Dual H-bridge with 4 A per bridge — what it drives and where
The Texas Instruments DRV8411ARTER is a fully integrated dual H-bridge motor driver that packs four half-bridge outputs into a 3 mm × 3 mm QFN package. Each half-bridge can deliver up to 4 A continuous, making the part suitable for driving two brushed DC motors or one bipolar stepper motor from a single supply rail between 1.5 V and 11 V.
4 A output current — sizing the load and the thermal budget
The 4 A rating per bridge is the headline selection parameter. The 16-WQFN with exposed pad (3 mm × 3 mm) means the PCB copper area and via stitching under the pad are what actually carry the heat away — a layout with inadequate thermal relief will current-limit or thermally cycle before the silicon reaches its 125°C junction limit. For a stepper motor, the 4 A per winding lets you run NEMA 17 and smaller NEMA 23 frames at their rated current without an external current-sense resistor stage, since the DRV8411ARTER integrates the power stage.
The ROHS3 compliance also clears European and global regulatory requirements without an exemption expiry to watch.
PWM interface and integrated power stage — what it simplifies on the board
The driver accepts standard PWM signals on its interface, so any microcontroller with timer-generated PWM can control motor speed and direction directly — no additional DAC or serial interface needed. The integrated Power MOSFETs eliminate the need for external FETs and gate-drive circuitry, collapsing what would be a multi-IC solution into a single 16-pin QFN. For a two-axis brushed DC application (e.g., a pump and a fan, or dual-motor positioning stage), one DRV8411ARTER replaces two discrete H-bridge designs and their associated PCB area.