Beginner
10 min

Upgrade data acquisition process with MCP3428 and ATmega644

Unleash your data's true potential

ADC 3 Click with EasyAVR v7

Published May 31, 2023

Click board™

ADC 3 Click

Dev Board

EasyAVR v7

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

ATmega644

Achieve unparalleled data accuracy in your designs with our top-of-the-line ADC

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

ADC 3 Click is based on the MCP3428, a differential multi-channel low-power, 16-bit ΔΣ A/D converter from Microchip. The MCP3428 contains an input channel selection multiplexer (CH1, CH2, CH3, or CH4), an onboard voltage reference, and an internal oscillator. It performs conversions at rates of 15, 60, or 240 samples per second (12, 14, or 16 bits), depending on user-controllable configuration bit settings, and has a programmable gain amplifier (x1, x2, x4, or x8) which makes it an ideal choice for monitoring extremely low-voltage sensors. All four channels have differential inputs monitoring a full-scale range of 4.096VDC or ±2.048V differentially. The MCP3428 has two conversion modes: Continuous and One-Shot mode. In the Continuous

Conversion mode, the ADC converts the inputs continuously, while in the One-Shot Conversion mode, the MCP3428 converts the input once and stays in the low-power Standby mode until it receives another command for a new conversion. The standby mode reduces current consumption significantly during idle periods. This ADDC can be used for various high-accuracy analog-to-digital data conversion applications where ease of use and low power consumption are significant considerations. ADC 3 Click communicates with an MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface to read data and configure settings, supporting High-Speed Mode up to 3.4MHz. It also has a 7-bit slave address with the first four MSBs fixed to 1101. The address pins, ADR0 and ADR1, are

programmed by the user and determine the value of the last three LSBs of the slave address, allowing up to 8 devices to operate on the same bus segment. The value of these address pins can be set by positioning onboard SMD jumpers labeled as I2C ADR to an appropriate position marked as 0 or 1. This Click board™ can operate with both 3.3V and 5V logic voltage levels selected via the PWR SEL jumper. This way, it is allowed for both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs to use the communication lines properly. However, the 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.

ADC 3 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

ATmega644

Architecture

AVR

MCU Memory (KB)

64

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

40

RAM (Bytes)

4096

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
PC0
SCL
I2C Data
PC1
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Schematic

ADC 3 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
MCU DIP 40 hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup 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 via UART Mode

1. Once the code example is loaded, pressing the "FLASH" button initiates the build process, and programs it on the created setup.

2. After the programming is completed, click on the Tools icon in the upper-right panel, and select the UART Terminal.

3. After opening the UART Terminal tab, first check the baud rate setting in the Options menu (default is 115200). If this parameter is correct, activate the terminal by clicking the "CONNECT" button.

4. Now terminal status changes from Disconnected to Connected in green, and the data is displayed in the Received data field.

UART_Application_Output

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for ADC 3 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • adc3_default_cfg - This function is used to initiate general call reset.

  • adc3_read_voltage - This function is used to read ADC value and calculate 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 
 * \brief Adc3 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * ADC 3 Click represent 16-bit multichannel analog-to-digital converter. 
 * The click has four pairs of screw terminals onboard, letting you access the chip’s four differential input channels.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Application Init performs Logger and Click initialization.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * This is an example that shows the capabilities of the ADC 3 Click 
 * by taking voltage measurements from all four channel. Results are being sent to the UART Terminal 
 * where you can track their changes. All data logs write on USB UART and changes for every 1 sec.
 * 
 * \author Mihajlo Djordjevic
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "adc3.h"

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

static adc3_t adc3;
static log_t logger;

static float read_volt;

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    adc3_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 ----" );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );

    //  Click initialization.

    adc3_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    ADC3_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    adc3_init( &adc3, &cfg );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " ------ ADC 3 Click ----- \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    
    adc3_default_cfg( &adc3 );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " -- Initialization done --\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{

    read_volt = adc3_read_voltage( &adc3, ADC3_SELECT_CHANNEL_1, ADC3_SAMPLE_RATE_12, ADC3_PGA_GAIN_X1 );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    log_printf( &logger, "Channel 1 : %0.2f  V \r\n", read_volt );

    read_volt = adc3_read_voltage( &adc3, ADC3_SELECT_CHANNEL_2, ADC3_SAMPLE_RATE_12, ADC3_PGA_GAIN_X1 );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    log_printf( &logger, "Channel 2 : %0.2f  V \r\n", read_volt );
    
    read_volt = adc3_read_voltage( &adc3, ADC3_SELECT_CHANNEL_3, ADC3_SAMPLE_RATE_12, ADC3_PGA_GAIN_X1 );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    log_printf( &logger, "Channel 3 : %0.2f  V \r\n", read_volt );
    
    read_volt = adc3_read_voltage( &adc3, ADC3_SELECT_CHANNEL_4, ADC3_SAMPLE_RATE_12, ADC3_PGA_GAIN_X1 );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    log_printf( &logger, "Channel 4 : %0.2f  V \r\n", read_volt );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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