Intermediate
30 min

Immediately seize and safeguard essential data in the event of a power disruption with CY15B116QSN and PIC18F97J60

Unlock the future of memory

Excelon-Ultra Click with PICPLC16 v7a

Published Aug 29, 2023

Click board™

Excelon-Ultra Click

Dev Board

PICPLC16 v7a

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F97J60

Boost the efficiency and speed of your design with FRAM memory technology

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Excelon-Ultra Click is based on the CY15B116QSN, a high-performance 16-Mbit nonvolatile memory employing an advanced Infineon ferroelectric process. The memory array is logically organized as 2,097,152 × 8 bits and is accessed using an industry-standard serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus. The CY15B116QSN combines a 16-Mbit F-RAM with the high-speed Quad SPI SDR and DDR interfaces, enhancing FRAM technology's nonvolatile write capability. The key differences between the CY15B116QSN and a serial flash are the FRAM's superior write performance, high endurance, and lower power consumption. The CY15B116QSN is ideal for nonvolatile memory applications requiring frequent or rapid writes. Examples range from data collection, where the number of write cycles may be critical, to demanding industrial controls, where the long

write time of serial Flash can cause data loss. Excelon-Ultra Click communicates with MCU using an industry-standard SPI interface supporting the two most common modes, SPI Mode 0 and 3, with a maximum frequency 108MHz. Data is written to the memory array immediately after each byte is successfully transferred to the device. The following bus cycle can commence without the need for data polling. It supports 1e14 read/write cycles, or 100 million times more write cycles than EEPROM. In addition, the CY15B116QSN offers substantial write endurance compared to other nonvolatile memories. Furthermore, this Click board™ provides additional hardware-controlled functions. The configurable Write Protection function routed on the PWM pin of the mikroBUS™ socket protects all registers (including status and

configuration) from write operations when the SRWD bit (SR1[7]) is set to '1'. The WP pin must be held high to inhibit all the write operations to registers. When this pin is high, all memory and register writes are prohibited, and the address counter is not incremented. Also, it has a Reset feature routed to the RST pin on the mikroBUS™ socket, which, with a low logic level, puts the CY15B116QSN into a Reset state and, with a high level, operates the module normally. 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.

Excelon-Ultra Click top side image
Excelon-Ultra Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

PICPLC16 v7a is the seventh generation of PIC development boards, providing an environment for experimenting with industrial devices. It comes with an onboard 8-bit PIC microcontroller, the PIC18F97J60 from Microchip, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer over USB-C. The development board also consists of 16 opto-inputs and 16 relays for currents up to 16A. It is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, and connectors, in one place. With eight connectors for each port, PICPLC16 v7a

allows you to develop PIC-based industrial, home, or office automation applications more efficiently than ever. Each part of the PICPLC16 v7a development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module, which offers many valuable programming/debugging options and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment, the board 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, 7-23V AC or 9-32V DC via DC connector/screw terminals, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector. Communication options such as LIN and Ethernet are also included, alongside the well-established mikroBUS™ standard. PICPLC16 v7a is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid industrial 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.

PICPLC16 v7a double side image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

3808

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
QSPI I03 / Reset
RG6
RST
SPI Chip Select
RJ2
CS
SPI Clock
RD6
SCK
QSPI IO1 / SPI Data OUT
RD5
MISO
QSPI IO0 / SPI Data IN
RD4
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
QSPI IO2 / Write Protection
RC1
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

Schematic

Excelon-Ultra Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

PICPLC16 v7a front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the PICPLC16 v7a as your development board.

PICPLC16 v7a front image hardware assembly
Buck 22 Click front image hardware assembly
PICPLC16 v7a 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 image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto_MCU_Select_PICPLC16 hardware assembly
Necto No Display 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 loading the code example, pressing the "DEBUG" button builds and programs it on the selected setup.

Application Output Step 1

After programming is completed, a header with buttons for various actions available in the IDE appears. By clicking the green "PLAY "button, we start reading the results achieved with Click board™.

Application Output Step 3

Upon completion of programming, the Application Output tab is automatically opened, where the achieved result can be read. In case of an inability to perform the Debug function, check if a proper connection between the MCU used by the setup and the CODEGRIP programmer has been established. A detailed explanation of the CODEGRIP-board connection can be found in the CODEGRIP User Manual. Please find it in the RESOURCES section.

Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Excelon-Ultra Click driver.

Key functions:

  • excelonultra_write_data_to_memory - Write data starting from specified memory address

  • excelonultra_read_data_from_memory - Read data starting from specified memory address

  • excelonultra_clear_data_from_memory -Clears data starting from specified memory address

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 ExcelonUltra Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example is showcase of device and it's library abillity.
 * In this example is shown device ID, ability to manipulate with memory.
 * After default configuration device IDs are logged. After that application
 * Writes data to memory, reads data from memory, clears data from memory and
 * checks if data is cleard by reading that same memory address.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes MCU modules for communication used in this application (UART, SPI).
 * Calls default configuration that resets device, reads IDs, and enables writing to
 * memory and sets all RAM memory to be free for conrol.
 * 
 * ## Application Task
 * Write data to memory, read data from memory. After that clears that memory address,
 * and checks if it's cleared by reading data. On every iteration of the fucntion 
 * writing data is changed between "MikroE" and "Excelon-Ultra Click"
 *
 * @author Luka Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "excelonultra.h"

#define MIKROE_DATA "MikroE"
#define CLICK_DATA "Excelon-Ultra Click"

static excelonultra_t excelonultra;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    excelonultra_cfg_t excelonultra_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.
    excelonultra_cfg_setup( &excelonultra_cfg );
    EXCELONULTRA_MAP_MIKROBUS( excelonultra_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag  = excelonultra_init( &excelonultra, &excelonultra_cfg );
    if ( init_flag == SPI_MASTER_ERROR ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
        log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );

        for ( ; ; );
    }

    excelonultra_default_cfg ( &excelonultra );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " > Manufacturer ID: 0x%.4X\r\n", excelonultra.manufacturer_id );
    log_printf( &logger, " > Product ID: 0x%.4X\r\n", excelonultra.product_id );
    log_printf( &logger, " > Density ID: 0x%.2X\r\n", excelonultra.density_id );
    log_printf( &logger, " > Die Rev: 0x%.2X\r\n", excelonultra.die_rev );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " > Unique ID: 0x%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 7 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 6 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 5 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 4 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 3 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 2 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 1 ] );
    log_printf( &logger, "%.2X\r\n" , excelonultra.unique_id[ 0 ] );
    
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    static uint32_t memory_address = 0x00000055;
    static uint8_t data_selection = 1;
    static uint8_t write_len;
    char to_write[ 50 ] = { 0 };
    char read_from[ 50 ] = { 0 };
    
    if (data_selection)
    {
        strcpy( to_write, MIKROE_DATA );
        data_selection = !data_selection;
    }
    else
    {
        strcpy( to_write, CLICK_DATA );
        data_selection = !data_selection;
    }
    write_len = strlen( to_write );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " > Writing data to memory: %s\r\n", to_write );
    excelonultra_write_data_to_memory( &excelonultra, memory_address, to_write, write_len );
    
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    
    excelonultra_read_data_from_memory( &excelonultra, memory_address, read_from, write_len );
    log_printf( &logger, " > Read data from memory: %s\r\n", read_from );

    Delay_ms( 500 );

    log_printf( &logger, " > Clearing data from memory\r\n" );
    excelonultra_clear_data_from_memory( &excelonultra, memory_address, write_len );
    
    Delay_ms( 500 );
    
    excelonultra_read_data_from_memory( &excelonultra, memory_address, read_from, write_len );
    log_printf( &logger, " > Read data from memory: %s\r\n", read_from );

    log_printf( &logger, "***********************************\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 500 );
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources