Ensure each move is spot on with AEDR-8300 and STM32F302VC for precise positioning control

See every spin: Optical encoder - your simple motion counter

Opto Encoder 2 Click with CLICKER 4 for STM32F302VCT6

Published Jul 22, 2025

Click board™

Opto Encoder 2 Click

Dev. board

CLICKER 4 for STM32F302VCT6

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F302VC

Count on our optical encoder for accurate, reliable, and responsive motion sensing

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Opto Encoder 2 Click is based on the AEDR-8300, reflective Surface Mount Optical Encoder from Avago Technologies. This sensor combines an emitter and a detector in a single surface mount leadless package. the AEDR-8300 consists of three major components: a light emitting diode (LED) light source, a detector IC consisting photodiodes and lens to focus light beam from the emitter as well as light falling on the detector. The operation of the encoder is based on the principle of optics where the detector photodiodes sense the absence and presence of light. In this case, the rotary/linear motion of an object being monitored is converted to equivalent light pattern via the use of codewheel/codestrip. Opto Encoder 2 Click offers options of either single channel or two-channel quadrature digital outputs. Being TTL compatible, the outputs of the AEDR-8300 series

can be interfaced directly with MCU. Hence the Opto Encoder 2 click provides great design-in flexibility and easy integration into existing systems. A and B pins are routed to the routed to the mikroBUS™ PWM and INT pins, thus providing the quadrature digital signal. Signal encoding itself is done by the host MCU. Having two optical sensing channels, Opto Encoder 2 click has the ability of both speed and direction encoding. The most common usage is encoding of the step motor position: a cylinder with slits is physically mounted above the sensor so that the LED can illuminate the photodiodes only when light hits the reflective surface of the codewheel. By rotating this cylinder, the light beam will be blocked periodically. The single sensor output will be a pulse train, while the cylinder is rotating. Having two photo sensors physically distanced by

a small amount, allows the pulse signal of the first sensor to be either delayed or expedited with respect to the pulse on the second sensor, depending on the rotational direction. Since the sensors recomended operating voltage is 5V, the Opto Encoder 2 click uses the 5V rail for power supply. The other pins it utilizes are the, before mentioned, Interrupt and PWM pins on mikroBUS™ socket. This click also has a Power LED indicator. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 5V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. Also, it comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used as a reference for further development.

Features overview

Development board

Clicker 4 for STM32F3 is a compact development board designed as a complete solution, you can use it to quickly build your own gadgets with unique functionalities. Featuring a STM32F302VCT6, four mikroBUS™ sockets for Click boards™ connectivity, power managment, and more, it represents a perfect solution for the rapid development of many different types of applications. At its core, there is a STM32F302VCT6 MCU, a powerful microcontroller by STMicroelectronics, based on the high-

performance Arm® Cortex®-M4 32-bit processor core operating at up to 168 MHz frequency. It provides sufficient processing power for the most demanding tasks, allowing Clicker 4 to adapt to any specific application requirements. Besides two 1x20 pin headers, four improved mikroBUS™ sockets represent the most distinctive connectivity feature, allowing access to a huge base of Click boards™, growing on a daily basis. Each section of Clicker 4 is clearly marked, offering an intuitive and clean interface. This makes working with the development

board much simpler and thus, faster. The usability of Clicker 4 doesn’t end with its ability to accelerate the prototyping and application development stages: it is designed as a complete solution which can be implemented directly into any project, with no additional hardware modifications required. Four mounting holes [4.2mm/0.165”] at all four corners allow simple installation by using mounting screws. For most applications, a nice stylish casing is all that is needed to turn the Clicker 4 development board into a fully functional, custom design.

CLICKER 4 for STM32F302VCT6 double image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

256

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

40960

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

RST

SCK

MISO

MOSI

3.3V

Ground

GND

Encoder Output B

PE9

PWM

Encoder Output A

PD0

INT

SCL

SDA

Power Supply

Ground

GND

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Opto Encoder 2 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

PIC32MZ MXS Data Capture Board front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the CLICKER 4 for STM32F302VCT6 as your development board.

Thermo 21 Click front image hardware assembly

Board mapper by product6 hardware assembly

PIC32MZ MXS Data Capture Board NECTO MCU Selection Step hardware assembly

Necto No Display image step 8 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

This library contains API for Opto Encoder 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

optoencoder2_pwm_get - Getting PWM pin state
optoencoder2_int_get - Getting INT pin state
optoencoder2_get_position - Getting encoder position

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 
 * \brief Opto Encoder 2 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This application is used to encode motion or rotation.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes GPIO driver and resets encoder counter to 0 (zero).
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * If motion is detected - encoder increments or decrements position 
 * on each rising edge on Channel A (INT pin) and logs encoder position.
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "optoencoder2.h"

// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES

static optoencoder2_t optoencoder2;
static log_t logger;

// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    optoencoder2_cfg_t cfg;

    /** 
     * 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.
    optoencoder2_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    OPTOENCODER2_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    optoencoder2_init( &optoencoder2, &cfg );

    optoencoder2_zero_counter( &optoencoder2 );
}

void application_task ( )
{
    int32_t encoder_position = 0;
    uint8_t stop_flag = 0;

    stop_flag = optoencoder2_isr( &optoencoder2, 100 );
    encoder_position = optoencoder2_get_position( &optoencoder2 );
    
    if ( stop_flag == 0 )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "Position: %ld \r\n", encoder_position );
    }
}

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;
}

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