Conquer any task with A3910 and STM32F412RE
Uncompromising power, unmatched reliability
Published Jul 25, 2023
Click board™
DC Motor 21 Click
Dev Board
Fusion for ARM v8
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
STM32F412RE
Experience the power of integrated motor control. Upgrade your future projects and unlock a new level of excellence!
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
DC Motor 21 Click is based on the A3910, a dual half-bridge motor driver designed for low voltage power applications from Allegro Microsystems. This Click board™ is controlled via several GPIO pins of the mikroBUS™ socket and has a wide operating voltage range with an output current capacity of 500mA maximum. The integrated MOSFETs, which configure a half-bridge circuit inside the A3910, provide the possibility to drive dual DC motors and allow them to be used in the full-bridge configuration to drive a single bidirectional DC motor. Thanks to its plane features and benefits, this Click board™ is
targeted at the consumer market with end applications to low voltage equipment. Using an integrated MOS switch improves braking action for the motor, compared to implementation with a simple clamp diode. Besides, it also features built-in protection, such as crossover current and thermal shutdown protection, alongside “Sleep” Standby mode with zero drain-current. As mentioned in the product description, DC Motor 21 Click communicates with MCU using several GPIO pins. To turn ON the internal MOSFETs of the A3910, they need to be switched by the logic level, which is input to the control input pins: HN1, LN1,
HN2, and LN2 pins routed to the AN, CS, PWM, and INT pins of the mikroBUS™ socket. The Drive/Break/Coast/Sleep motor functions can be selected according to the state of its input control signals. 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. The 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
Fusion for ARM v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different ARM® Cortex®-M based MCUs regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer over WiFi. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, Fusion for ARM v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under any
circumstances at any time. Each part of the Fusion for ARM v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module offers many valuable programming/debugging options, including support for JTAG, SWD, and SWO Trace (Single Wire Output)), and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides, it also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.
Communication options such as USB-UART, USB HOST/DEVICE, CAN (on the MCU card, if supported), and Ethernet is also included. In addition, it also has the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and two display options for the TFT board line of products and character-based LCD. Fusion for ARM v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Type
8th Generation
Architecture
ARM Cortex-M4
MCU Memory (KB)
512
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
64
RAM (Bytes)
262144
You complete me!
Accessories
DC Gear Motor - 430RPM (3-6V) represents an all-in-one combination of a motor and gearbox, where the addition of gear leads to a reduction of motor speed while increasing the torque output. This gear motor has a spur gearbox, making it a highly reliable solution for applications with lower torque and speed requirements. The most critical parameters for gear motors are speed, torque, and efficiency, which are, in this case, 520RPM with no load and 430RPM at maximum efficiency, alongside a current of 60mA and a torque of 50g.cm. Rated for a 3-6V operational voltage range and clockwise/counterclockwise rotation direction, this motor represents an excellent solution for many functions initially performed by brushed DC motors in robotics, medical equipment, electric door locks, and much more.
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Fusion for ARM v8 as your development board.
Track your results in real time
Application Output
After pressing the "FLASH" button on the left-side panel, it is necessary to open the UART terminal to display the achieved results. By clicking on the Tools icon in the right-hand panel, multiple different functions are displayed, among which is the UART Terminal. Click on the offered "UART Terminal" icon.
Once the UART terminal is opened, the window takes on a new form. At the top of the tab are two buttons, one for adjusting the parameters of the UART terminal and the other for connecting the UART terminal. The tab's lower part is reserved for displaying the achieved results. Before connecting, the terminal has a Disconnected status, indicating that the terminal is not yet active. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the set parameters of the UART terminal. Click on the "OPTIONS" button.
In the newly opened UART Terminal Options field, we check if the terminal settings are correct, such as the set port and the Baud rate of UART communication. If the data is not displayed properly, it is possible that the Baud rate value is not set correctly and needs to be adjusted to 115200. If all the parameters are set correctly, click on "CONFIGURE".
The next step is to click on the "CONNECT" button, after which the terminal status changes from Disconnected to Connected in green, and the data is displayed in the Received data field.
Software Support
Library Description
This library contains API for DC Motor 21 Click driver.
Key functions:
dcmotor21_set_out_1- This function sets the state of output 1dcmotor21_set_out_2- This function sets the state of output 2
Open Source
Code example
This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.
/*!
* @file main.c
* @brief DC Motor 21 Click Example.
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of DC Motor 21 click board.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
*
* ## Application Task
* In the span of six seconds, it drives the motor in one direction, then switches the direction,
* and after that disconnects the motor. Each step will be logged on the USB UART where
* you can track the program flow.
*
* @note
* For this example, a DC motor should be connected to OUT1 and OUT2 lines.
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "dcmotor21.h"
static dcmotor21_t dcmotor21; /**< DC Motor 21 Click driver object. */
static log_t logger; /**< Logger object. */
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
dcmotor21_cfg_t dcmotor21_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.
dcmotor21_cfg_setup( &dcmotor21_cfg );
DCMOTOR21_MAP_MIKROBUS( dcmotor21_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( DIGITAL_OUT_UNSUPPORTED_PIN == dcmotor21_init( &dcmotor21, &dcmotor21_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
dcmotor21_default_cfg ( &dcmotor21 );
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
dcmotor21_set_out_1 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_LOW );
dcmotor21_set_out_2 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_HIGH );
log_printf( &logger, " \r\n Driving the motor...\r\n" );
Delay_ms( 2000 );
dcmotor21_set_out_1 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_HIGH );
dcmotor21_set_out_2 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_LOW );
log_printf( &logger, " Switch direction.\r\n" );
Delay_ms( 2000 );
dcmotor21_set_out_1 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_HIGH_Z );
dcmotor21_set_out_2 ( &dcmotor21, DCMOTOR21_OUT_HIGH_Z );
log_printf( &logger, " The motor is disconnected.\r\n" );
Delay_ms( 2000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
