Getting Started with the EVBMA7518S48V Evaluation Board

2.1 Board Features

• 48 V battery management system (BMS) architecture
• One BMA7518 device on one board
• BMA7518 can measure voltage for up to 18 battery cells with high accuracy
• BMA7518 has 10 channels of temperature sensing
• Serial peripheral interface (SPI) communication between BMA7518 and microcontroller (MCU)
• Cell balancing current up to 300 mA
• 48 V system basis chip (SBC) (FS27) and MCU (S32K312) implemented
• ASIL C or above overcurrent (OC) protection with two channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) driver
• Two-channel controller area network (CAN) interface for communicating with upper controller or graphical user interface (GUI)
• One external universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) interface for communicating with GUI
• Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) debugging interface
• High electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) performance

2.2 Board Description

The board includes one BMA7518 device controlled by the S32K312 MCU. The BMA7518 measures lithium-ion batteries with four to 18 cells. The BMA7518 communicates with the MCU through a non-isolated SPI. A SBC (FS27) supplies the MCU from a 48 volts direct current (IVDC) power source. The design integrates a MOSFET driver to control charging and discharging. A redundant current‑measurement channel provides timely OC protection and improves the functional safety level. Refer to the diagram below for the EVB’s layout.

Figure 1. EVBMA7518S48V Block Diagram

Figure 1. EVBMA7518S48V Block Diagram

2.3 Board Components

Figure 2 identifies important components on the board while Table 1 provides additional details on these components.

Figure 2. Device and Connectors

Figure 2. Device and Connectors

Table 1. EVB Featured Component Locations

2.4 Connectors

Table 2. J1 High-Voltage Connector Description

Table 3. J4 TJAG Debug Connector Description.

Table 4. J5 Communication Connector Description.

The Union GUI is intended to develop, execute and test simple use cases. It is compatible with application and testing of various analog front-ends (AFEs). The GUI also enables software engineers to test the hardware functionality. The Union GUI also supports BMA7318 debugging through a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter (UART) communication port. Before using the Union GUI, ensure the hardware is set up and ready for operation.

• Personal PC with a free USB 3.0 port
• Hardware (interface) platform as described above

3.1 Use the Tool

Step 1: Set up the hardware configuration as described above, then power it up.

Step 2: Start Union GUI, then open Union GUI as shown below in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Union GUI Overview

Figure 3. Union GUI Overview

Step 3: Configure the connections as shown in Figure 4.

• Select serial port: PackController > Serial > Select Port > COM

Figure 4. Serial port selection


• Select baud rate: PackController > Serial > Baud Rate > 115200

Figure 5. Baud rate Selection


• Communication connection, PackController > Serial > Connect

Step 4: Select the type of AFE, RefType > BMA7318. The window displays the measurement data, as shown in Figure 5.

Figure 6. AFE selection

Step 5: Refer to Figure 7 for the AFE configuration.

Figure 7. AFE configuration

1. Send the AFE reinitialization command: Conif > ModeCtrl > Initialize
2. Select the number of AFEs to initialize: Conif > ModeCtrl > Cluster
3. AFE sleep:
4. Send AFE sleep command: Conif > ModeCtrl > Sleep
5. AFE wake-up:
6. Send AFE wake-up command: Conif > ModeCtrl > Wake up

Step 6: Log running data. When monitoring the AFE's running status through the GUI, select Logging > start log to print the running data and save it to an Excel file. The GUI installation path stores the file.

Figure 8. AFE Selection

For more details about the Union GUI, please refer to the Union GUI documentation: info > UnionGUI documentation.

4.1 Build and Load

Figure 9 presents a typical hardware configuration that incorporates the development board, power supply and Windows PC workstation.

To configure the hardware and workstation, complete the following steps:

1. Connect the two battery simulator boards to the J1 connector and power the battery simulator boards by a DC power supply 48 V, with the current limited to 500 mA
2. Connect communication connector to CAN bus or connect to another controller (optional)
3. Set up the main circuit. It goes through 48 V power, MOSFET matrix (on board), load and SHUNT (on board)
4. Connect J4 to the PC using the USB Multilink cable. Debug the board using the S32DS for S32
5. Connect the PC using a USB Type-C cable so the Union GUI connects

Figure 9. EVBMA7518S48V Setup Based on the Battery Simulator Board

Figure 9. EVBMA7518S48V Setup Based on the Battery Simulator Board

Union GUI can be found at the EVBMA7518S48V page.

Board Information

• EVBMA7518S48V Evaluation Board
• EVBMA7518S48V Schematics
• EVBMA7518S48V Design Files

Additional Resources

• BMX7318: Detailed information on BMx7318, 18-Channel lithium-ion BCC IC
• S32K312: 32-bit automotive general-purpose MCU
• FS27: 48 V Safety System Basis Chip for ASIL D
• EVBMA7318S48V: Detailed information on this board, including documentation, downloads and software and tools