Beginner
10 min

Manage various sensors and actuators with our I2C adapter and STM32F446RE

One Click to rule them all: Uniting devices on a single bus

8-pin I2C Click with UNI-DS v8

Published Nov 11, 2023

Click board™

8-pin I2C Click

Development board

UNI-DS v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F446RE

This innovative product unlocks new possibilities in I2C connectivity, inspiring users to explore and unleash the full potential of 8-pin connections, fostering innovation and creativity in electronics projects.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

8-pin I2C Click is an adapter Click board™ that simplifies the connection of add-on boards to the mikroBUS™ socket. This Click board™ represents a small-size PCB that can be connected to the mikroBUS™ socket like any other Click board™, with a 2x4 female header placed on itself. Each header pin corresponds to a pin on the mikroBUS™ socket, such as I2C lines (SCL, SDA) with two jumpers for I2C lines pull-up function selection, 3V3 power supply, and ground. This Click board™ allows easy pin access and manipulation while always retaining a perfect connection

quality. Being compatible with Apple's MFI is the most important feature of the 8-pin I2C Click board™, which ensures its proper operation with additional Apple accessories. The name is a shortened version of the long-form Made for iPod, the original program that ultimately became MFI which refers to peripherals that work with Apple's iPod, iPad, and iPhone. 8-pin I2C Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface. Lines of the mikroBUS™ to which this Click board™ is attached are shared through the top 8-pin female header, which mirrors

the pins of the connected mikroBUS™ socket. The 8-pin I2C Click also shares the 3V3 power rails, making it compatible with other power-compatible Click board™ and development systems. 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.

8-pin-i2c-click-hardware-overview

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

64

RAM (Bytes)

131072

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
PB6
SCL
I2C Data
PB7
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

8-pin I2C 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
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
SiBRAIN for PIC32MZ1024EFK144 front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
v8 SiBRAIN Access 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 8-pin I2C Click driver.

Key functions:

  • c8pini2c_generic_write - Generic write function.

  • c8pini2c_generic_read - Generic read 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 8pinI2c Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This demo example reads temperature detected by Surface temp click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes the driver and configures a Surface temp click board.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Reads the temperature detected by Surface temp click board and 
 * logs it on the USB UART each second.
 * 
 * @note
 * In order to run this example successfully, a Surface temp click board needs to be 
 * connected properly to an 8-pin I2C click board.
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "c8pini2c.h"

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

static c8pini2c_t c8pini2c;
static log_t logger;

// Surface temp click - example
#define SURFACE_TEMP_DEVICE_SLAVE_ADDRESS 0x48
#define SURFACE_TEMP_REG_SOFT_RESET       0x2F
#define SURFACE_TEMP_REG_ID               0x0B
#define SURFACE_TEMP_REG_CONFIG           0x03
#define SURFACE_TEMP_REG_TEMP_MSB         0x00

// ------------------------------------------------------- ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS

void surfacetemp_soft_reset (  )
{
    uint8_t tx_data;

    tx_data = SURFACE_TEMP_REG_SOFT_RESET;

    c8pini2c_generic_write ( &c8pini2c, SURFACE_TEMP_DEVICE_SLAVE_ADDRESS, 
                                        0, &tx_data, 1 );
}

uint8_t surfacetemp_setup (  )
{
    uint8_t tmp;

    surfacetemp_soft_reset( );
    Delay_100ms( );
    c8pini2c_generic_read( &c8pini2c, SURFACE_TEMP_DEVICE_SLAVE_ADDRESS, 
                                      SURFACE_TEMP_REG_ID, &tmp, 1 );

    if ( tmp != 0xCB )
    {
        return 1;
    }
    tmp = 0x93;
    c8pini2c_generic_write( &c8pini2c, SURFACE_TEMP_DEVICE_SLAVE_ADDRESS, 
                                       SURFACE_TEMP_REG_CONFIG, &tmp, 1 );

    return 0;
}

float surfacetemp_get_temperature (  )
{
    uint8_t rx_buff[ 2 ];
    int16_t temp;
    float temperature;

    c8pini2c_generic_read( &c8pini2c, SURFACE_TEMP_DEVICE_SLAVE_ADDRESS, 
                                      SURFACE_TEMP_REG_TEMP_MSB, &rx_buff[ 0 ], 2 );

    temp = rx_buff[ 0 ];
    temp <<= 8;
    temp |= rx_buff[ 1 ];
    temp &= 0xFFF8;

    temperature = (float)(temp);
    temperature *= 0.0078;

    return temperature;
}

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    c8pini2c_cfg_t cfg;

    uint8_t status;

    /** 
     * 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.

    c8pini2c_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    C8PINI2C_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    c8pini2c_init( &c8pini2c, &cfg );

    status = surfacetemp_setup( );
    if ( status == 0 )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "--- INIT DONE --- \r\n" );
    }
    else
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "--- INIT ERROR --- \r\n" );
        for( ; ; );
    }
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    float temperature;

    temperature = surfacetemp_get_temperature( );
    log_printf( &logger, "> Temperature : %.2f Celsius\r\n", temperature );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources