Intermediate
20 min

Enable isolated SPI communication for automotive and industrial systems with the L9963T and PIC18F57Q43

Galvanically isolated, high-speed SPI bridge for high-voltage and industrial systems

2-Wire SPI ISO Click with Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Published Oct 13, 2025

Click board™

2-Wire SPI ISO Click

Dev. board

Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F57Q43

Bridge standard SPI and isolated 2-wire SPI interfaces with configurable Host/Peripheral modes and robust signal integrity

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

2-Wire SPI ISO Click is based on the L9963T, an automotive general-purpose SPI to isolated SPI transceiver from STMicroelectronics that provides a galvanically isolated communication bridge between devices operating in different voltage domains. The L9963T is designed to transfer data from a classical 4-wire SPI interface to a proprietary 2-wire isolated interface and back, ensuring data exchange in environments where galvanic isolation is required. It supports both transformer and capacitive isolation, since the generated isolated signal is compatible with both decoupling technologies. This Click board™ is ideal for automotive 48V and high-voltage systems, backup energy storage and UPS applications, industrial communication networks, portable and semi-portable devices, and remote sensors, providing an isolated SPI communication link for demanding embedded applications. The L9963T can be configured either as a Slave or a Master

mode of the SPI bus by placing MODE SEL jumpers in the proper positions and supports any SPI frame length from 8 to 64 bits, transferring data transparently without performing protocol checks. In Slave mode, the SPI interface can operate at up to 10MHz, while in Master mode the clock frequency can be selected among 250kHz, 1MHz, 4MHz, or 8MHz. On the isolated SPI side, two operating modes are available: a low-speed mode at 333kbps and a high-speed mode at 2.66Mbps, selectable via the FREQ SEL jumper. The device internally manages the asynchronicity between both sides, enabling the use of all frequency configurations across the two SPI domains. To accommodate timing differences and ensure smooth data flow, the L9963T integrates a buffer with 3 slots for frames received on the SPI port and 20 slots for frames received on the isolated SPI port, decoupling the two clock domains. The board also features a DIS switch that allows the user to

disable the transmitter and place the device into a low-power mode when set to position 1, or keep it in normal operating mode when set to position 0. A set of jumpers provides additional flexibility: BNE SEL controls the SDO Buffer Not Empty flag and allows SPI clock polarity (CPOL) selection, AMP SEL selects the isolated SPI transmit amplitude and threshold between low and high, and TxEN SEL enables the transmitter or selects the SPI clock phase (CPHA). This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VIO 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.

2-Wire SPI ISO Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano evaluation kit is a cutting-edge hardware platform designed to evaluate microcontrollers within the PIC18-Q43 family. Central to its design is the inclusion of the powerful PIC18F57Q43 microcontroller (MCU), offering advanced functionalities and robust performance. Key features of this evaluation kit include a yellow user LED and a responsive

mechanical user switch, providing seamless interaction and testing. The provision for a 32.768kHz crystal footprint ensures precision timing capabilities. With an onboard debugger boasting a green power and status LED, programming and debugging become intuitive and efficient. Further enhancing its utility is the Virtual serial port (CDC) and a debug GPIO channel (DGI

GPIO), offering extensive connectivity options. Powered via USB, this kit boasts an adjustable target voltage feature facilitated by the MIC5353 LDO regulator, ensuring stable operation with an output voltage ranging from 1.8V to 5.1V, with a maximum output current of 500mA, subject to ambient temperature and voltage constraints.

PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity Nano double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

48

RAM (Bytes)

8196

You complete me!

Accessories

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards is a versatile hardware extension platform created to streamline the integration between Curiosity Nano kits and extension boards, tailored explicitly for the mikroBUS™-standardized Click boards and Xplained Pro extension boards. This innovative base board (shield) offers seamless connectivity and expansion possibilities, simplifying experimentation and development. Key features include USB power compatibility from the Curiosity Nano kit, alongside an alternative external power input option for enhanced flexibility. The onboard Li-Ion/LiPo charger and management circuit ensure smooth operation for battery-powered applications, simplifying usage and management. Moreover, the base incorporates a fixed 3.3V PSU dedicated to target and mikroBUS™ power rails, alongside a fixed 5.0V boost converter catering to 5V power rails of mikroBUS™ sockets, providing stable power delivery for various connected devices.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards accessories 1 image

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Transceiver Disable
PA0
AN
ID SEL
PA7
RST
SPI Select / ID COMM
PD4
CS
SPI Clock
PC6
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PC5
MISO
SPI Data IN
PC4
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Transmitter Enable / SPI Clock Phase
PB0
PWM
Buffer Flag / SPI Clock Polarity
PA6
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

2-Wire SPI ISO Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Curiosity Nano with PIC18F57Q43 as your development board.

Curiosity Nano Base for Click boards front image hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click front image hardware assembly
PIC18F47Q10 Curiosity Nano front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Charger 27 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Board mapper by product8 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
PIC18F57Q43 Curiosity 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

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

2-Wire SPI ISO 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 a 2-Wire SPI ISO Click board by showing the communication between the two Click boards (Slave and Master). That is performed by sending commands to a 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Slave) to read the device ID of a Accel 22 Click board connected to the 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Master).

Key functions:

  • c2wirespiiso_cfg_setup - Config Object Initialization function.

  • c2wirespiiso_init - Initialization function.

  • c2wirespiiso_default_cfg - Click Default Configuration function.

  • c2wirespiiso_write - This function writes a desired number of data bytes by using SPI serial interface.

  • c2wirespiiso_read - This function reads a desired number of data bytes by using SPI serial interface.

  • c2wirespiiso_get_bne_pin - This function returns the RX buffer not empty (BNE) pin logic state.

Application Init
Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.

Application Task
Reads and checks the device ID of a Accel 22 Click board connected to the 2-Wire SPI ISO (Master) Click, 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 2-Wire SPI ISO Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of a 2-Wire SPI ISO Click board by showing
 * the communication between the two Click boards (Slave and Master). That is performed by
 * sending commands to a 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Slave) to read the device ID of a Accel 22
 * Click board connected to the 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Master).
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads and checks the device ID of a Accel 22 Click board connected to the 2-Wire SPI ISO
 * (Master) Click, and displays the results on the USB UART approximately once per second.
 *
 * @note
 * The communication topology is as follows:
 * MCU <-> 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Slave) <-> 2-Wire SPI ISO Click (Master) <-> Accel 22 Click
 * The Master/Slave selection is done via on-board SMD jumpers.
 * The Master Click board must be powered up with a 3V3 and 5V power supply externally.
 * Also the DIS must be pulled down on Master Click board to enable the device.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "c2wirespiiso.h"

static c2wirespiiso_t c2wirespiiso;
static log_t logger;

/**
 * @brief 2-Wire SPI ISO get Accel 22 ID function.
 * @details This function reads and checks the device ID of the Accel 22 Click board which
 * is connected to 2-Wire SPI ISO (master) Click board.
 * @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
 * See #spiisolator6_t object definition for detailed explanation.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
void c2wirespiiso_get_accel22_id ( c2wirespiiso_t *ctx );

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    c2wirespiiso_cfg_t c2wirespiiso_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.
    c2wirespiiso_cfg_setup( &c2wirespiiso_cfg );
    C2WIRESPIISO_MAP_MIKROBUS( c2wirespiiso_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == c2wirespiiso_init( &c2wirespiiso, &c2wirespiiso_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    c2wirespiiso_default_cfg ( &c2wirespiiso );
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    c2wirespiiso_get_accel22_id ( &c2wirespiiso );
    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 c2wirespiiso_get_accel22_id ( c2wirespiiso_t *ctx )
{
    #define TIMEOUT_MS          1000
    #define DEVICE_NAME         "Accel 22 Click"
    #define DEVICE_SPI_READ_REG 0x0B
    #define DEVICE_REG_ID       0x00
    #define DEVICE_ID           0xAD
    uint8_t data_buf[ 3 ] = { DEVICE_SPI_READ_REG, DEVICE_REG_ID, 0 };
    uint16_t timeout_cnt = 0;

    // Send SPI read reg command + reg address + 1 dummy byte as data request
    c2wirespiiso_write ( ctx, data_buf, 3 );
    // Wait for RX buffer not empty indication
    while ( !c2wirespiiso_get_bne_pin ( ctx ) )
    {
        if ( ++timeout_cnt > TIMEOUT_MS )
        {
            log_error( &logger, "Timeout! Make sure the DIS pin is pulled down on master Click board." );
            return;
        }
        Delay_1ms ( );
    }
    // Read 3 bytes, 2 dummy bytes + response data byte
    c2wirespiiso_read ( ctx, data_buf, 3 );

    log_printf( &logger, "\r\n %s\r\n", ( char * ) DEVICE_NAME );
    if ( DEVICE_ID == data_buf[ 2 ] )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " Device ID: 0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) data_buf[ 2 ] );
    }
    else
    {
        log_error( &logger, "Wrong ID read: 0x%.2X", ( uint16_t ) data_buf[ 2 ] );
    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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