Intermediate
30 min

Combining CAM-M8C with PIC32MZ2048EFH100 guarantees that every detail of your journey is finely tuned

Charting new horizons, one pinpoint at a time

GNSS 12 Click with Flip&Click PIC32MZ

Published Sep 02, 2023

Click board™

GNSS 12 Click

Dev. board

Flip&Click PIC32MZ

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC32MZ2048EFH100

Our GNSS breakthrough not only helps you find your way but also ensures that every experience along the journey is extraordinary

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

GNSS 12 Click is based on the CAM-M8C, a concurrent GNSS chip antenna module from u-blox. The CAM-M8C is built on the high-performing M8 GNSS engine and utilizes simultaneous reception of up to three GNSS systems (GPS/Galileo together with BeiDou or GLONASS). It offers high sensitivity and minimal acquisition times while maintaining low power consumption and provides outstanding positioning accuracy even in GNSS-hostile environments. It also supports message integrity protection, geofencing, and spoofing detection with configurable interface settings to easily fit applications, such as industrial and automotive. The CAM-M8C communicates with the host MCU using the UART interface at 115200bps as its default communication protocol but also has other interfaces, such as SPI and I2C. The interface is selected by positioning SMD jumpers labeled COMM SEL in an appropriate position. Note that all

the jumpers' positions must be on the same side, or the Click board™ may become unresponsive. In addition, this board also uses several mikroBUS™ pins. The reset pin routed on the RST pin of the mikroBUS™ socket provides the general reset ability, while the INT pin of the mikroBUS™ socket represents an external interrupt. An interrupt feature can be used for wake-up functions in the power save mode and aiding. In the case of the primary supply failure, this Click board™ can use a backup supply voltage from a connected battery to help the internal RTC to run still, providing a timing reference for the receiver. Backup voltage also supplies battery-backed RAM, saving all relevant data in the backup RAM to allow a hot or warm start later. If the backup battery is disconnected, the module performs a cold start during a Power-Up sequence. In addition to precise positioning, the GNSS 12 Click also has an accurate timing signal indicated through an

orange LED indicator marked as PPS. Besides an integrated omnidirectional GNSS chip antenna, the GNSS 12 Click possesses the N.FL antenna connector for connecting the appropriate active antenna offered by Mikroe for improved range and received signal strength. Thanks to the LNA pin, routed to the PWM pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, it is possible to control the use of the external antenna through the MAX40200, and thus the power consumption in the power save mode. Also, for the simplest possible implementation of SMA antennas on these types of connectors, the MMCX-SMA Cable from our offer is recommended. 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.

GNSS 12 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Flip&Click PIC32MZ 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 comes with an onboard 32-bit PIC32MZ microcontroller, the PIC32MZ2048EFH100 from Microchip, four mikroBUS™ sockets for Click board™ connectivity, two USB connectors, LED indicators, buttons, debugger/programmer connectors, and two headers compatible with Arduino-UNO pinout. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology,

it allows you to build gadgets with unique functionalities and features quickly. Each part of the Flip&Click PIC32MZ development kit contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition, there is the possibility of choosing the Flip&Click PIC32MZ programming method, using the chipKIT bootloader (Arduino-style development environment) or our USB HID bootloader using mikroC, mikroBasic, and mikroPascal for PIC32. This kit includes a clean and regulated power supply block through the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector. All communication

methods that mikroBUS™ itself supports are on this board, including the well-established mikroBUS™ socket, user-configurable buttons, and LED indicators. Flip&Click PIC32MZ development kit allows 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.

Flip&Click PIC32MZ double image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

default

Architecture

PIC32

MCU Memory (KB)

2048

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

100

RAM (Bytes)

524288

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Reset
RE2
RST
SPI Chip Select
RA0
CS
SPI Clock
RG6
SCK
SPI Data OUT
RC4
MISO
SPI Data IN
RB5
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
External Antenna Activation
RC14
PWM
Interrupt
RD9
INT
UART TX
RE3
TX
UART RX
RG9
RX
I2C Clock
RA2
SCL
I2C Data
RA3
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

GNSS 12 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Flip&Click PIC32MZ front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Flip&Click PIC32MZ as your development board.

Flip&Click PIC32MZ front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Flip&Click PIC32MZ MB1 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 GNSS 12 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • gnss12_reset_device - This function resets the device by toggling the RST pin

  • gnss12_generic_read - This function reads a desired number of data bytes from the module

  • gnss12_parse_gngga - This function parses the GNGGA data from the read response buffer

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 GNSS12 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of GNSS 12 click by reading and displaying
 * the GNSS coordinates.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and resets the click board.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Reads the received data, parses the GNGGA info from it, and once it receives 
 * the position fix it will start displaying the coordinates on the USB UART.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - static void gnss12_clear_app_buf ( void )
 * - static err_t gnss12_process ( gnss12_t *ctx )
 * - static void gnss12_parser_application ( char *rsp )
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "gnss12.h"

#define PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE 200

static gnss12_t gnss12;
static log_t logger;

static char app_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
static int32_t app_buf_len = 0;
static int32_t app_buf_cnt = 0;

/**
 * @brief GNSS 12 clearing application buffer.
 * @details This function clears memory of application buffer and reset its length and counter.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void gnss12_clear_app_buf ( void );

/**
 * @brief GNSS 12 data reading function.
 * @details This function reads data from device and concatenates data to application buffer.
 * @param[in] ctx : Click context object.
 * See #gnss12_t object definition for detailed explanation.
 * @return @li @c  0 - Read some data.
 *         @li @c -1 - Nothing is read or Application buffer overflow.
 * See #err_t definition for detailed explanation.
 * @note None.
 */
static err_t gnss12_process ( gnss12_t *ctx );

/**
 * @brief GNSS 12 parser application.
 * @param[in] rsp Response buffer.
 * @details This function logs GNSS data on the USB UART.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
static void gnss12_parser_application ( char *rsp );

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    gnss12_cfg_t gnss12_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.
    gnss12_cfg_setup( &gnss12_cfg );
    GNSS12_MAP_MIKROBUS( gnss12_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = gnss12_init( &gnss12, &gnss12_cfg );
    if ( ( UART_ERROR == init_flag ) || ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) || ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    gnss12_reset_device ( &gnss12 );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    gnss12_process( &gnss12 );
    if ( app_buf_len > ( sizeof ( GNSS12_RSP_GNGGA ) + GNSS12_GNGGA_ELEMENT_SIZE ) ) 
    {
        gnss12_parser_application( app_buf );
    }
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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

static void gnss12_clear_app_buf ( void ) 
{
    memset( app_buf, 0, app_buf_len );
    app_buf_len = 0;
    app_buf_cnt = 0;
}

static err_t gnss12_process ( gnss12_t *ctx ) 
{
    int32_t rx_size = 0;
    char rx_buf[ PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ] = { 0 };
    if ( GNSS12_DRV_SEL_UART == ctx->drv_sel )
    {
        rx_size = gnss12_generic_read( ctx, rx_buf, PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE );
    }
    else if ( ( GNSS12_DRV_SEL_I2C == ctx->drv_sel ) || ( GNSS12_DRV_SEL_SPI == ctx->drv_sel ) )
    {
        if ( GNSS12_OK == gnss12_generic_read( ctx, rx_buf, 1 ) )
        {
            if ( GNSS12_DUMMY != rx_buf[ 0 ] )
            {
                rx_size = 1;
            }
        }
    }
    if ( rx_size > 0 ) 
    {
        int32_t buf_cnt = 0;
        if ( ( app_buf_len + rx_size ) > PROCESS_BUFFER_SIZE ) 
        {
            gnss12_clear_app_buf(  );
            return GNSS12_ERROR;
        } 
        else 
        {
            buf_cnt = app_buf_len;
            app_buf_len += rx_size;
        }
        for ( int32_t rx_cnt = 0; rx_cnt < rx_size; rx_cnt++ ) 
        {
            if ( rx_buf[ rx_cnt ] ) 
            {
                app_buf[ ( buf_cnt + rx_cnt ) ] = rx_buf[ rx_cnt ];
            }
            else
            {
                app_buf_len--;
                buf_cnt--;
            }
        }
        return GNSS12_OK;
    }
    return GNSS12_ERROR;
}

static void gnss12_parser_application ( char *rsp )
{
    char element_buf[ 100 ] = { 0 };
    if ( GNSS12_OK == gnss12_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS12_GNGGA_LATITUDE, element_buf ) )
    {
        static uint8_t wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
        if ( strlen( element_buf ) > 0 )
        {
            log_printf( &logger, "\r\n Latitude: %.2s degrees, %s minutes \r\n", element_buf, &element_buf[ 2 ] );
            gnss12_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS12_GNGGA_LONGITUDE, element_buf );
            log_printf( &logger, " Longitude: %.3s degrees, %s minutes \r\n", element_buf, &element_buf[ 3 ] );
            memset( element_buf, 0, sizeof( element_buf ) );
            gnss12_parse_gngga( rsp, GNSS12_GNGGA_ALTITUDE, element_buf );
            log_printf( &logger, " Altitude: %s m \r\n", element_buf );
            wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
        }
        else
        {
            if ( wait_for_fix_cnt % 5 == 0 )
            {
                log_printf( &logger, " Waiting for the position fix...\r\n\n" );
                wait_for_fix_cnt = 0;
            }
            wait_for_fix_cnt++;
        }
        gnss12_clear_app_buf(  );
    }
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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