Make your motor-controlled projects reliable with DRV8830 and STM32L151ZD
Achieve optimal motor responsiveness
Published May 31, 2023
Click board™
DC Motor 11 Click
Dev.Board
UNI-DS v8
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
STM32L151ZD
Embrace brushed motor control. Control motor current limiting and current sensing using this DC motor control solution!
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
DC Motor 11 Click is based on the DRV8830, a low-voltage motor driver with a serial interface from Texas Instruments. This IC is an integrated H-Bridge driver with a current regulation circuit limiting the current through the connected load with a single resistor. A low ON resistance through the H-Bridge reduces the overall power dissipation, while an advanced control circuit injects dead-time intervals whenever the outputs change their state, preventing current shoot-throughs. The DRV8830 also integrates protection features, including undervoltage, overcurrent, and overtemperature protection. Each of these events will cause the H-Bridge MOSFETs to be disabled. After removing a fault condition, the device will continue its operation. The DRV8830 includes an internal reference voltage that is connected to a DAC. This DAC generates
a voltage that is used to set the PWM-regulated output voltage and, therefore, the speed and direction of the motor rotation. The DAC is controlled by the VSET bits from the I2C interface. For detailed commands for desired output voltages, refer to the DRV8830 datasheet. DC Motor 11 click uses the I2C interface to communicate with the main MCU and the fault pin (FLT), which is routed to the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket. The I2C address can be selected using additional SMD jumpers (JP1 and JP2) labeled ADDR SEL, determining the least significant bits of the DRV8830 slave I2C address. Although the DRV8830 supports up to 1A Maximum DC/RMS or Peak Drive Current Current through the connected load, it is limited to a maximum of 0.6A. A higher current will cause the overcurrent protection to be activated.
The peak current through the motor is limited to about 1A, ensuring reliable spin-up while preventing the overcurrent protection from being activated, even if a large load torque is applied. Although there is a low resistance across the H-Bridge, the current should be monitored to prevent excessive heating in situations where the load is reasonably high. This Click board™ can only be operated with a 3.3V logic voltage level. The board must perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ 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
UNI-DS 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 STM32, Kinetis, TIVA, CEC, MSP, PIC, dsPIC, PIC32, and AVR 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, UNI-DS v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under any
circumstances at any time. Each part of the UNI-DS 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. UNI-DS 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-M3
MCU Memory (KB)
384
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
144
RAM (Bytes)
49152
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 UNI-DS 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 11 Click driver.
Key functions:
dcmotor11_control- Motor Controldcmotor11_get_fault- Get Faultdcmotor11_get_interrupt_state- Interrupt state on the INT pin
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
* \brief DcMotor11 Click example
*
* # Description
* This application is motor driver with the current limiting and current sensing.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initialization driver init and sets first motor settings.
*
* ## Application Task
* Waits for valid user input and executes functions based on set of valid commands.
*
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "dcmotor11.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static dcmotor11_t dcmotor11;
static log_t logger;
uint8_t motor_speed;
uint8_t motor_dir;
uint8_t f_motor_state = 1;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
dcmotor11_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.
dcmotor11_cfg_setup( &cfg );
DCMOTOR11_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
dcmotor11_init( &dcmotor11, &cfg );
dcmotor11_get_fault( &dcmotor11 );
// Start settings
motor_dir = DCMOTOR11_DIRECTION_FORWARD;
motor_speed = DCMOTOR11_VSET_480mV;
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, DCMOTOR11_DIRECTION_FORWARD, motor_speed );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
// Speed increase
motor_speed += 4;
if ( motor_speed >= DCMOTOR11_VSET_4820mV )
{
log_printf( &logger, "---- MAX SPEED ---- \r\n" );
motor_speed = DCMOTOR11_VSET_4820mV;
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
else
{
log_printf( &logger, "---- Speed increase ---- \r\n" );
log_printf( &logger, " MOTOR SPEED: %d \r\n", motor_speed );
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
Delay_ms( 2000 );
// Speed decrease
motor_speed -= 4;
if ( motor_speed < DCMOTOR11_VSET_480mV )
{
log_printf( &logger, "---- MIN SPEED ---- \r\n" );
motor_speed = DCMOTOR11_VSET_480mV;
}
else
{
log_printf( &logger, "---- Speed decrease ---- \r\n");
log_printf( &logger, " MOTOR SPEED: %d \r\n", motor_speed );
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
Delay_ms( 2000 );
// Stop / Start
if( f_motor_state == 1 )
{
log_printf( &logger,"---- Stop Motor!!! ---- \r\n" );
f_motor_state = 0;
dcmotor11_stop( &dcmotor11 );
}
else
{
log_printf( &logger,"---- Start Motor ---- \r\n" );
f_motor_state = 1;
motor_speed = DCMOTOR11_VSET_480mV;
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
Delay_ms ( 2000 );
// Direction - Forward / Backword
if ( motor_dir == 2 )
{
log_printf( &logger,"---- Direction - [FORWARD] ---- \r\n" );
motor_dir = 1;
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
else
{
log_printf( &logger,"---- Direction - [BACKWARD] ---- \r\n" );
motor_dir = 2;
dcmotor11_control( &dcmotor11, motor_dir, motor_speed );
}
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
