Beginner
10 min

Create dynamic color effects, LED displays, and ambient lighting setups with IN-PC20TBT5R5G5B and MCU CARD 11 for STM32 STM32F303VE

10x10 matrix of "smart" RGB LEDs for various creative and commercial lighting projects

10x10 RGB 2 Click with UNI-DS v8

Published Apr 15, 2024

Click board™

10x10 RGB 2 Click

Development board

UNI-DS v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

Make vibrant, customizable LED displays and lighting systems, perfect for dynamic visual effects and ambient illumination

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

10x10 RGB 2 Click is based on the IN-PC20TBT5R5G5B, an RGB LED with integrated IC from Inolux. At its core, the 10x10 RGB 2 Click showcases a dynamic grid of 100 "smart" RGB LEDs configured into a compact 10x10 display. These LEDs stand out for their dual-wire transmission capability, encompassing a three-channel (RGB) smart control circuit for driving and illumination. Noteworthy features include a signal decoding module, a data buffering system, an inbuilt constant current circuit, and an RC oscillator. The whole solution is tailor-made for various applications, such as LED-based display screens, vibrant LED string lighting, and ambient scene illumination. The IN-PC20TBT5R5G5B is made with

CMOS technology, ensuring minimal voltage requirements and reduced power consumption. It supports 256 grayscale levels for PWM dimming and offers 32 levels of brightness control. The RGB LEDs on the board exhibit distinct characteristics for each color: the red LED operates within a wavelength range of 620-630nm and delivers a light intensity between 100-200mcd, the green LED features a wavelength span of 520-530nm with a brightness of 300-500mcd, and the blue LED emits light in the 460-475nm range with an intensity ranging from 50-100mcd. The diodes are designed to function exclusively on a 5V supply sourced from the mikroBUS™ 5V power rail. To accommodate this, their control is managed through the LSD0102,

a bidirectional voltage-level translator from Texas Instruments. This design choice ensures compatibility with both 3.3V and 5V MCUs, enhancing the board's versatility. A special feature of these diodes is the existence of two output signals, data, and clock, routed on test points next to 5V and GND test points on the back of the board. 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.

10x10 RGB 2 Click hardware overview image

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.

UNI-DS v8 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Type

8th Generation

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

512

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

81920

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
ID COMM
PE8
CS
SPI Clock
PA5
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
SPI Data IN
PA7
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
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

Schematic

10x10 RGB 2 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Fusion for PIC v8 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the UNI-DS v8 as your development board.

Fusion for PIC v8 front image hardware assembly
Buck 22 Click front image hardware assembly
SiBRAIN for PIC32MZ1024EFK144 front image hardware assembly
v8 SiBRAIN MB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly
NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto image step 7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto PreFlash Image hardware assembly

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.

UART Application Output Step 1

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.

UART Application Output Step 2

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".

UART Application Output Step 3

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.

UART Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for 10x10 RGB 2 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • c10x10rgb2_write_char - This function writes a single ASCII character in a 8x8 font size

  • c10x10rgb2_write_string - This function writes a text string in a 8x8 font size by scrolling characters to the left side

  • c10x10rgb2_draw_picture - This function draws a 10x10px picture on the screen

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 10x10 RGB 2 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the 10x10 RGB 2 click board by showing
 * a practical example of using the implemented functions.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Displays digits 0-9 first, then writes RGB chars and demonstrates the rotation of characters.
 * After that, scrolls the text, displays the MIKROE logo image, and showcases a rainbow demo.
 * All data is logged on the USB UART where you can track the program flow.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "c10x10rgb2.h"
#include "c10x10rgb2_resources.h"

static c10x10rgb2_t c10x10rgb2;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    c10x10rgb2_cfg_t c10x10rgb2_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.
    c10x10rgb2_cfg_setup( &c10x10rgb2_cfg );
    C10X10RGB2_MAP_MIKROBUS( c10x10rgb2_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == c10x10rgb2_init( &c10x10rgb2, &c10x10rgb2_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( C10X10RGB2_ERROR == c10x10rgb2_default_cfg ( &c10x10rgb2 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    log_printf( &logger, " Writing digits\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_MAROON, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    for ( uint8_t digit = '0'; digit <= '9'; digit++ )
    {
        c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, digit );
        Delay_ms ( 500 );
    }

    log_printf( &logger, " Writing RGB chars\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_RED, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_GREEN, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'G' );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLUE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'B' );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Rotating char\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_PURPLE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_PURPLE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_H_180 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_PURPLE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_180 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_PURPLE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_H_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_PURPLE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_char ( &c10x10rgb2, 'R' );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Writing text\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_set_pen ( &c10x10rgb2, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_OLIVE, C10X10RGB2_COLOR_BLACK, C10X10RGB2_ROTATION_V_0 );
    c10x10rgb2_write_string ( &c10x10rgb2, "MIKROE 10x10 RGB 2", 50 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );

    log_printf( &logger, " Drawing MIKROE logo\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_draw_picture ( &c10x10rgb2, c10x10rgb_img_mikroe );
    Delay_ms( 2000 );

    log_printf( &logger, " Rainbow demo\r\n\n" );
    c10x10rgb2_demo_rainbow ( &c10x10rgb2, 10, 10, 500 );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

    for ( ; ; )
    {
        application_task( );
    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources