The X-NUCLEO-OUT16A1 industrial digital output expansion board for STM32Nucleo provides a powerful and flexible environment for evaluating the driving and diagnostic capabilities of the IPS8200HQ eight-bit high-end intelligent power solid-state relay in a digital output module connected to a 0.7A industrial load. The X-NUCLEO-OUT16A1 interfaces with the microcontroller on the STM32 Nucleo through the STISO620, STISO621, and Arduino® R3 connectors. The user can choose to control the driving mode of the IPS8200HQ: parallel mode through the JP21 jumper (SEL2 = L when open) or SPI mode through the JP21 jumper (SEL2 = H when closed). In case of SPI mode, the user can also select 8-bit communication protocol through the JP22 jumper (SEL1 = L when open) or 16-bit communication protocol (SEL1 = H when closed).

The VCC supply pin of the IPS8200HQ is provided by connector CN1, while the load (driven by the eight output channels of the IPS8200HQ) can be connected between connectors CN2, CN3, CN4, CN12, and pin 2 of connector CN1.

The on-board digital isolators (STISO620 and STISO621) have the function of achieving 2.8k VRMS (4k VPK) electrical isolation between the two application sides (logic side and process side). This electrical isolation ensures electrical isolation between the logic side (i.e. the application side of the MCU) and the process side (i.e. the application side of the industrial load), thereby improving the safety and reliability of the system.

The logic side is the application side of the MCU and is powered by the VISO_L power rail (3.3V or 5.0V). VISO_L can be provided by an external power supply connected to CN13, or by pin 4 (when the SW1 jumper is closed 1-2) or pin 5 (when the SW1 jumper is closed 2-3) of CN6. This design provides users with flexible power supply options to suit different application scenarios and power requirements.

The process side is the application side of the industrial load and is powered by the VCC and VISO_P power rails. VISO_P (3.3V or 5.0V) is usually provided by the VREG power rail (when the JP31 jumper is closed), which can be generated by the built-in buck converter of the IPS8200HQ (when the SW17 jumper is closed 1-2, the JP20, JP15 jumpers are closed, and the JP28 jumper is set to close 2-4 to obtain 3.3V or close 1-3 to obtain 5.0V according to the required voltage). In addition, VREG can also be provided by an external power supply connected to CN14 (when the SW17 jumper is closed 2-3, and the JP20, JP15 jumpers are open). This design allows users to select internally generated or externally provided power according to actual needs to meet the voltage and current requirements of the process side.

In parallel drive mode (activated by default jumper and switch settings), the application board can even work without any Nucleo board: in this case, the user has to provide the process side voltage (typically 24V) via CN1 and VISO_L (typically 3.3V) via CN13. The INX signals available on CN5[1, 2, 3], CN8[4] and CN9[3, 5, 7, 8] are used to control the on/off of the corresponding OUTX connected to the process side load. The INX pin can be driven low/high by swinging between 0V and VISO_L. The activation of each OUTX (OUT1…OUT8) can be monitored by the green LED DOX (DO1…DO8). This parallel drive mode provides the user with the ability to control the load directly via external signals without relying on a Nucleo board.

The activation status of the three diagnostic pins (TWARN, PGOOD, FAULT) can be visualized on the corresponding red LEDs (D11, D12, D13 respectively) or monitored on TP6, TP7 and TP5 via an oscilloscope. These diagnostic pins provide real-time feedback on the operating status of the IPS8200HQ, allowing the user to quickly identify and respond to any potential problems or faults.

Note: Although pins CN8[5], CN5[9], CN5[10] are connected to the FAULT_L, PGOOD_L and TWARN_L nets respectively, these pins cannot correctly report the status of the corresponding signals on the process side (FAULT, PGOOD, TWARN) due to wiring errors on the same side. This means that the user may encounter inaccurate or misleading results when trying to obtain diagnostic information through these pins. Therefore, it is recommended that the user obtain accurate diagnostic information through other reliable means such as directly monitoring the output of the IPS8200HQ or using an oscilloscope.

In SPI drive mode, it can be set by changing the default configuration (JP21 closed; SW4, SW5, SW6, SW7, SW9, SW10, SW11, SW12, SW13, SW14, SW15 and SW20 closed 2-3, SW18 closed 1-2). SPI-8 bit mode is the default mode (JP22 open), while SPI-16 bit mode can be activated by closing JP22.

In SPI drive mode, the MCU freeze detection function can also be activated by closing SW3 2-3.

This expansion board can be connected to the NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development board. In this case, the companion firmware X-CUBE-IPS detects the selected configuration (GPIO, SPI-8 bit, SPI-16 bit) by reading the SEL2_L and SEL1 signals on CN8[1] and CN8[6]. The activation of the MCU freeze function is detected by WDEN(in) on CN9[4].

In addition, it is possible to evaluate a system consisting of an X-NUCLEO-OUT16A1 stacked on other expansion boards. In fact, the SPI drive mode allows daisy-chain communication with another stacked X-NUCLEO-OUT16A1 through the Arduino connector: one of the two stacked boards must be configured as SW6, SW18 closed 2-3, and the other as SW6, SW18 closed 1-2. In this way, the two expansion boards can communicate in cascade through the SPI interface, achieving more complex control logic and greater output capabilities.

All functions

Based on the IPS8200HQ, the eight-channel high-side switch, its main features include:

Wide voltage operating range: supports an operating voltage range of 10.5V to 36V, the extended voltage operating range (when the J9 jumper is open) can reach 36V, and the application board voltage operating range is 12V to 33V.

High output current capability: The maximum output current per channel can reach 0.7A.

Low power consumption: has a low on-resistance (RON(MAX) = 200mΩ), which helps to reduce power losses.

Undervoltage lockout function: Ensures that the switch will not activate when the power supply voltage is below the threshold, thereby protecting the circuit and load.

Flexible drive mode: Supports parallel drive mode and SPI communication up to 5MHz (8-bit or 16-bit optional), which is convenient for interfacing with different controllers.

Embedded buck converter: Built-in buck converter provides VREG power rail, which can be configured as 3.3V or 5.0V as needed.

Efficient status indication: Equipped with 4x2 LED matrix for intuitive display of working status and diagnostic information.

MCU freeze detection: Through specific configuration, it can detect and respond to the freeze state of MCU, improving the reliability and stability of the system.

Fast decay function: For inductive loads, fast decay function is provided to reduce voltage spikes and electromagnetic interference during shutdown.

Multiple protection mechanisms: Including overload protection, overtemperature protection, loss of ground protection, junction temperature overheating protection and parity diagnosis (FAULT pin), shell overheating diagnosis (TWARN pin) and power supply voltage level diagnosis (PGOOD pin), ensuring safe operation under various conditions.

High reliability design: It adopts QFN48L 8x6mm package, provides electrical isolation up to 4kVPK (guaranteed by STISO620 and STISO621), and has reverse polarity protection for power rails.

Wide compatibility: It is compatible with STM32 Nucleo development boards and equipped with Arduino® UNO R3 connectors, which facilitates integration with various development environments and ecosystems.

Environmental protection and certification: It complies with RoHS and China RoHS standards and has CE certification to ensure the environmental protection and market access compliance of the product.

In addition, the device also displays SPI mode selection through a blue LED, SPI 16-bit mode selection through a yellow LED, and FAULT, PGOOD and TWARN diagnostic information through a red LED (need to be configured through the corresponding jumpers).