Beginner
10 min

Provide accurate detection of lightning activity with AS3935 and MK64FN1M0VDC12

Experience the power of ThunderSense!

Thunder Click with Clicker 2 for Kinetis

Published Jun 19, 2023

Click board™

Thunder Click

Dev. board

Clicker 2 for Kinetis

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

MK64FN1M0VDC12

Detect the presence and proximity of potentially dangerous lightning activity in the surrounding area

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Thunder Click is based on the AS3935, a programmable fully integrated lightning sensor from ams AG that detects the approach of potentially hazardous lightning activity with a sensitive coil antenna, and the MA5532 from Coilcraft. The embedded lightning algorithm checks the incoming signal pattern to reject the potential manufactured disturbers, provides information on the noise level, and informs the host MCU in case of high noise conditions. If the signal is classified as a manufactured disturber, the event is rejected, and the sensor automatically returns to listening mode. Still, if the event is classified as a lightning strike, the statistical distance estimation block evaluates the distance to the head of the storm. The MA5532 external antenna is directly connected to the AS3935's Analog Front-end (AFE), which amplifies

and demodulates the received signal. The watchdog continuously monitors the output of the AFE and alerts the integrated lightning algorithm block in the event of an incoming signal. The embedded hardwired distance estimation algorithm of the AS3935 issues an interrupt on the IRQ pin, routed to the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, every time lightning is detected. The estimated distance, displayed in the distance estimation register, does not represent the distance to the single lightning but the estimated distance to the storm's leading edge. Besides detecting potentially hazardous lightning activity, this Click board™ also provides information on the estimated distance to the storm's center on the noise level. The AS3935 can detect lightning up to 40km away with an accuracy of 1km to the storm front with a sensitive

antenna tuned to pick up lightning events in the 500kHz band. The AS3935 lightning sensor communicates with MCU using the SPI serial interface with a maximum SPI frequency of 2MHz. Note that the clock operation frequency of the SPI should not be identical to the resonance frequency of the antenna (500kHz) to minimize the onboard noise. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the PWR SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can 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.

Thunder Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Clicker 2 for Kinetis 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-M4F microcontroller, the MK64FN1M0VDC12 from NXP Semiconductors, 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 Kinetis 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 Kinetis programming method, using a USB HID mikroBootloader or an external mikroProg connector for Kinetis 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 Micro-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 Kinetis 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 Kinetis dimensions image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

ARM Cortex-M4

MCU Memory (KB)

1024

Silicon Vendor

NXP

Pin count

121

RAM (Bytes)

262144

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
SPI Chip Select
PC4
CS
SPI Clock
PC5
SCK
SPI Data OUT
PC7
MISO
SPI Data IN
PC6
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
PWM
Interrupt
PB13
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Thunder Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Clicker 2 for PIC32MZ front image hardware assembly

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

Clicker 2 for PIC32MZ front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut 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
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 Thunder Click driver.

Key functions:

  • thunder_check_interr - This function checks and returns the interrupt value

  • thunder_get_storm_info - This function gets energy of the single lightning and distance estimation for the head of the storm

  • thunder_read_reg - This function reads the desired number of bytes from the registers

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 
 * \brief Thunder Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This application detects the presence and proximity of potentially 
 * lightning activity and provides estimated distance to the center of the storm. 
 * It can also provide information on the noise level.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes SPI driver and performs the reset command and RCO calibrate command.
 * Also configures the device for working properly.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Always checks is interrupt event happend (Listening mode) and 
 * after that gets the informations about storm. Results logs on UART.
 * 
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "thunder.h"

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

static thunder_t thunder;
static log_t logger;

uint8_t storm_mode;
uint32_t storm_energy;
uint8_t storm_distance;


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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    thunder_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 ----" );

    //  Click initialization.

    thunder_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    THUNDER_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    thunder_init( &thunder, &cfg );

    thunder_default_cfg( &thunder );
    Delay_ms( 300 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    storm_mode = thunder_check_interr( &thunder );

    if ( storm_mode == THUNDER_NOISE_LEVEL_INTERR )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "Noise level too high\r\n" );
    }
    else if ( storm_mode == THUNDER_DISTURBER_INTERR )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "Disturber detected\r\n" );
    }
    else if ( storm_mode ==  THUNDER_LIGHTNING_INTERR )
    {
        thunder_get_storm_info( &thunder, &storm_energy, &storm_distance );

        log_printf( &logger, "Energy of the single lightning : %ld\r\n", storm_energy );
        log_printf( &logger, "Distance estimation :  %d km\r\n", storm_distance );
    }

    Delay_ms( 1000 );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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


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

Additional Support

Resources

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