Intermediate
30 min

Implement an automated capturing function with VO617A and STM32L496AG

Next-level capturing unleashed

Shutter Click with Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Published Jul 22, 2025

Click board™

Shutter Click

Dev. board

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32L496AG

Utilizing this adapter solution on embedded systems enables seamless integration between photo-shooting sessions and the camera-capturing automation process

A

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Shutter Click is an adapter Click board™ that simplifies the camera's use for capturing a photo at a precise moment. This Click board™ represents a small PCB connected to the mikroBUS™ socket like any other Click board™, with a 3.5mm jack connector used for the camera connection. Using two pins of the mikroBUS™ socket and a high-reliability phototransistor, the VO617A from Vishay Semiconductors enables a remote control input used to focus and trigger the camera shutter. This Click board™ allows users to upgrade their projects

with a solution capable of capturing frames you need at the exact moment in a simple way for various types of applications. This phototransistor VO617A has a GaAs infrared diode emitter, which is optically coupled to a silicon planar phototransistor detector. As already mentioned, two signals are everything you need for the operation: the AF and SHT routed to the AN and PWM pins of the mikroBUS™ socket to enable the camera's Auto-Focus mode and the action of taking pictures. Setting a high logic state on the AF pin activates

Auto-Focus mode, while a low logic level disables it. The same policy applies to the shutter trigger function. 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. 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.

Shutter Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

The 32L496GDISCOVERY Discovery kit serves as a comprehensive demonstration and development platform for the STM32L496AG microcontroller, featuring an Arm® Cortex®-M4 core. Designed for applications that demand a balance of high performance, advanced graphics, and ultra-low power consumption, this kit enables seamless prototyping for a wide range of embedded solutions. With its innovative energy-efficient

architecture, the STM32L496AG integrates extended RAM and the Chrom-ART Accelerator, enhancing graphics performance while maintaining low power consumption. This makes the kit particularly well-suited for applications involving audio processing, graphical user interfaces, and real-time data acquisition, where energy efficiency is a key requirement. For ease of development, the board includes an onboard ST-LINK/V2-1

debugger/programmer, providing a seamless out-of-the-box experience for loading, debugging, and testing applications without requiring additional hardware. The combination of low power features, enhanced memory capabilities, and built-in debugging tools makes the 32L496GDISCOVERY kit an ideal choice for prototyping advanced embedded systems with state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

STM32L496AG Image

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

169

RAM (Bytes)

327680

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Auto-Focus
PA4
AN
NC
NC
RST
ID COMM
PG11
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Shutter Trigger
PA0
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Shutter Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Discovery kit with STM32L496AG MCU as your development board.

Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU front image hardware assembly
Thermo 21 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Thermo 21 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Board mapper by product7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
Necto image step 5 hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Discovery kit with STM32H750XB MCU NECTO MCU Selection Step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto image step 11 hardware assembly

Track your results in real time

Application Output

1. Application Output - In Debug mode, the 'Application Output' window enables real-time data monitoring, offering direct insight into execution results. Ensure proper data display by configuring the environment correctly using the provided tutorial.

2. UART Terminal - Use the UART Terminal to monitor data transmission via a USB to UART converter, allowing direct communication between the Click board™ and your development system. Configure the baud rate and other serial settings according to your project's requirements to ensure proper functionality. For step-by-step setup instructions, refer to the provided tutorial.

3. Plot Output - The Plot feature offers a powerful way to visualize real-time sensor data, enabling trend analysis, debugging, and comparison of multiple data points. To set it up correctly, follow the provided tutorial, which includes a step-by-step example of using the Plot feature to display Click board™ readings. To use the Plot feature in your code, use the function: plot(*insert_graph_name*, variable_name);. This is a general format, and it is up to the user to replace 'insert_graph_name' with the actual graph name and 'variable_name' with the parameter to be displayed.

Software Support

Library Description

Shutter Click demo application is developed using the NECTO Studio, ensuring compatibility with mikroSDK's open-source libraries and tools. Designed for plug-and-play implementation and testing, the demo is fully compatible with all development, starter, and mikromedia boards featuring a mikroBUS™ socket.

Example Description
This example demonstrates the use of Shutter Click board by taking pictures with and without auto focus function.

Key functions:

  • shutter_cfg_setup - Config Object Initialization function.

  • shutter_init - Initialization function.

  • shutter_set_auto_focus - This function sets the auto focus ON/OFF by setting the AF pin to desired logic state.

  • shutter_set_shutter - This function sets the shutter ON/OFF by setting the SHT pin to desired logic state.

  • shutter_take_picture - This function sets AF and SHT pins to desired states for taking pictures with or without auto focus function.

Application Init
Initializes the driver and logger.

Application Task
Swithes ON the auto focus function and triggers the shutter to take the picture, then swithes OFF the auto focus and triggers the shutter. The shutter is triggered every 13 seconds approximately. All data is being logged on the USB UART where you can track the program flow.

Open Source

Code example

The complete application code and a ready-to-use project are available through the NECTO Studio Package Manager for direct installation in the NECTO Studio. The application code can also be found on the MIKROE GitHub account.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief Shutter Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Shutter Click board by taking pictures
 * with and without auto focus function.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and logger.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Swithes ON the auto focus function and triggers the shutter to take the picture, then
 * swithes OFF the auto focus and triggers the shutter. The shutter is triggered every 13 seconds
 * approximately. All data is being logged on the USB UART where you can track the program flow.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "shutter.h"

static shutter_t shutter;   /**< Shutter Click driver object. */
static log_t logger;    /**< Logger object. */

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    shutter_cfg_t shutter_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.
    shutter_cfg_setup( &shutter_cfg );
    SHUTTER_MAP_MIKROBUS( shutter_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( DIGITAL_OUT_UNSUPPORTED_PIN == shutter_init( &shutter, &shutter_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    log_printf( &logger, " Take picture with auto focus\r\n\n" );
    shutter_take_picture ( &shutter, SHUTTER_STATE_ON );
    // 10 seconds delay
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    log_printf( &logger, " Take picture without auto focus\r\n\n" );
    shutter_take_picture ( &shutter, SHUTTER_STATE_OFF );
    // 10 seconds delay
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

int main ( void ) 
{
    /* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
    #ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
    preinit();
    #endif
    
    application_init( );
    
    for ( ; ; ) 
    {
        application_task( );
    }

    return 0;
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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