Enjoy the perks of FRAM memory with MB94R330 and PIC18F86J15
Improve your data storage capabilities
Published Aug 29, 2023
Click board™
FRAM 3 Click
Dev Board
UNI-DS v8
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
PIC18F86J15
Upgrade your design with FRAM memory for unmatched performance and endurance
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
FRAM 3 Click is based on the MB94R330, a FRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory) authentication IC from Fujitsu Semiconductor, made using ferroelectric and silicon gate CMOS process technologies to form nonvolatile memory cells. The MB94R330 adopts an original communication protocol based on the two-wire serial interface (I2C BUS), a hardware cryptographic macro, and a proprietary control core. It is suitable for detecting cloned peripherals and accessories used in electric equipment such as printers and multifunction printers. Ferroelectric technology is still being developed and perfected, but the advantages have already been demonstrated. This technology exploits the properties of ferroelectric materials to retain the electric field after exposure, the same way the ferromagnetic materials retain their magnetic field. This phenomenon is employed to polarize the FRAM cells and store the information.
One area that still needs improvement is the thermal instability, especially at high temperatures. When the ferroelectric material reaches the Curie temperature, its properties are degraded. Therefore, the high temperature might damage the content of the FRAM module. This is illustrated by the data retention period: while working at 55˚C, the data retention period is ten years. Still, combined with the endurance of 1010 read/write cycles at bus write speed, this type of memory still represents an ideal solution for applications with frequent writing to nonvolatile memory locations. This Click board™ uses the I2C communication protocol, allowing fast serial clock rates. The device employs certain protection mechanisms to ensure reliable data transactions and avoid accidental writing to the memory array. The MB94R330 supports the I2C bus and operates as a peripheral device. The role of the communication for the I2C bus is different from
the "Master" side and the "Slave" side. The master side has the authority to initiate control. Furthermore, the party line can be connected, which connects two or more peripheral devices to one master. In this case, the slave side has a unique address, respectively, and after specifying the address on the slave side, the master side starts to communicate. The FRAM 3 click is suitable for detecting cloned peripherals and accessories used in electric equipment such as printers, multifunction printers, and more. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 3.3V 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
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
PIC
MCU Memory (KB)
96
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
80
RAM (Bytes)
3936
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 FRAM 3 Click driver.
Key functions:
fram3_read_free_access_memory- Memory read functionfram3_write_free_access_memory- Memory write function
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 FRAM3 Click example
*
* # Description
* This application writes data in memmory and reads data from memmory.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes device init
*
* ## Application Task
* Writes and then reads data from memory
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "fram3.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static fram3_t fram3;
static log_t logger;
static char write_data[ 7 ] = { 'M', 'i', 'k', 'r', 'o', 'E', 0 };
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
fram3_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.
fram3_cfg_setup( &cfg );
FRAM3_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
fram3_init( &fram3, &cfg );
}
void application_task ( )
{
char read_data[ 7 ];
uint8_t cnt;
uint8_t status_check;
log_printf( &logger, " - Writing... \r\n" );
Delay_ms( 500 );
status_check = fram3_write_free_access_memory( &fram3, 0x00, &write_data[ 0 ], 7 );
if ( status_check == FRAM3_ERROR )
{
log_printf( &logger, " - ERROR WRITING!!! \r\n" );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_printf( &logger, " - Reading... \r\n" );
Delay_ms( 500 );
status_check = fram3_read_free_access_memory( &fram3, 0x00, &read_data[ 0 ], 7 );
if ( status_check == FRAM3_ERROR )
{
log_printf( &logger, " - ERROR READING!!! \r\n" );
for ( ; ; );
}
for ( cnt = 0; cnt < 7; cnt++ )
{
log_printf( &logger, " %c ", read_data[ cnt ] );
Delay_ms( 100 );
}
log_printf( &logger, " \r\n " );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
log_printf( &logger, "__________________________\r\n " );
Delay_ms( 500 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
