Intermediate
30 min

Maximize your energy with TPS61230A and MK64FN1M0VDC12

Power up your possibilities

Boost 4 click with Clicker 2 for Kinetis

Published Jul 27, 2023

Click board™

Boost 4 click

Dev. board

Clicker 2 for Kinetis

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

MK64FN1M0VDC12

Add a voltage boost solution to your engineering project and take your power management to the next level

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Boost 4 Click is based on the TPS61230A, a high-efficiency, fully integrated synchronous boost converter from Texas Instruments. The Click is designed to run on a 3.3V power supply. Boost 4 Click drives the target chip through the digital potentiometer, which has SPI communication with the microcontroller on the system. Boost 4 Click is the power management solution for your next project. Boost 4 Click provides an adjustable output voltage through the SPI DAC that drives

the FB pin to set desired voltage. The Click can deliver up to 2.4-A output current at a 5V output with the 2.5-V input supply. The TPS61230A also integrates 6-A, 21-mΩ, and 18-mΩ power switches. During the light load condition, the TPS61230A automatically enters into the PFM operation to maximize the efficiency with the lowest quiescent current. In the shutdown by pulling EN pin to the logic low, the load is completely disconnected from the input, and the input current

consumption is reduced to below 1.0μA. 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.

Boost 4 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
Enable
PB11
RST
SPI Chip Select
PC4
CS
SPI Clock
PC5
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
SPI Data IN
PC6
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
NC
NC
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

Click board™ Schematic

Boost 4 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
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
Micro 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 Boost 4 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • boost4_generic_transfer - Generic SPI transfer, for sending and receiving packages

  • boost4_set_out_voltage - Function set output voltage by write 12-bit data to the register on the TPS61230A High Efficiency Step-Up Converter of Boost 4 Click

  • boost4_enable - Function is used to enabled or disabled the 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 Boost4 Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Boost 4 Click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes the driver and logger, and enables the click board.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Set the desired output voltage by cycling through a couple of predefined voltage values.
 * All data are being logged on USB UART every 3 seconds.
 * 
 * @note
 * Vout cannot be set to voltage below Vin. So in order to get all values at Vout exactly 
 * as it is set in this example, please provide 2.5V to Vin. 
 * 
 * \author Jovan Stajkovic
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "boost4.h"

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

static boost4_t boost4;
static log_t logger;

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    boost4_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.

    boost4_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    BOOST4_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    boost4_init( &boost4, &cfg );
    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "        Boost 4 Click        \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    boost4_enable( &boost4, BOOST4_ENABLE );
    Delay_ms( 1000 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    log_printf( &logger, " Set the max Vout \r\n" );
    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_MAX );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );

    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 5V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_5 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );

    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 4.5V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_4_5 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 4V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_4 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 3.5V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_3_5 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 3V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_3 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Set Vout to 2.5V\r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_2_5 );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Set the min Vout \r\n" );

    boost4_set_out_voltage( &boost4, BOOST4_VOUT_MIN );

    Delay_ms( 3000 );

    log_printf( &logger, "-----------------------------\r\n" );
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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


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

Additional Support

Resources

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