Beginner
10 min

Simplify data transfer between USB and UART devices with CP2110 and STM32F407VGT6

From USB to UART in a blink!

USB UART 5 Click with Clicker 2 for STM32

Published Nov 11, 2023

Click board™

USB UART 5 Click

Dev Board

Clicker 2 for STM32

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

STM32F407VGT6

Revolutionize your data communication projects with the USB to UART magic – a compact and efficient solution that connects your devices swiftly and flawlessly.

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

USB UART 5 Click is based on the CP2110, a single-chip HID USB to UART bridge controller from Silicon Labs. A USB function controller in the CP2110 is a USB 2.0-compliant, full-speed device with an integrated USB transceiver, one-time programmable ROM, and an asynchronous serial data bus (UART) in one compact package. The UART capabilities of the CP2110 include baud rate support from 300 to 1Mbps, hardware flow control, RS-485 support, and GPIO signals that are user-defined for status and control information. The USB function controller manages all data transfers between USB and UART, command requests generated by the USB host controller, and commands for controlling the function of the UARTs and GPIO pins. The CP2110 uses the standard USB HID device class, natively supported by most operating systems. A custom driver does

not need to be installed for this device. In addition, the CP2110 also supports USB Suspend and Resume modes for power management purposes. The CP2110 enters Suspend mode when Suspend signaling is detected on the bus using the SPD pin of the mikroBUS™ socket. Upon entering Suspend mode, the SPD signal is asserted, but it can also be asserted after a reset condition (RST pin) until device configuration during USB Enumeration is complete. SPD pin detects logic high level when the device is in the Suspend state and logic low when the device is in Normal mode, which is also visually indicated via red LED labeled as CONNECTED. This Click board™ also features 8 GPIO signals, located on unpopulated headers, that are user-defined for status and control information. Four GPIO signals support alternate features, including a configurable clock output

(CLK) from 24MHz to 47kHz, RS-485 transceiver control, and TX and RX LED toggle features. Also, the USB UART 5 Click can work in a USB-powered configuration thanks to the ability of the CP2110 to provide adequate power to all its parts with the help of an internal regulator using the USB bus voltage. To select this mode of operation, it is necessary to switch the jumper PWR SEL to the position marked with VBUS. 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.

USB UART 5 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Clicker 2 for STM32 is a compact starter development board that brings the flexibility of add-on Click boards™ to your favorite microcontroller, making it a perfect starter kit for implementing your ideas. It comes with an onboard 32-bit ARM Cortex-M4 microcontroller, the STM32F407VGT6 from STMicroelectronics, two mikroBUS™ sockets for Click board™ connectivity, a USB connector, LED indicators, buttons, a JTAG programmer connector, and two 26-pin headers for interfacing with external electronics. Its compact design with clear and easily recognizable silkscreen markings allows you to build gadgets with unique functionalities and features quickly. Each part of the Clicker 2 for

STM32 development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the possibility of choosing the Clicker 2 for STM32 programming method, using a USB HID mikroBootloader, an external mikroProg connector for STM32 programmer, or through an external ST-LINK V2 programmer, the Clicker 2 board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development kit. It provides two ways of board-powering; through the USB Mini-B cable, where onboard voltage regulators provide the appropriate voltage levels to each component on the board or using a Li-Polymer battery via an onboard battery

connector. All communication methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board, including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, reset button, and several user-configurable buttons and LED indicators. Clicker 2 for STM32 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem, allowing you to create a new application in minutes. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

Clicker 2 for STM32 dimensions image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

10

Silicon Vendor

STMicroelectronics

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

100

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Suspend Mode
PA2
AN
Reset
PE7
RST
UART RTS
PE8
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
UART CTS
PE10
INT
UART TX
PD5
TX
UART RX
PD6
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

USB UART 5 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Clicker 2 for PIC18FJ front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Clicker 2 for STM32 as your development board.

Clicker 2 for PIC18FJ front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Mini B Connector Clicker 2 Access - upright/background 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
Flip&Click PIC32MZ MCU step hardware assembly
Necto No Display image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Debug Image Necto Step 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 USB UART 5 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • usbuart5_generic_write - USB UART 5 data writing function.

  • usbuart5_generic_read - USB UART 5 data reading function.

  • usbuart5_reset_device - USB UART 5 reset the device 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 USB UART 5 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example reads and processes data from USB UART 5 Click board™.
 * The library initializes and defines the UART bus drivers 
 * to transmit or receive data.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes driver, wake-up module, and performs the default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Any data which the host PC sends via HidUartExample 
 * will be sent over USB to the click board and then it will be read and 
 * echoed back by the MCU to the PC where the terminal program will display it.
 * Results are being sent to the UART Terminal, where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @note 
 * Make sure to download and install 
 * CP2110/4 Software package for Windows/Mac/Linux on the host PC.
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "usbuart5.h"

static usbuart5_t usbuart5;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    usbuart5_cfg_t usbuart5_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.
    usbuart5_cfg_setup( &usbuart5_cfg );
    USBUART5_MAP_MIKROBUS( usbuart5_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( UART_ERROR == usbuart5_init( &usbuart5, &usbuart5_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

    usbuart5_default_cfg ( &usbuart5 );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    char rx_data = 0;
    if ( usbuart5_generic_read ( &usbuart5, &rx_data, 1 ) )
    {
        if ( usbuart5_generic_write ( &usbuart5, &rx_data, 1 ) )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, "%c", rx_data );
        }
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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