Convert a higher input voltage to a lower output easily with TPS628510 and STM32F427ZI
Synchronous step-down supremacy!
Published Aug 01, 2023
Click board™
Step Down 5 Click
Dev Board
UNI-DS v8
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
STM32F427ZI
Unlocking the full potential of modern electronics, our step-down converter harmonizes power requirements, paving the way for energy-conscious innovations
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Step Down 5 Click is based on the TPS628510, a synchronous step-down converter from Texas Instruments, providing interface-configurable output voltage range from 0.6V to 5.5V suitable for point-of-load and post-regulation applications. This synchronous switch mode power converter is based on a peak current mode control topology and achieves fast and stable operation with an internally compensated control loop. It provides up to 0.5A load current over a wide input supply range from 2.7V to 6V and has excellent load and line regulation. In addition, it is characterized by high efficiency over a wide range of load output voltage from 0.6V to 5.5V, which can be easily adjusted using a digital potentiometer, the MCP4661 from Microchip. The TPS628510 supports
forced fixed frequency PWM operation with the MD pin of the mikroBUS™ socket set to a high logic level. Its switching frequency is internally fixed at 2.25MHz. When the MD pin is set to a low logic level, the TPS628510 operates in power save mode (PFM) at a low output current and automatically transfers to fixed-frequency PWM mode at a higher output current. In PFM mode, the switching frequency decreases linearly based on the load to sustain high efficiency down to a very low output current. Alternatively, the TPS628510 can be synchronized to an external clock signal from 1.8MHz to 4MHz, applied to the MD pin. An internal PLL allows you to change from an internal clock to an external clock during operation. Besides the operational mode
selection pin, this Click board™ also has a power-good function routed to the PG pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, indicating that the output reached desired regulation and the possibility for the MCP4661 to choose the least significant bit (LSB) of its I2C slave address by positioning SMD jumpers labeled as ADDR SEL to an appropriate position marked as 0 and 1. 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.
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-M4
MCU Memory (KB)
2048
Silicon Vendor
STMicroelectronics
Pin count
144
RAM (Bytes)
262144
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 Step Down 5 Click driver.
Key functions:
stepdown5_set_wiper_0_pos- Step Down 5 set wiper 0 positionstepdown5_set_r1_resistance- Step Down 5 set potentiometer 0 resistancestepdown5_set_output- Step Down 5 set output voltage
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 Step Down 5 Click example
*
* # Description
* This library contains API for the Step Down 5 Click driver.
* This driver provides the functions to set the output voltage treshold.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initialization of I2C module and log UART.
* After driver initialization, default settings sets output voltage to 0.6 V.
*
* ## Application Task
* This example demonstrates the use of the Step Down 5 Click board™ by changing
* output voltage every 5 seconds starting from 0.6 V up to 3.3 V.
*
*
* @author Stefan Ilic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "stepdown5.h"
static stepdown5_t stepdown5;
static log_t logger;
/**
* @brief Output level printing function.
* @details This function is used to log value of the selected voltage to UART terminal.
* @param[in] sel_level : Selected voltage level.
* @return Nothing.
* @note None.
*/
static void print_selected_output_level ( uint8_t sel_level );
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
stepdown5_cfg_t stepdown5_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.
stepdown5_cfg_setup( &stepdown5_cfg );
STEPDOWN5_MAP_MIKROBUS( stepdown5_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == stepdown5_init( &stepdown5, &stepdown5_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( STEPDOWN5_ERROR == stepdown5_default_cfg ( &stepdown5 ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
for ( uint8_t n_cnt = STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_0V6; n_cnt <= STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_3V3; n_cnt++ )
{
stepdown5_set_output( &stepdown5, n_cnt );
log_printf( &logger, " Selected output is:" );
print_selected_output_level ( n_cnt );
Delay_ms( 5000 );
}
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
static void print_selected_output_level ( uint8_t sel_level )
{
switch ( sel_level )
{
case ( STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_0V6 ):
{
log_printf( &logger, " 0.6V\r\n" );
break;
}
case ( STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_1V5 ):
{
log_printf( &logger, " 1.5V\r\n" );
break;
}
case ( STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_2V5 ):
{
log_printf( &logger, " 2.5V\r\n" );
break;
}
case ( STEPDOWN5_OUTPUT_3V3 ):
{
log_printf( &logger, " 3.3V\r\n" );
break;
}
default:
{
log_printf( &logger, " ERROR\r\n" );
}
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
