Gain insights into energy consumption patterns with PAC1720 and MK64FN1M0VDC12
Energize your savings: DC power monitoring made simple
Published Sep 30, 2023
Click board™
PAC1720 Click
Dev. board
Clicker 2 for Kinetis
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
MK64FN1M0VDC12
Achieve your energy efficiency goals effortlessly with our DC energy monitor, tailored to meet your unique needs
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
PAC1720 Click is based on the PAC1720, a dual bidirectional high-side current-sensing device with precision voltage measurement capabilities from Microchip Technology. It measures the voltage developed across external sense resistors to represent the high-side current of a battery or voltage regulator, then digitizes it with a variable resolution Sigma-Delta ADC and transmits it over the I2C protocol. The PAC1720 also measures the SENSE+ pin voltages and calculates average power over the integration period. The PAC1720 has three states of operation: Active, Standby, and One-Shot Mode. In Active mode, the PAC1720 initiates conversion cycles for the programmed conversion rate. The Standby mode represents the lowest
power state, with no conversion cycles. Most circuitry is powered down to reduce supply current to a minimum. While the device is in the Standby state, the host can initiate a conversion cycle on-demand using One-Shot mode. After the conversion cycle is complete, the device will return to the Standby state. PAC1720 Click communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface to read data and configure settings, supporting operation with a clock frequency up to 400kHz. Besides, it also allows the choice of its I2C slave address by positioning the SMD resistor of the appropriate value labeled as R2, allowing the user to select one of eight possible slave addresses. The current range allows for significant variations in
measured current with high accuracy and low voltage drop across the resistor. The PAC1720 has programmable high and low limits for current sense and bus voltage with a maskable alert signal labeled INT, routed to the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket to the host when an out-of-limit measurement occurs. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this 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.
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 PAC1720 Click driver.
Key functions:
pac1720_set_vsource_config- This function sets the Voltage Source configuration (sample time and average samples) for the selected channelpac1720_set_vsense_config- This function sets the Voltage Sense configuration (sample time, average samples, and sampling range) for the selected channelpac1720_get_measurements- This function reads voltage, current, and power from the selected channel
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 PAC1720 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of PAC1720 click board by reading the voltage,
* current, and power from both available channels.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and performs the click default configuration.
*
* ## Application Task
* Reads the voltage, current, and power from both channels and displays
* the results on the USB UART approximately once per second.
*
* @author Stefan Filipovic
*
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "pac1720.h"
static pac1720_t pac1720;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
pac1720_cfg_t pac1720_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.
pac1720_cfg_setup( &pac1720_cfg );
PAC1720_MAP_MIKROBUS( pac1720_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == pac1720_init( &pac1720, &pac1720_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( PAC1720_ERROR == pac1720_default_cfg ( &pac1720 ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
float voltage = 0, current = 0, power = 0;
if ( PAC1720_OK == pac1720_get_measurements ( &pac1720, PAC1720_CHANNEL_1, &voltage, ¤t, &power ) )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Channel 1:\r\n" );
log_printf( &logger, " U: %.3fV, I: %.3fA, P: %.3fW\r\n", voltage, current, power );
}
if ( PAC1720_OK == pac1720_get_measurements ( &pac1720, PAC1720_CHANNEL_2, &voltage, ¤t, &power ) )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Channel 2:\r\n" );
log_printf( &logger, " U: %.3fV, I: %.3fA, P: %.3fW\r\n\n", voltage, current, power );
}
Delay_ms( 1000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
