Beginner
10 min

Provide highly accurate real-time clock and calendar functions with the DS1307 and STM32L496AG

Battery-backed real-time clock solution for continuous tracking

RTC 24 Click with Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Published Jul 22, 2025

Click board™

RTC 24 Click

Dev. board

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32L496AG

Ensure your data loggers and metering systems maintain accurate timestamps with robust real-time clock capabilities

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

RTC 24 Click is based on the DS1307, a serial real-time clock (RTC) module from Analog Devices, which features a 64x8 bit battery-backed NV SRAM alongside its full binary-coded decimal (BCD) clock/calendar functionality. This board provides highly accurate real-time clock and calendar functions for embedded applications, enabling precise timekeeping even during power interruptions. The clock/calendar maintains complete time data, including seconds, minutes, hours, day, date, month, and year, with built-in logic to automatically adjust the date at the end of each month, accounting for months with fewer than 31 days and incorporating leap-year compensation valid up to the year 2100. The device supports both 24-hour and 12-hour formats with an AM/PM indicator, making it flexible for various regional and application-specific requirements. 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 sensor area to become movable by breaking the PCB, opening up many new possibilities for implementation. Thanks to the Snap feature, the DS1307 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. Communication with the host MCU is established through a standard I2C interface, allowing for straightforward integration and reliable data transfer. In addition to the standard I2C pins, RTC 24 Click uses the SQW pin, which can output one of four selectable square-wave frequencies: 1Hz, 4kHz, 8kHz, or 32kHz, allowing the board to provide an accurate clock signal or act as an output driver for synchronization purposes in complex systems. The board also integrates a VBAT SEL switch that allows users to select the backup power source for the RTC module. This switch enables the selection between the onboard lithium cell battery

or an external 3V backup supply provided via the VEXT pin, located directly next to the switch, ensuring uninterrupted operation and flexible power management depending on system design requirements. A built-in power-sense circuit within the DS1307 automatically detects power failures and switches to the selected backup supply, preserving timekeeping data at all times. This combination of features makes RTC 24 Click an ideal solution for applications such as data loggers, metering systems, industrial automation, and any embedded system that requires dependable and continuous real-time tracking. 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.

RTC 24 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

The 32L496GDISCOVERY Discovery kit serves as a comprehensive demonstration and development platform for the STM32L496AG microcontroller, featuring an Arm® Cortex®-M4 core. Designed for applications that demand a balance of high performance, advanced graphics, and ultra-low power consumption, this kit enables seamless prototyping for a wide range of embedded solutions. With its innovative energy-efficient

architecture, the STM32L496AG integrates extended RAM and the Chrom-ART Accelerator, enhancing graphics performance while maintaining low power consumption. This makes the kit particularly well-suited for applications involving audio processing, graphical user interfaces, and real-time data acquisition, where energy efficiency is a key requirement. For ease of development, the board includes an onboard ST-LINK/V2-1

debugger/programmer, providing a seamless out-of-the-box experience for loading, debugging, and testing applications without requiring additional hardware. The combination of low power features, enhanced memory capabilities, and built-in debugging tools makes the 32L496GDISCOVERY kit an ideal choice for prototyping advanced embedded systems with state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

STM32L496AG Image

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

169

RAM (Bytes)

327680

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
ID COMM
PG11
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Square-Wave Output
PH2
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PB8
SCL
I2C Data
PB7
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

RTC 24 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU as your development board.

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly
Thermo 21 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Thermo 21 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Board mapper by product7 hardware assembly
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
Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU NECTO MCU Selection Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto image step 11 hardware assembly

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

RTC 24 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 the RTC 24 Click board by initializing the device and setting up the current time and date. It continuously reads and displays the updated time and date every second using the square wave pin.

Key functions:

  • rtc24_cfg_setup - This function initializes Click configuration structure to initial values.

  • rtc24_init - This function initializes all necessary pins and peripherals used for this Click board.

  • rtc24_default_cfg - This function executes a default configuration of RTC 24 Click board.

  • rtc24_set_time - This function sets the current time (hours, minutes, seconds) in the RTC.

  • rtc24_read_time - This function reads the current time (hours, minutes, seconds) from the RTC.

  • rtc24_read_date - This function reads the current date (day, day of week, month, year) from the RTC.

Application Init
Initializes the logger and the RTC 24 Click driver, applies the default configuration, and sets the starting time and date.

Application Task
Waits for a 1 Hz square wave signal and then reads and displays the current time and date.

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 RTC 24 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the RTC 24 Click board by initializing
 * the device and setting up the current time and date. It continuously
 * reads and displays the updated time and date every second using the square wave pin.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections:
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the logger and the RTC 24 Click driver, applies the default configuration,
 * and sets the starting time and date.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Waits for a 1 Hz square wave signal and then reads and displays the current time and date.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "rtc24.h"

static rtc24_t rtc24;
static log_t logger;
static rtc24_time_t time;
static rtc24_date_t date;

/**
 * @brief RTC 24 get day of week name function.
 * @details This function returns the name of day of the week as a string.
 * @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
 * See #rtc24_t object definition for detailed explanation.
 * @param[in] day_of_week : Day of week decimal value.
 * @return Name of day as a string.
 * @note None.
 */
static uint8_t *rtc24_get_day_of_week_name ( uint8_t day_of_week );

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    rtc24_cfg_t rtc24_cfg;  /**< Click config object. */

    /** 
     * Logger initialization.
     * Default baud rate: 124200
     * 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.
    rtc24_cfg_setup( &rtc24_cfg );
    RTC24_MAP_MIKROBUS( rtc24_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == rtc24_init( &rtc24, &rtc24_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( RTC24_ERROR == rtc24_default_cfg ( &rtc24 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    time.hour = 23;
    time.minute = 59;
    time.second = 50;
    if ( RTC24_OK == rtc24_set_time ( &rtc24, &time ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Set time: %.2u:%.2u:%.2u\r\n", 
                    ( uint16_t ) time.hour, ( uint16_t ) time.minute, ( uint16_t ) time.second );
    }
    date.day_of_week = RTC24_TUESDAY;
    date.day = 31;
    date.month = 12;
    date.year = 24;
    if ( RTC24_OK == rtc24_set_date ( &rtc24, &date ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Set date: %s, %.2u.%.2u.20%.2u.\r\n", 
                    rtc24_get_day_of_week_name ( date.day_of_week ),
                    ( uint16_t ) date.day, ( uint16_t ) date.month, ( uint16_t ) date.year );
    }

    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    // Wait for a square wave output configured at 1 Hz
    while ( rtc24_get_sqw_pin ( &rtc24 ) );
    while ( !rtc24_get_sqw_pin ( &rtc24 ) );

    if ( RTC24_OK == rtc24_read_time ( &rtc24, &time ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Time: %.2u:%.2u:%.2u\r\n", 
                    ( uint16_t ) time.hour, ( uint16_t ) time.minute, ( uint16_t ) time.second );
    }
    if ( RTC24_OK == rtc24_read_date ( &rtc24, &date ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Date: %s, %.2u.%.2u.20%.2u.\r\n\n", 
                    rtc24_get_day_of_week_name ( date.day_of_week ),
                    ( uint16_t ) date.day, ( uint16_t ) date.month, ( uint16_t ) date.year );
    }
}

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;
}

static uint8_t *rtc24_get_day_of_week_name ( uint8_t day_of_week )
{
    switch ( day_of_week )
    {
        case RTC24_MONDAY:
        {
            return "Monday";
        }
        case RTC24_TUESDAY:
        {
            return "Tuesday";
        }
        case RTC24_WEDNESDAY:
        {
            return "Wednesday";
        }
        case RTC24_THURSDAY:
        {
            return "Thursday";
        }
        case RTC24_FRIDAY:
        {
            return "Friday";
        }
        case RTC24_SATURDAY:
        {
            return "Saturday";
        }
        case RTC24_SUNDAY:
        {
            return "Sunday";
        }
        default:
        {
            return "Unknown";
        }
    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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