Pol-173 Pololu 12A, 5.5 - 24V Single Motor Controller This carrier board for ST’s VNH5019 motor driver IC operates from 5.5 to 24 V and can deliver a continuous 12 A (30 A peak). It works with 2.5 to 5 V logic levels, supports ultrasonic (up to 20 kHz) PWM, and features current sense feedback (an analog voltage proportional to the motor current).
PAGE 2
• PWM operation up to 20 kHz, which is ultrasonic and allows for quieter motor operation • Current sense output proportional to motor current • Motor indicator LEDs (indicates what the outputs are doing even when no motor is connected) • Robust: • Reverse-voltage protection • Can survive input voltages up to 41 V • Undervoltage and overvoltage shutdown • High-side and low-side thermal shutdown • Short-to-ground and short-to-Vcc protection Using the Motor Driver The motor and motor power connections are on
PAGE 3
GND OUTA OUTB PWM LOW INA INB FLOAT FLOAT CS ENA/DI HIGH AGA ENB/DI HIGH AGB CS_DIS LOW supply reverse-protected power to other components in the system, but it should not be used for high currents. This pin should only be used as an output. Ground connection points for logic and motor power supplies. The control source and the motor driver must share a common ground. Output of half-bridge A (connects to one terminal of a DC motor).
PAGE 4
VNH3SP30, VNH2SP30, and VNH5019 Comparison In addition to this VNH5019 carrier, we offer carrier boards for two similar, older motor drivers from ST: the VNH3SP30 and the VNH2SP30. The VNH5019 is the only one of the three with a practical operating voltage above 16 V, and it is the only one that works with 3 V logic. The current-related values in the table below (i.e.
PAGE 5
Real-world power dissipation consideration The motor driver IC has a maximum continuous current rating of 30 A. However, the chips by themselves will overheat at lower currents (see the table above for typical values). The actual current you can deliver will depend on how well you can keep the motor driver cool. The carrier printed circuit board is designed to draw heat out of the motor driver chips, but performance can be improved by adding a heat sink.