ST X-CUBE-OUT3 User manual

Introduction
The X-CUBE-OUT3 expansion software package for STM32Cube runs on the STM32 microcontroller and includes a driver to
control the IPS2050H and/or the IPS2050H-32 high efficiency dual high-side switches with extended diagnostics and smart
driving for capacitive loads.
The software provides an affordable and easy-to-use solution for the development of 2.5 A (X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1) or 5.7 A
(X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1) digital output modules, letting you easily evaluate the driving and diagnostic capabilities of IPS2050H
and IPS2050H-32 with industrial loads.
The expansion is built on STM32Cube software technology to ease portability across different STM32 microcontrollers.
The software comes with a sample implementation of a dual channel driver running on the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or X-
NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion board connected to a NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development board.
You can stack up to four expansion boards, X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 and/or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 with shared or independent
supply rail and independent loads, to evaluate up to an eight-channel digital output module.
When two or more boards are stacked, the configuration resistors between signals and Arduino connectors of the second, third
or fourth board must be properly placed in alternate positions to guarantee the desired control of the hardware.
RELATED LINKS
Visit the STM32Cube ecosystem web page on www.st.com for further information
Getting started with X-CUBE-OUT3 industrial digital output software for STM32
Nucleo
UM2863
User manual
UM2863 - Rev 1 - November 2021
For further information contact your local STMicroelectronics sales office.
www.st.com

1Acronyms and abbreviations
Table 1. List of acronyms
Acronym Description
API Application programming interface
BSP Board support package
CMSIS Cortex® microcontroller software interface standard
HAL Hardware abstraction layer
IDE Integrated development environment
SPI Serial peripheral interface
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2X-CUBE-OUT3 software expansion for STM32Cube
2.1 Overview
The X-CUBE-OUT3 software package expands the functionality provided by STM32Cube .
The key features of the package are:
•Complete software to build applications for IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32 high efficiency dual high-side
switch
• GPIOs, PWMs and IRQs
• Fault/Diagnostics interrupt handling
• Sample implementation available on the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion boards
when connected to a NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development boards
• Easy portability across different MCU families, thanks to STM32Cube
• Free, user-friendly license terms
This software enables control of the digital output channel of a dual channel expansion board (X-NUCLEO-
OUT03A1 or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1) or of up to four appropriately configured expansion boards (X-NUCLEO-
OUT03A1 and/or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1) stacked on a NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development
board.
It also allows you to program the expansion boards to be independently switched on and off using PWM with a
specific frequency in the 0-100 Hz range (0.1 Hz resolution), and specific duty cycle in the 0-100% range (1%
resolution).
The package includes an example to test device functionality while driving the channels in steady state and PWM.
2.2 Architecture
This software is a fully compliant expansion of STM32Cube architecture for the development of applications for
single high-side driver intelligent power switch (IPS) digital output modules.
The software is based on the STM32CubeHAL hardware abstraction layer for the STM32 microcontroller. The
package extends STM32Cube by providing a board support package (BSP) for the digital output expansion
boards based on IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32.
The software layers used by the application software to access and use the industrial digital output expansion
boards are:
•STM32Cube HAL layer: consists of simple, generic and multi-instance APIs (application programming
interfaces) which interact with the upper layer applications, libraries and stacks. These generic and
extension APIs are based on a common framework so that overlying layers like middleware can function
without requiring specific microcontroller unit (MCU) hardware information. This structure improves library
code reusability and guarantees easy portability across other devices.
•Board support package (BSP) layer: provides software support for the STM32 Nucleo board peripherals,
excluding the MCU. These specific APIs provide a programming interface for certain board specific
peripherals like LEDs, user buttons, etc., and can also be used to fetch individual board version information.
It also provides support for initializing, configuring and reading data.
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Figure 1. X-CUBE-OUT3 software architecture
X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1,
STM32 Nucleo development board
STM32 Nucleo expansion boards
STM32Cube Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL)
Hardware
Abstraction
Hardware
Application Smart driving example
X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1
NUCLEO-F401RE/G431RB
2.3 Folder structure
Figure 2. X-CUBE-OUT3 package folder structure
The following folders are included in the software package:
•_htmresc contains graphics for html pages.
•Documentation contains a compiled HTML file generated from the source code, detailing the software
components and APIs.
•Drivers contains:
–STM32Cube HAL sub-folders, located in the subfolders (STM32G4xx_HAL_Driver and
STM32F4xx_HAL_Driver). These files are not specific to the X-CUBE-OUT3 software but come directly
from the STM32Cube framework and represent the Hardware Abstraction Layer code for the STM32
MCUs.
–a CMSIS folder which contains the Cortex® microcontroller software interface standard files from ARM.
These files are vendor-independent hardware abstraction layer for the Cortex-M processor series. This
folder comes also unchanged from the STM32Cube framework.
– a BSP folder containing the codes required for the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 and X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1
configuration, the IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32 drivers and the switch API functions.
•Projects contains sample applications for IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32, provided for NUCLEO-F401RE and
NUCLEO-G431RB platforms.
2.3.1 BSPs
For the X-CUBE-OUT3 software, different BSPs are used:
1. STM32F4xx-Nucleo/STM32G4xx_Nucleo
2. IPS1025H_2050H
3. OUT0xA1
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2.3.1.1 STM32F4xx-Nucleo/STM32G4xx_Nucleo
Depending on the STM32 Nucleo development board used, these BSPs provide an interface to configure and use
the development board peripherals with the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 and X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion boards.
Each STM32XXxx-Nucleo sub-folder contains couples of .c/.h files (stm32XXxx_nucleo.c/h) which come from the
STM32Cube framework without modification and provide the functions to handle the corresponding user button
and LEDs of the corresponding development board.
2.3.1.2 IPS1025H_2050H
The IPS1025H_2050H BSP component provides the driver functions for the STMicroelectronics intelligent power
switch devices in the X-CUBE_IPS\Drivers\BSP\Components\ips1025h_2050h folder, which contains:
•ips1025h_2050h.c: core functions of the IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32 drivers
•ips1025h_2050h.h: declaration of the IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32 driver functions and their associated
definitions
2.3.1.3 OUT0xA1
The OUT0xA1 BSP component contains board support package files for X-NUCLEO-OUT0xA1 board family
(X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1, X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1, etc.), which are dedicated to the functions necessary to drive the
power switches in steady-state and in PWM mode using GPIOs.
The files are also used to obtain the status of diagnostics and output feedback pins. Through these functions, the
channel can be set and reset or configured in PWM mode with a specific frequency and duty cycle.
2.3.2 Projects
For each STM32 Nucleo platform, an example project is available in the folders:
• Projects\STM32F401RE-Nucleo\Examples\Out03_04
• Projects\STM32G431RB-Nucleo\Examples\Out03_04
Each example has a folder dedicated to the targeted IDE:
•EWARM containing the project files for IAR
•MDK-ARM containing the project files for Keil
•STM32CubeIDE containing the project files for OpenSTM32
Each example also contains the following code files:
•Projects\STM32F401RE-Nucleo\Examples\Out03_04
–Inc\main.h - Header for main.c module
–Inc\out03_04a1_conf.h - Header for BSP/OUT0xA1 driver configuration
–Inc\app_switch.h - Header for app_switch.c module
–Inc\stm32f4xx_hal_conf.h - HAL configuration file for STM32F4xx
–Inc\stm32f4xx_it.h - Interrupt handlers header file for STM32F4xx
–Inc\stm32f4xx_nucleo_errno.h - Error codes for STM32F4xx-Nucleo
–Inc\ips2050h_conf.h - Header for BSP/Components/ips1025h_2050h driver configuration
–Src\main.c - Main program
–Src\app_switch.c - Code for application example customization
–Src\stm32f4xx_hal_msp.c - HAL MSP module for STM32F4xx
–Src\stm32f4xx_it.c - Interrupt handlers for STM32F4xx
–Src\system_stm32f4xx.c - System source file for STM32F4xx
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•Projects\STM32G431RB-Nucleo\Examples\Out03_04
–Inc\main.h - Header for main.c module
–Inc\out03_04a1_conf.h - Header for BSP/OUT0xA1 driver configuration
–Inc\app_switch.h - Header for app_switch.c module
–Inc\stm32g4xx_hal_conf.h - HAL configuration file for STM32G4xx
–Inc\stm32g4xx_it.h - Interrupt handlers header file for STM32G4xx
–Inc\stm32g4xx_nucleo_conf.h - Configuration file for STM32G4xx-Nucleo
–Inc\ips2050h_conf.h - Header for BSP/Components/ips1025h_2050h driver configuration
–Src\main.c - Main program
–Src\app_switch.c - Code for application example customization
–Src\stm32g4xx_hal_msp.c - HAL MSP module for STM32G4xx
–Src\stm32g4xx_it.c - Interrupt handlers for STM32G4xx
–Src\system_stm32g4xx.c - System source file for STM32G4xx
2.4 Software required resources and board configuration
The MCU controls IPS2050H and IPS2050H-32 via GPIOs.
Thus, when using one X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 expansion board or one X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion board,
two GPIO signals (IN1 and IN2 pins) plus two GPIOs dedicated to the interrupt management (FLT1, FLT2 pins)
are required.
The software also uses a PWM timer (TIM3) to generate the periodic patterns on the output channels for the
expansion boards.
It is also possible to evaluate an eight channel digital output module by stacking up to four X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1
and\or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 with shared or independent supply rail and independent loads.
In this case, the additional expansion boards must be properly configured: for the second, third or fourth board,
it is necessary to unsolder four resistors for each board from the default position and solder them in different
positions related to the board number following the scheme described below.
Table 2. Configuration of a stack of four expansion boards
Board no. IN1 IN2 FLT1 FLT2
Board 0 R101 R102 R103 R104
Board 1 R131 R132 R133 R134
Board 2 R111 R112 R113 R114
Board 3 R121 R122 R123 R124
Important:
When using Board 2 and Board 3, two jumpers must close the morpho connectors pins in the STM32 Nucleo board:
•CN7.35-36 closed
• CN10.25-26 closed
For further details, see the jumper configuration described in Section 3.4 Board setup and the documentation file (readme.txt).
2.5 APIs
The X-CUBE-OUT3 API software is defined in the Drivers\BSP\OUT0xA1\out0xa1.h file. Its functions are prefixed
by OUT03_05_SWITCH_.
Detailed technical information about the APIs available to the user can be found in a compiled HTML Help (chm)
file located inside the “Documentation” folder of the software package where all the functions and parameters are
fully described.
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2.6 Sample application description
A sample application using the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion board with either
NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB boards is provided in the “Projects” directory. Ready to be built projects
are available for multiple IDEs.
In this example, a sequence of commands is applied to the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 IN
channels. An operation change is requested by pressing the user button.
At start-up, the IN1 and IN2 channels are switched off. Each time the user button is pressed, the program
performs a consecutive action as in the sequence below:
1. Switches ON IN1 channel on boards 0-2, switches ON IN2 channel on boards 1-3
2. Switches ON IN1 channel on boards 1-3, switches ON IN2 channel on boards 0-2
3. Switches OFF IN1 channel on boards 0-1, switches OFF IN2 channel on boards 2-3
4. Switches OFF IN1 channel on boards 2-3, switches OFF IN2 channel on boards 0-1
5. Switches ON IN1 and IN2 channels on all boards
6. Switches OFF IN1 and IN2 channels on all boards
7. Start PWM on both channels on all boards with different frequency and duty cycle settings:
– IN1 boards 0-3: PWM ON with freq. 2 Hz, DC 25%
– IN2 boards 1-2: PWM ON with freq. 2 Hz, DC 50%
– IN1 boards 1-2: PWM ON with freq. 1 Hz, DC 25%
– IN2 boards 0-3: PWM ON with freq. 1 Hz, DC 50%
8. Set DC 50% for IN1 on all boards
9. Set DC 75% for IN2 on all boards
10. Set DC 100% for IN1 on all boards
11. Set DC 100% for IN2 on all boards
12. Stop PWM on both channels on all boards
By pressing the user blue button, the firmware moves forward to the next function.
The sequence is cyclic: after the last step (12) it returns to the first one (1).
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3System setup guide
3.1 Hardware description
3.1.1 STM32 Nucleo
STM32 Nucleo development boards provide an affordable and flexible way for users to test solutions and build
prototypes with any STM32 microcontroller line.
The Arduino connectivity support and ST morpho connectors make it easy to expand the functionality of the
STM32 Nucleo open development platform with a wide range of specialized expansion boards to choose from.
The STM32 Nucleo board does not require separate probes as it integrates the ST-LINK/V2-1 debugger/
programmer.
The STM32 Nucleo board comes with the comprehensive STM32 software HAL library together with various
packaged software examples for different IDEs (IAR EWARM, Keil MDK-ARM, STM32CubeIDE, mbed and GCC/
LLVM).
All STM32 Nucleo users have free access to the mbed online resources (compiler, C/C++ SDK and developer
community) at www.mbed.org to easily build complete applications.
Figure 3. STM32 Nucleo board
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3.1.2 X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 expansion board
The X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 industrial digital output expansion board for STM32 Nucleo provides a powerful and
flexible environment for the evaluation of the driving and diagnostic capabilities of the IPS2050H (dual high-side
smart power solid state relay) in a digital output module connected to 2.5 A (max.) industrial loads.
The X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 interfaces with the microcontroller on the STM32 Nucleo via 5 kV optocouplers driven
by GPIO pins, Arduino UNO R3 (default configuration) and ST morpho (optional, not mounted) connectors.
The expansion board can be connected to either a NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development board.
It is also possible to evaluate a system composed by up to four stacked X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 expansion boards.
As an example, a system with four X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 expansion boards allows you to evaluate an eight-
channel digital output module with 2.5 A (max.) capability each.
Figure 4. X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 expansion board
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3.1.3 X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion board
The X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 industrial digital output expansion board for STM32 Nucleo provides a powerful and
flexible environment for the evaluation of the driving and diagnostic capabilities of the IPS2050H-32 (dual high-
side smart power solid state relay) in a digital output module connected to 5.7 A (max.) industrial loads.
The X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 interfaces with the microcontroller on the STM32 Nucleo via 5 kV optocouplers driven
by GPIO pins, Arduino UNO R3 (default configuration) and ST morpho (optional, not mounted) connectors.
The expansion board can be connected to either a NUCLEO-F401RE or NUCLEO-G431RB development board.
It is also possible to evaluate a system composed by up to four stacked X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion boards.
As an example, a system with four X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion boards allows you to evaluate an eight-
channel digital output module with 5.7 A (max.) capability each.
Figure 5. X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion board
3.2 Hardware setup
The following hardware components are required:
1. One USB type A to Mini-B USB cable to connect the STM32 Nucleo to the PC when using a NUCLEO-
F401RE
2. One USB type A to Micro-B USB cable when using a NUCLEO-G431RB
3. An external power supply (8 - 33 V) and the associated wires to supply the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or
X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 expansion boards
3.3 Software setup
The following software components are required to set up a suitable development environment for creating
applications for the STM32 Nucleo equipped with the X-NUCLEO-OUT03A1 or X-NUCLEO-OUT04A1 industrial
digital output expansion boards:
•X-CUBE-OUT3: an expansion for STM32Cube dedicated to application development which require the use
of IPS2050H or IPS2050H-32. The X-CUBE-OUT3 firmware and related documentation is available on
www.st.com.
• Development tool-chain and Compiler: the STM32Cube expansion software supports the three following
environments:
– IAR Embedded Workbench for ARM® (EWARM) toolchain + ST-LINK
– RealView Microcontroller Development Kit (MDK-ARM-STR) toolchain + ST-LINK
–STM32CubeIDE + ST-LINK
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