Enable SPI communication between electrically isolated sections with 4DIR1421H and ATmega32A
Quad-channel SPI communication digital isolator
Published Jan 14, 2025
Click board™
SPI Isolator 9 Click
Dev. board
EasyAVR v8
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
ATmega32A
SPI communication with high isolation and noise immunity perfect for industrial automation and motor drives
A
A
Hardware Overview
How does it work?
SPI Isolator 9 Click is based on the 4DIR1421H, a quad-channel digital isolator from Infineon designed for precise data communication in demanding environments. The device is rated to withstand isolation voltages of up to 5700Vrms and adheres to UL 1577 (Ed. 5) certification standards (certification no. E311313), ensuring compliance with stringent industrial safety requirements. This board has four data channels and ensures robust SPI isolation, making it an ideal solution for systems requiring reliable and safe data transmission across electrically isolated domains. The 4DIR1421H features Infineon's ISOFACE™ Coreless Transformer (CT) technology, which delivers exceptional system noise immunity with a minimum Common Mode Transient Immunity
(CMTI) of 100kV/µs, ensuring stable performance in noisy industrial environments. It supports data rates of up to 40Mbps, allowing for high-speed communication, and operates efficiently with low power consumption, contributing to overall system energy savings. Its robust isolation capabilities make it an excellent choice for Switch-Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) in industrial and telecommunications settings, where safety and reliability are critical, as well as in server and telecom systems, industrial automation, motor drives, and medical devices. This Click board™ is designed in a unique format supporting the newly introduced MIKROE feature called "Click Snap." Unlike the standardized version of Click boards, this feature allows the main IC area to become
movable by breaking the PCB, opening up many new possibilities for implementation. Thanks to the Snap feature, the 4DIR1421H can operate autonomously by accessing its signals directly on the pins marked 1-8. Additionally, the Snap part includes a specified and fixed screw hole position, enabling users to secure the Snap board in their desired location. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.
Features overview
Development board
EasyAVR v8 is a development board designed to rapidly develop embedded applications based on 8-bit AVR microcontrollers (MCUs). Redesigned from the ground up, EasyAVR v8 offers a familiar set of standard features, as well as some new and unique features standard for the 8th generation of development boards: programming and debugging over the WiFi network, connectivity provided by USB-C connectors, support for a wide range of different MCUs, and more. The development board is designed so that the developer has everything that might be needed for the application development, following the Swiss Army knife concept: a highly advanced programmer/debugger module, a reliable power supply module, and a USB-UART connectivity option. EasyAVR v8 board offers several different DIP sockets, covering a wide range of 8-bit AVR MCUs, from the smallest
AVR MCU devices with only eight pins, all the way up to 40-pin "giants". The development board supports the well-established mikroBUS™ connectivity standard, offering five mikroBUS™ sockets, allowing access to a huge base of Click boards™. EasyAVR v8 offers two display options, allowing even the basic 8-bit AVR MCU devices to utilize them and display graphical or textual content. One of them is the 1x20 graphical display connector, compatible with the familiar Graphical Liquid Crystal Display (GLCD) based on the KS108 (or compatible) display driver, and EasyTFT board that contains TFT Color Display MI0283QT-9A, which is driven by ILI9341 display controller, capable of showing advanced graphical content. The other option is the 2x16 character LCD module, a four-bit display module with an embedded character-based display controller. It
requires minimal processing power from the host MCU for its operation. There is a wide range of useful interactive options at the disposal: high-quality buttons with selectable press levels, LEDs, pull-up/pulldown DIP switches, and more. All these features are packed on a single development board, which uses innovative manufacturing technologies, delivering a fluid and immersive working experience. The EasyAVR v8 development board is also integral to the MIKROE rapid development ecosystem. Natively supported by the MIKROE Software toolchain, backed up by hundreds of different Click board™ designs with their number growing daily, it covers many different prototyping and development aspects, thus saving precious development time.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
AVR
MCU Memory (KB)
32
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
40
RAM (Bytes)
2048
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the EasyAVR v8 as your development board.
Track your results in real time
Application Output
1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.
2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.
3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.
Software Support
Library Description
SPI Isolator 9 Click demo application is developed using the NECTO Studio, ensuring compatibility with mikroSDK's open-source libraries and tools. Designed for plug-and-play implementation and testing, the demo is fully compatible with all development, starter, and mikromedia boards featuring a mikroBUS™ socket.
Example Description
This example demonstrates the use of SPI Isolator 9 Click board by reading the device ID of the connected Accel 22 Click board.
Key functions:
spiisolator9_cfg_setup- Config Object Initialization function.spiisolator9_init- Initialization function.spiisolator9_write- This function writes a desired number of data bytes by using SPI serial interface.spiisolator9_read- This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using SPI serial interface.spiisolator9_write_then_read- This function writes and then reads a desired number of data bytes by using SPI serial interface.
Application Init
Initializes the driver and logger.
Application Task
Reads and checks the device ID of the connected Accel 22 Click board, and displays the results on the USB UART approximately once per second.
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 SPI Isolator 9 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of SPI Isolator 9 Click board by reading the
* device ID of the connected Accel 22 Click board.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and logger.
*
* ## Application Task
* Reads and checks the device ID of the connected Accel 22 Click board, and displays the
* results on the USB UART approximately once per second.
*
* @note
* Make sure to provide a VCC power supply on the VOUT side.
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "spiisolator9.h"
static spiisolator9_t spiisolator9;
static log_t logger;
/**
* @brief SPI Isolator 9 get accel 22 id function.
* @details This function reads and checks the device ID of the connected Accel 22 Click board.
* @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
* See #spiisolator9_t object definition for detailed explanation.
* @return None.
* @note None.
*/
void spiisolator9_get_accel22_id ( spiisolator9_t *ctx );
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
spiisolator9_cfg_t spiisolator9_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.
spiisolator9_cfg_setup( &spiisolator9_cfg );
SPIISOLATOR9_MAP_MIKROBUS( spiisolator9_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == spiisolator9_init( &spiisolator9, &spiisolator9_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
spiisolator9_get_accel22_id ( &spiisolator9 );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
}
int main ( void )
{
/* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
#ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
preinit();
#endif
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
return 0;
}
void spiisolator9_get_accel22_id ( spiisolator9_t *ctx )
{
#define DEVICE_NAME "Accel 22 Click"
#define DEVICE_SPI_READ_REG 0x0B
#define DEVICE_REG_ID 0x00
#define DEVICE_ID 0xAD
uint8_t data_in[ 2 ] = { DEVICE_SPI_READ_REG, DEVICE_REG_ID };
uint8_t device_id;
if ( SPIISOLATOR9_OK == spiisolator9_write_then_read ( ctx, data_in, 2, &device_id, 1 ) )
{
log_printf( &logger, "\r\n %s\r\n", ( char * ) DEVICE_NAME );
if ( DEVICE_ID == device_id )
{
log_printf ( &logger, " Device ID: 0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) device_id );
}
else
{
log_error( &logger, " Wrong Device ID: 0x%.2X", ( uint16_t ) device_id );
}
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
Additional Support
Resources
Category:SPI
