Intermediate
30 min

Discover your target object's color with AS7343 and PIC32MX470F512H

What color is it?

Color 16 Click with 6LoWPAN clicker

Published Feb 25, 2023

Click board™

Color 16 Click

Dev Board

6LoWPAN clicker

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC32MX470F512H

Highly versatile color recognizer

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Color 16 Click is based on the AS7343, a 14-channel multi-purpose spectral sensor from ams AG, providing fast and accurate spectral measurements. It is optimized for reflective (thanks to an onboard LDC red LED controlled through AN pin of the mikroBUS™ socket), transmissive, and emissive light applications, including color matching, fluid or reagent analysis, lateral flow test applications, and spectral identification in the visible range. The AS7343 has a built-in aperture that controls the light entering the sensor array to increase accuracy. The spectral response is defined by individual channels covering approximately 380nm to 1000nm with 11 channels centered in the visible spectrum, one near-infrared, and a clear channel. The AS7343 features a 5x5 photodiode array. Above and below the array, there are two photodiodes with

dedicated functions such as flicker detection and near-infrared response, while in each corner, the array has a photodiode without a filter that is responsive in the visible spectral range. The AS7343 can detect 14 channels - 12 wavelengths, plus a clear and flicker output channel - making this Click board™ great for LED color calibration, miniature optical spectrometers, and more. This sensor does not need a specific Power-Up sequence but requires a voltage of 1.8V for its interface and logic part to work correctly. Therefore, a small regulating LDO, the TLV700, provides a 1.8V out of 3.3V mikroBUS power rail. Color 16 Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface with a maximum clock frequency of 400kHz, fully adjustable through software registers. Since the sensor for operation requires a power supply

of 1.8V, this Click board™ also features the PCA9306 and SN74LVC1T45 voltage-level translators. The I2C interface bus lines are routed to the voltage-level translators allowing this Click board to work with 3.3V MCU properly. Also, it uses an interrupt pin, the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, used when an interrupt occurs to alert the system when the color result crosses upper or lower threshold settings. This Click board™ can only be operated with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

Color 16 Click top side image
Color 16 Click lateral side image
Color 16 Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

6LoWPAN Clicker is a compact starter development board that brings the flexibility of add-on Click boards™ to your favorite microcontroller, making it a perfect starter kit for implementing your ideas. It comes with an onboard 32-bit PIC microcontroller, the PIC32MX470F512H from Microchip, a USB connector, LED indicators, buttons, a mikroProg connector, and a header for interfacing with external electronics. Along with this microcontroller, the board also contains a 2.4GHz ISM band transceiver, allowing you to add wireless communication to your target application. Its compact design provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere

and under any circumstances. Each part of the 6LoWPAN Clicker development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the possibility of choosing the 6LoWPAN Clicker programming method, using USB HID mikroBootloader, or through an external mikroProg connector for PIC, dsPIC, or PIC32 programmer, the Clicker board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development kit. The USB Micro-B connection can provide up to 500mA of current for the Clicker board, which is more than enough to operate all onboard and additional modules, or it can power

over two standard AA batteries. All communication methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board, including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, reset button, and several buttons and LED indicators. 6LoWPAN Clicker is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem, allowing you to create a new application in minutes. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

6LoWPAN clicker double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC32

MCU Memory (KB)

512

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

64

RAM (Bytes)

131072

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

LDC Control
RG9
AN
NC
NC
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Interrupt
RD0
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
RD10
SCL
I2C Data
RD9
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Color 16 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

PIC32MZ clicker front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the 6LoWPAN clicker as your development board.

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Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
Necto image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Flip&Click PIC32MZ MCU step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

This Click board can be interfaced and monitored in two ways:

  • Application Output - Use the "Application Output" window in Debug mode for real-time data monitoring. Set it up properly by following this tutorial.

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Color 16 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • color16_read_data This function checks if the spectral measurement data is ready and then reads data from all channels along with the STATUS and ASTATUS bytes.

  • color16_set_wait_time_ms This function sets the wait time in milliseconds by setting the WTIME register.

  • color16_set_integration_time_ms This function sets the integration time in milliseconds by setting the ATIME and ASTEP registers.

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief Color 16 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Color 16 click by reading and displaying
 * the values from all 14 channels.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Waits for the spectral measurement complete flag and then reads data from all 14 channels
 * in 3 cycles, and displays the results on the USB UART every 300ms approximately.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "color16.h"

static color16_t color16;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    color16_cfg_t color16_cfg;  /**< Click config object. */

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 115200
     * Default log level: LOG_LEVEL_DEBUG
     * @note If USB_UART_RX and USB_UART_TX 
     * are defined as HAL_PIN_NC, you will 
     * need to define them manually for log to work. 
     * See @b LOG_MAP_USB_UART macro definition for detailed explanation.
     */
    LOG_MAP_USB_UART( log_cfg );
    log_init( &logger, &log_cfg );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Init " );

    // Click initialization.
    color16_cfg_setup( &color16_cfg );
    COLOR16_MAP_MIKROBUS( color16_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == color16_init( &color16, &color16_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( COLOR16_ERROR == color16_default_cfg ( &color16 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    color16_data_t color_data;
    if ( COLOR16_OK == color16_read_data ( &color16, &color_data ) )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " STATUS:          0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) color_data.status );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ASTATUS:         0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) color_data.astatus );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------- Cycle 1 -------\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FZ:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fz );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FY:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fy );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FXL:     %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fxl );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel NIR:     %u\r\n", color_data.ch_nir );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel 2xVIS_1: %u\r\n", color_data.ch_2x_vis_1 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FD_1:    %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fd_1 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------- Cycle 2 -------\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F2:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f2 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F3:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f3 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F4:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f4 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F6:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f6 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel 2xVIS_2: %u\r\n", color_data.ch_2x_vis_2 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FD_2:    %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fd_2 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------- Cycle 3 -------\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F1:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f1 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F5:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f5 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F7:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f7 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel F8:      %u\r\n", color_data.ch_f8 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel 2xVIS_3: %u\r\n", color_data.ch_2x_vis_3 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " Channel FD_3:    %u\r\n", color_data.ch_fd_3 );
        log_printf ( &logger, " -----------------------\r\n\n" );
        Delay_ms ( 300 );
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; ) 
    {
        application_task( );
    }
}

// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END

Additional Support

Resources

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