Transform physical pressures into actionable data thanks to the HSFPAR003A and MK64FN1M0VDC12
Your ultimate force measurement solution!
Published Aug 29, 2023
Click board™
Force 4 Click
Dev. board
Clicker 2 for Kinetis
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
MK64FN1M0VDC12
Utilize our advanced force measurement solution to accurately determine the magnitude of applied forces, enabling precise load analysis and optimization in mechanical designs
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Force 4 Click is based on the HSFPAR003A piezoresistive force sensor from Alpsalpine. It works like our air (atmospheric) pressure sensors, using the piezoresistive method. They detect loads (force) with a piezoresistive element manufactured using MEMS processes. Force sensors differ from air pressure sensors in that they have a thicker diaphragm, allowing detection of only relatively large changes in pressure, like from loads, while very subtle fluctuations, such as changes in air pressure, do not affect the output.
Force 4 Click utilizes an additional IC. It uses the MCP3221 from Microchip, a 12-bit successive approximation A/D converter (ADC) with I2C interface. It is used to sample the output voltage from the sensor, providing data for the microcontroller (MCU) or some other device capable of communicating over the I2C bus. The voltage is sampled to a 12-bit value using the MCP1101-33 as the reference. Suppose analog voltage is preferred to be red directly by the MCU. In that case, it can be easily done by adding a
0-ohm resistor on the J1 marked position on the PCB, and the sensor output voltage will be available for reading on the AN pin of mikroBUS™. 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.
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.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
ARM Cortex-M4
MCU Memory (KB)
1024
Silicon Vendor
NXP
Pin count
121
RAM (Bytes)
262144
Used MCU Pins
mikroBUS™ mapper
Take a closer look
Click board™ Schematic
Step by step
Project assembly
Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Clicker 2 for Kinetis as your development board.
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 Force 4 Click driver.
Key functions:
force4_read_adc- This function reads 12bit ADC data from device
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 Force4 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example shows the use of Force 4 Click.
* It reads 12bit ADC value, using I2C communication,
* at the interval of one second.
* The result is represented on the UART terminal.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and logger, and makes an initial log.
*
* ## Application Task
* It reads 12bit ADC value, using I2C communication,
* at the interval of one second.
* The result is represented on the UART terminal.
*
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "force4.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static force4_t force4;
static log_t logger;
uint16_t adc_val;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
force4_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 );
Delay_ms( 100 );
log_info( &logger, "---- Application Init ----" );
// Click initialization.
force4_cfg_setup( &cfg );
FORCE4_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
force4_init( &force4, &cfg );
Delay_ms( 100 );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
adc_val = force4_read_adc( &force4 );
log_printf( &logger, "ADC value: %d\r\n", adc_val );
Delay_ms( 1000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
