Monster Motor Shield

The VNH2SP30-E is a full bridge motor driver intended for a wide range of automotive applications. The device incorporates a dual monolithic high side driver and two low side switches. The high side driver switch is designed using STMicroelectronic’s well known and proven proprietary VIPower™ M0 technology which permits efficient integration on the same die of a true Power MOSFET with an intelligent signal/protection circuitry.

The low side switches are vertical MOSFETs manufactured using STMicroelectronic’s proprietary EHD (‘STripFET™’) process. The three dies are assembled in the MultiPowerSO-30 package on electrically isolated lead frames. This package, specifically designed for the harsh automotive environment offers improved thermal performance thanks to exposed die pads.

Moreover, its fully symmetrical mechanical design allows superior manufacturability at board level.

The input signals INA and INB can directly interface to the microcontroller to select the motor direction and the break condition. The DIAGA/ENA or DIAGB/ENB, when connected to an external pull-up resistor, enable one leg of the bridge. They also provide a feedback digital diagnostic signal. The normal condition operation is explained in

The motor current can be monitored with the CS pin by delivering a current proportional to its value. The speed of the motor can be controlled in all possible conditions by the PWM up to 20 kHz. In all cases, a low-level state on the PWM pin will turn off both the LSA and LSB switches. When PWM rises to a high level, LSA or LSB turn on again depending on the input pin state.

This is essentially a ramped up version of Sparkfun’s "); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">Ardumoto motor driver shield. For this SparkFun Monster Moto Shield, they’ve replaced the "); background-size: 1px 1px; background-position: 0px calc(1em + 1px);">L298 H-bridge with a pair of VNH2SP30 full-bridge motor drivers. They’ve also beefed up the support circuitry so this board is capable of driving a pair of high-current motors! The VIN and motor out are pitched for theirs 5mm screw terminals (not included), making it easy to connect larger gauge wires.

Note: When using this board in extreme high-demand applications it may be necessary to improve thermal performance with a heat-sink or fan and to solder the wires directly to the board instead of using a screw terminal (in addition to the myriad other complications present in a high-current system) However, when using the board at currents up to 6A the chips will barely become noticeably warm.