MC33886 — 5.0A H-Bridge Motor Driver IC

Overview

The MC33886 is a monolithic H-Bridge power IC manufactured by NXP Semiconductors (originally developed by Motorola / Freescale). Packaged in a 20-pin HSOP surface-mount package with an exposed bottom thermal heatsink slug, it is designed for controlling bidirectional DC motors, fractional horsepower actuators, and inductive loads at continuous currents up to $5.0\text{ A}$ from supply voltages between $5.0\text{ V}$ and $28.0\text{ V}$ (with transient survival up to $40.0\text{ V}$ ).

The IC integrates four low $R_{DS(on)}$ power MOSFET switches ( $120\text{ m}\Omega$ per leg) and features internal charge pumps for continuous high-side gate drive (enabling $100\%$ duty cycle static ON operation). It incorporates internal current feedback (FB), open-drain fault status reporting (FS), undervoltage lockout, and thermal shutdown with hysteresis.

Quick reference


Driver Type	Monolithic H-Bridge DC Motor Driver IC
Package	HSOP-20 (Exposed Center Heat Slug) / Pololu Carrier
Motor Supply Voltage ( $V_{PWR}$ )	$5.0\text{ V}$ to $28.0\text{ V}$ DC (Operates up to $40.0\text{ V}$ transients)
Continuous Load Current	$5.0\text{ A}$ RMS continuous (with adequate heatsinking)
Peak Current Limit	$5.2\text{ A} \dots 7.8\text{ A}$ typical internal current limiting
MOSFET On-Resistance ( $R_{DS(ON)}$ )	$120\text{ m}\Omega$ typical per MOSFET ( $240\text{ m}\Omega$ total bridge path)
Maximum PWM Frequency	$10\text{ kHz}$ recommended (internally slew-rate controlled)
Logic Input Levels	TTL / 5V CMOS compatible ( $3.3\text{V}$ microcontroller compatible)
Protection Features	Overcurrent limiting, Thermal shutdown, Undervoltage lockout (UVLO), Fault status flag

Pinout (HSOP-20 Package)

text

         ┌──────────────┐
    AGND ─│ 1         20 │─ FB
    ~FS~ ─│ 2         19 │─ VPWR
     DNC ─│ 3   EP    18 │─ PGND
     IN1 ─│ 4 (Tab)   17 │─ PGND
     IN2 ─│ 5         16 │─ OUT2
      D1 ─│ 6         15 │─ OUT2
    ~D2~ ─│ 7         14 │─ PGND
     CCP ─│ 8         13 │─ PGND
    VPWR ─│ 9         12 │─ OUT1
    VPWR ─│ 10        11 │─ OUT1
         └──────────────┘

Pin	Name	Description
1	`AGND`	Analog low-noise signal ground reference
2	`~FS~`	Open-drain active-LOW fault status output (Pull up to MCU logic VCC)
3	`DNC`	Do Not Connect (Leave floating)
4	`IN1`	Logic control input 1 (TTL/CMOS compatible)
5	`IN2`	Logic control input 2 (TTL/CMOS compatible)
6	`D1`	Disable input 1 (Active-HIGH disable; internally pulled HIGH to disable)
7	`~D2~`	Disable input 2 (Active-LOW disable; internally pulled LOW to disable)
8	`CCP`	External charge pump capacitor pin (Connect 33nF to VPWR)
9, 10	`VPWR`	Main positive power supply input (+5.0V to +28.0V DC)
11, 12	`OUT1`	H-Bridge output 1 (Internally paralleled output pins)
13, 14	`PGND`	Power ground return for H-Bridge output stages
15, 16	`OUT2`	H-Bridge output 2 (Internally paralleled output pins)
17, 18	`PGND`	Power ground return for H-Bridge output stages
19	`VPWR`	Main positive power supply input
20	`FB`	Current feedback sense output (Provides current mirror output proportional to load current)

Control Logic Truth Table

To enable the H-bridge, D1 must be held LOW and ~D2~ must be held HIGH:

`D1`	`~D2~`	`IN1`	`IN2`	`OUT1`	`OUT2`	Operating Mode
High (`1`)	X	X	X	High-Z	High-Z	Disabled / Coast (Standby)
X	Low (`0`)	X	X	High-Z	High-Z	Disabled / Coast (Standby)
Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	Low (`0`)	Low (`0`)	Low	Low	Brake to Ground (Low-side recirculation)
Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	High (`1`)	Low (`0`)	High	Low	Forward Drive
Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	Low	High	Reverse Drive
Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	High (`1`)	High (`1`)	High	High	Brake to VPWR (High-side recirculation)

Specifications

Parameter	Symbol	Min	Typ	Max	Unit	Conditions
Operating Supply Voltage	$V_{PWR}$	5.2	13.5	28.0	V	Normal operation
Transient Voltage Rating	$V_{PWR(PK)}$	—	—	40.0	V	$t < 500\text{ ms}$
Continuous Output Current	$I_{OUT}$	5.0	—	—	A	$T_J \le 125^\circ\text{C}$ with heatsink
Overcurrent Limiting Threshold	$I_{LIM}$	5.2	6.5	7.8	A	$T_J = 25^\circ\text{C}$
MOSFET On-Resistance ( $R_{DS(on)}$ )	$R_{ON}$	—	120	225	$\text{m}\Omega$	Per switch at $T_J = 25^\circ\text{C}, I_{OUT} = 3.0\text{A}$
PWM Switching Frequency	$f_{PWM}$	0	—	10	kHz	Continuous switching
Charge Pump Capacitor	$C_{CP}$	—	33	—	nF	Ceramic connected from Pin 8 to VPWR
Thermal Shutdown Temp	$T_{SD}$	150	175	200	°C	Junction temperature

Common mistakes

Leaving D1 and D2 floating: D1 has an internal pull-up and ~D2~ has an internal pull-down. Leaving both unconnected permanently holds the H-bridge in its high-impedance disable state. Tie D1 to GND and ~D2~ to VCC (or MCU GPIO HIGH) to enable.
Omitting the CCP charge pump capacitor: Pin 8 (CCP) requires a $33\text{ nF}$ ( $50\text{V}$ ) ceramic capacitor connected directly to VPWR. Without this capacitor, the internal high-side gate drive charge pump cannot operate, preventing continuous high-side conduction.
Exceeding 10 kHz PWM frequency: The MC33886 has controlled output rise and fall times ( $t_r \approx 1.5\ \mu\text{s}$ ) to reduce electromagnetic interference (EMI). Driving PWM frequencies above $10\text{ kHz} \dots 20\text{ kHz}$ dramatically increases switching losses and causes rapid thermal buildup.
Neglecting the exposed pad soldering: The bottom slug is essential for heat extraction. Soldering the slug to a copper plane with thermal vias is mandatory for continuous loads exceeding $2\text{ A}$ .

Notes

Current Feedback (FB Pin): Pin 20 outputs a current proportional to the total high-side load current (ratio $\approx 1/375$ ). Connecting a precision ground resistor (e.g. $1\text{ k}\Omega$ ) produces a $0\text{V} \dots 3.3\text{V}$ voltage readable by an MCU ADC for real-time torque and stall detection.

Interface	Dual PWM Inputs (IN1, IN2), Dual Disable Inputs (D1, ~D2~), Open-Drain Fault Status (~FS~), Current Feedback (FB)
Supply	5–28 V
Package	HSOP-20 (Exposed Heatsink Pad) / 33-Pin PQFN / Pololu MC33886 Carrier