Beginner
10 min

Transform your data storage experience with EM064LX and ATmega1284P

Our MRAM memory, your data's secure haven.

MRAM 4 Click with EasyAVR v7

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

MRAM 4 Click

Dev. board

EasyAVR v7

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

ATmega1284P

Our MRAM memory solution sets a new standard in data storage technology, combining rapid access speeds with magnetic reliability for a seamless and efficient user experience.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

MRAM 4 Click is based on the EM064LX, an industrial STT-MRAM persistent memory from Everspin Technologies. It can deliver up to 400Mbps reads and writes via eight I/O signals with a clock frequency of 200MHz. As this is a persistent memory, byte-level writes and reads do not require erasing. Nonvolatile settings are not reflow protected, which you have to keep in mind. A dedicated 256-byte OTP area outside the main memory is readable and user-lockable, with a permanent lock WRITE OTP command. The EM064LX is capable of chip/bulk and sector erase. Subsector erase is possible in 4KB, 32KB granularity. In addition, the MRAM memory features 16 configurable hardware write-protected

regions plus top/bottom select, program/erase protection during power-up, and CRC command to detect accidental changes to user data. As the EM064LX works at the recommended 1.8V voltage, the MRAM 4 Click is equipped with a BH18PB1WHFV, a CMOS LDO regulator from Rohm Semiconductor. To work with different logic level voltage, this Click board™ comes with a TXB0106, a 6-bit bidirectional level-shifting and voltage translator from Texas Instruments. On board, there are two unpopulated jumpers labeled R5 and R6. The chip select and write protection can be pulled up for further hardware development. MRAM 4 Click uses a standard 4-Wire SPI serial interface to communicate

with the host MCU. You can use write protection functionality over the WP pin. The hardware reset is available over the HLD pin, whereas in the low logic state, the memory will self-initialize and return the device to the ready state. There is an unpopulated R6 resistor for an external pull-up, as this pin shouldn’t be allowed to float. 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.

MRAM 4 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

EasyAVR v7 is the seventh generation of AVR development boards specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports a wide range of 16-bit AVR microcontrollers from Microchip and has a broad set of unique functions, such as a powerful onboard mikroProg programmer and In-Circuit debugger over USB. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements in one place, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others. With four different connectors for each port, EasyAVR v7 allows you to connect accessory boards, sensors, and custom electronics more

efficiently than ever. Each part of the EasyAVR v7 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. An integrated mikroProg, a fast USB 2.0 programmer with mikroICD hardware In-Circuit Debugger, offers many valuable programming/debugging options and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment. Besides it also includes a clean and regulated power supply block for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including an external 12V power supply, 7-12V AC or 9-15V DC via DC connector/screw terminals, and a power source via the USB Type-B (USB-B)

connector. Communication options such as USB-UART and RS-232 are also included, alongside the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, three display options (7-segment, graphical, and character-based LCD), and several different DIP sockets which cover a wide range of 16-bit AVR MCUs. EasyAVR v7 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.

EasyAVR v7 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

AVR

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

40

RAM (Bytes)

16384

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
SPI Chip Select
PA5
CS
SPI Clock
PB7
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PB6
MISO
SPI Data IN
PB5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Write Protect
PD4
PWM
Data Transfer Pause
PD2
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

MRAM 4 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

EasyAVR v7 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the EasyAVR v7 as your development board.

EasyAVR v7 front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
EasyAVR v7 Access DIP 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 DIP image step 7 hardware assembly
EasyPIC PRO v7a Display Selection Necto Step 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

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

This library contains API for MRAM 4 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • mram4_memory_write - MRAM 4 memory write function.

  • mram4_memory_read - MRAM 4 memory read function.

  • mram4_block_erase - MRAM 4 block erase function.

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 MRAM 4 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of MRAM 4 click board.
 * The demo app writes specified data to the memory and reads it back.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * The initialization of SPI module, log UART, and additional pins.
 * After the driver init, the app executes a default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * The demo application writes a desired number of bytes to the memory 
 * and then verifies if it is written correctly
 * by reading from the same memory location and displaying the memory content.
 * Results are being sent to the UART Terminal, where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "mram4.h"

static mram4_t mram4;
static log_t logger;

#define STARTING_ADDRESS             0x012345ul
#define DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_1         "MikroE"
#define DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_2         "MRAM 4 Click"

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    mram4_cfg_t mram4_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.
    mram4_cfg_setup( &mram4_cfg );
    MRAM4_MAP_MIKROBUS( mram4_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == mram4_init( &mram4, &mram4_cfg ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( MRAM4_ERROR == mram4_default_cfg ( &mram4 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    uint8_t data_buf[ 128 ] = { 0 };
    log_printf( &logger, " Memory address: 0x%.6LX\r\n", ( uint32_t ) STARTING_ADDRESS );
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_block_erase( &mram4, MRAM4_CMD_ERASE_4KB, STARTING_ADDRESS ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Erase memory block (4KB)\r\n" );
        Delay_ms( 100 );
    }
    
    memcpy( data_buf, DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_1, strlen( DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_1 ) );    
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_memory_write( &mram4, STARTING_ADDRESS, data_buf, sizeof( data_buf ) ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Write data: %s\r\n", data_buf );
        Delay_ms( 100 );
    }
    
    memset( data_buf, 0, sizeof( data_buf ) );
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_memory_read( &mram4, STARTING_ADDRESS, data_buf, sizeof( data_buf ) ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Read data: %s\r\n", data_buf );
        Delay_ms( 3000 );
    }
    log_printf( &logger, " ----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Memory address: 0x%.6LX\r\n", ( uint32_t ) STARTING_ADDRESS );
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_block_erase( &mram4, MRAM4_CMD_ERASE_4KB, STARTING_ADDRESS ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Erase memory block (4KB)\r\n" );
    }
    
    memcpy( data_buf, DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_2, strlen( DEMO_TEXT_MESSAGE_2 ) );
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_memory_write( &mram4, STARTING_ADDRESS, data_buf, sizeof( data_buf ) ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Write data: %s\r\n", data_buf );
        Delay_ms( 100 );
    }
    
    memset( data_buf, 0, sizeof( data_buf ) );
    if ( MRAM4_OK == mram4_memory_read( &mram4, STARTING_ADDRESS, data_buf, sizeof( data_buf ) ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Read data: %s\r\n", data_buf );
        Delay_ms( 3000 );
    }
    log_printf ( &logger, " ----------------------------\r\n" );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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