Lowside Driver Circuits
A low-side output switches the ground-side return of a load while the load's other terminal remains at its positive supply. When enabled, the output sinks current to ground; when disabled, it removes that path. A relay coil, solenoid, or injector therefore needs both a correctly rated positive feed and a low-side driver.
Turning off an inductive low-side load interrupts stored current. The voltage rise must be clamped by a diode or suppressor, either within an intelligent driver or on the board. Clamp placement matters because it determines where recirculating current flows. Verify that the selected output actually has the required clamp, especially before moving a load from a documented flywheel- protected output to a general-purpose one. Supply voltage, current capacity, PWM frequency, diagnostic behaviour, and protection are board- and driver-specific.
Capoworks selects the output through its board pin map and commands a state or
duty cycle. The default output mode configures an MCU-style push-pull pin;
open-collector modes are also supported. For a smart low-side driver, the
driver controls the power stage and may expose diagnostics. For a direct MCU
logic output, an external driver is still required. Choosing a low-side label
does not establish that the pin can drive a load directly.
Before connection, locate the exact output on the matching board revision, confirm the load supply and return, and identify the clamp and fuse. Then select the matching Capoworks output, polarity, and PWM settings. If a command changes but the load does not, check the output mode, board driver enable, supply, and load return before changing tuning. If switching causes faults or spikes, stop and verify the clamp rather than adding duty. The Universal 112 v1.2 pinout identifies its revision-specific protected outputs; do not transfer those pin or protection details to another revision.