Beginner
10 min

Unlock the power of linear Hall switching using MLX90242 and PIC32MZ2048EFH100

Powerful sensing, unparalleled precision

LIN HALL Click with Flip&Click PIC32MZ

Published Jun 20, 2023

Click board™

LIN HALL Click

Dev. board

Flip&Click PIC32MZ

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC32MZ2048EFH100

Empower your design with Linear Hall Switch engineered to provide accurate and proportional output, perfect for applications demanding reliable linear position and current sensing

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

LIN HALL Click is based on the MLX90242, a linear Hall-effect sensor designed in CMOS technology from Melexis Technologies. The MLX90242 features active error correction circuitry (Hall plate quadrature spinning current and chopper-stabilized amplifier), virtually eliminating the offset errors usually associated with Hall-effect devices. It allows using generic magnets, making it suitable for highly accurate rotary and linear position detection in automotive and industrial applications. The ratiometric output voltage of the MLX90242 is proportional to the supply voltage.

For a positive slope, the voltage at the output will increase as a South magnetic field is applied to the branded face of the MLX90242. Conversely, the voltage output will decrease in the presence of a North magnetic field. For a negative slope, the voltage at the output will increase as a North magnetic field is applied to the branded face of the MLX90242. Conversely, the voltage output will decrease in the presence of a South magnetic field. The output signal of the MLX90242 is then converted to a digital value using MCP3201, a successive approximation A/D converter with a

12-bit resolution from Microchip using a 3-wire SPI compatible interface (read-only). This Click board™ can operate with both 3.3V and 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VOLTAGE LEVEL jumper. It should be highlighted that the MLX90242 works exclusively at 5V, where it is necessary to perform appropriate logic voltage level conversion before using MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

LIN HALL 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
NC
NC
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
NC
NC
PWM
NC
NC
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
NC
NC
SCL
NC
NC
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

LIN HALL 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 LIN HALL Click driver.

Key functions:

  • linhall_read_data - Read 12-bit data function

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 LinHall Click example
 * 
 * # Description
 * This is a example which demonstrates the use of Lin Hall Click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 * 
 * ## Application Init 
 * Initializes SPI and LOG structures, initialization driver enable's 
 * - SPI and start write log.
 * 
 * ## Application Task  
 * Read 12-bit ADC value from the MCP3201 chip.
 * Results are being sent to the Usart Terminal where you can track their changes.
 * All data logs on usb uart for aproximetly every 100 ms when the ADC value changes.
 * 
 * \author MikroE Team
 *
 */
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "linhall.h"

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

static linhall_t linhall;
static log_t logger;

static uint16_t value_adc;
static uint16_t value_adc_old;
static uint16_t sensitivity;

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

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;
    linhall_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.

    linhall_cfg_setup( &cfg );
    LINHALL_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    linhall_init( &linhall, &cfg );
    
    log_printf( &logger, "  Lin Hall click  \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    
    value_adc_old = 0;
    sensitivity = 30;
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    value_adc = linhall_read_data( &linhall );

    if ( ( ( value_adc - value_adc_old ) > sensitivity ) && ( ( value_adc_old - value_adc ) > sensitivity ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, "  ADC Value : %d \r\n", value_adc );
        log_printf( &logger, "------------------\r\n" );

        value_adc_old = value_adc;
        Delay_ms( 100 );
    }
}

void main ( void )
{
    application_init( );

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


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

Additional Support

Resources

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