Glossary Updates12 new terms added to the glossaries · October 2, 2026, 22:44 CEST
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Glossary · Motion control and drives

Evaluation kit

Also known as: Evaluation board, Eval kit, Eval board

German: Evaluierungskit

In electronics development, an evaluation kit is a set of boards, software and documentation that lets engineers test and characterize a component such as a motion control IC before designing their own hardware; it is intended for laboratory evaluation, not for use in machines or end products.

  • Motion control
  • Technical documentation

In one sentence

An evaluation kit is a set of boards and software for testing a component such as a motion control IC in the lab, not for use in machines.

Example

An engineer connects a stepper motor to an evaluation kit made of a baseboard, a connector board and a driver board, and tunes the chopper settings with the vendor's PC tool.

How it applies

  • Engineering: Modular kits split the functions: a baseboard with microcontroller, USB, firmware and power supply; a connector board that routes the signals and offers test points; and a driver board with the IC under test, motor connectors, sensor inputs and current control. Driver boards can be swapped to compare ICs on the same baseboard.
  • Commissioning: Board jumpers, supply voltage and the firmware version must match the kit's documentation; the PC tool writes registers that the final firmware must set later.
  • Operation: Kits have open boards, no enclosure and usually no protection against touch, static discharge or wrong wiring.
  • Documentation: Describe the board combination, jumper settings and software versions used. State that the kit is for laboratory evaluation by qualified persons only and not for use in machines or products, and don't imply that it meets product requirements.

By knowledge.aitechdoc.world · Published September 28, 2026 · Last reviewed

Source: AI TechDoc Knowledge editorial definition, based on semiconductor vendor practice

Definitions follow the cited standards and specifications. Where a source is a copyrighted publication, such as an ISO, IEC or EN standard, the definition is a close paraphrase, not a verbatim quotation, so as not to infringe copyright. We recommend reading the original publication. The sections “How it applies” are editorial commentary by AI TechDoc Knowledge and are not part of any standard.

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