Step into a realm of unmatched performance with A4931 and PIC18F55K42
Experience whisper-quiet efficiency with our state-of-the-art brushless motor driver!
Published Nov 29, 2024
Click board™
Brushless 11 Click
Dev. board
UNI Clicker
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
PIC18F55K42
Experience the versatility of our brushless motor drivers, crafted to deliver unmatched efficiency and control across a spectrum of applications.
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Brushless 11 Click is based on the A4931, a 3-phase brushless DC motor pre-driver from Allegro Microsystems. It uses six external N-channel MOSFETs to drive a 3-phase BLDC motor. The internal charge pump generates a supply to drive the high-side MOSFETs while the voltage is internally monitored. In case of a fault condition, the device outputs are disabled. The pre-driver features several protection mechanisms, including fault shutdown, overvoltage protection, overtemperature protection, hall state reporting, and mock detect function. The A4931 also features the HBIAS function, which provides a power
supply voltage of 7.5V with a current limited to 30mA. This referent voltage powers the logic sections of the pre-driver and the external Hall elements. These elements can be connected over the 6-pin header, labeled as positive and negative A, B, and C channel inputs. To set the motor direction, this Click board™ uses a DIR switch. Set the position 1 for rotating forward and 0 position for rotating reverse. Brushless 11 Click is controlled by the host MCU through GPIO logic states. The enable input terminal on pin EN is used for external PWM, with typically PWM frequencies in the 20 to 30kHz range. To use brakes and stop the
motor, you should write a logic LOW on the BRK pin, which activates the Brake mode. This input overrides the enable input and also the lock detect function. Both the EN and BRK pins are pulled up. There are FG1 and FG2 pins that let you accurately measure motor rotation. 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
UNI Clicker is a compact development board designed as a complete solution that brings the flexibility of add-on Click boards™ to your favorite microcontroller, making it a perfect starter kit for implementing your ideas. It supports a wide range of microcontrollers, such as different ARM, PIC32, dsPIC, PIC, and AVR from various vendors like Microchip, ST, NXP, and TI (regardless of their number of pins), four mikroBUS™ sockets for Click board™ connectivity, a USB connector, LED indicators, buttons, a debugger/programmer connector, and two 26-pin headers for interfacing with external electronics. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, it allows you to build
gadgets with unique functionalities and features quickly. Each part of the UNI Clicker development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the possibility of choosing the UNI Clicker programming method, using a third-party programmer or CODEGRIP/mikroProg connected to onboard JTAG/SWD header, the UNI Clicker board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development kit. It provides two ways of board-powering; through the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector, where onboard voltage regulators provide the appropriate voltage levels to each component on the board, or using a Li-Po/Li
Ion battery via an onboard battery connector. All communication methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board (plus USB HOST/DEVICE), including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, a standardized socket for the MCU card (SiBRAIN standard), and several user-configurable buttons and LED indicators. UNI Clicker 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
Type
8th Generation
Architecture
PIC (8-bit)
MCU Memory (KB)
32
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
48
RAM (Bytes)
2048
You complete me!
Accessories
Brushless DC (BLDC) Motor with a Hall sensor represents a high-performance motor from the 42BLF motor series. This motor, wired in a star configuration, boasts a Hall Effect angle of 120°, ensuring precise and reliable performance. With a compact motor length of 47mm and a lightweight design tipping the scales at just 0.29kg, this BLDC motor is engineered to meet your needs. Operating flawlessly at a voltage rating of 24VDC and a speed range of 4000 ± 10% RPM, this motor offers consistent and dependable power. It excels in a normal operational temperature range from -20 to +50°C, maintaining efficiency with a rated current of 1.9A. Also, this product seamlessly integrates with all Brushless Click boards™ and those that require BLDC motors with Hall sensors.
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 UNI Clicker 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 Brushless 11 Click driver.
Key functions:
brushless11_get_fg1_pin- Brushless 11 get FG1 pin state function.brushless11_set_brake- Brushless 11 set motor brake state function.brushless11_set_speed- Brushless 11 set motor speed.
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 Brushless 11 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example demonstrates the use of the Brushless 11 Click board by driving the
* motor at different speeds.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes the driver and performs the Click default configuration.
*
* ## Application Task
* Controls the motor speed by changing the PWM duty cycle every second.
* The duty cycle ranges from 10% to 100%.
* Each step will be logged on the USB UART where you can track the program flow.
*
* @author Stefan Ilic
*/
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "brushless11.h"
static brushless11_t brushless11;
static log_t logger;
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg; /**< Logger config object. */
brushless11_cfg_t brushless11_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.
brushless11_cfg_setup( &brushless11_cfg );
BRUSHLESS11_MAP_MIKROBUS( brushless11_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
if ( PWM_ERROR == brushless11_init( &brushless11, &brushless11_cfg ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
for ( ; ; );
}
if ( BRUSHLESS11_ERROR == brushless11_default_cfg ( &brushless11 ) )
{
log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
for ( ; ; );
}
log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
log_printf( &logger, " Motor brake is off \r\n" );
brushless11_set_brake( &brushless11, BRUSHLESS11_BRAKE_OFF );
for ( uint8_t speed_cnt = 10; speed_cnt <= 100; speed_cnt += 10 )
{
brushless11_set_speed( &brushless11, speed_cnt );
log_printf( &logger, " Speed is: %d%% \r\n", ( uint16_t ) speed_cnt );
Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}
log_printf( &logger, " Motor brake is on \r\n" );
brushless11_set_brake( &brushless11, BRUSHLESS11_BRAKE_ON );
Delay_ms ( 1000 );
Delay_ms ( 1000 );
}
int main ( void )
{
/* Do not remove this line or clock might not be set correctly. */
#ifdef PREINIT_SUPPORTED
preinit();
#endif
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
return 0;
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
