Transform voltage like never before with MPM3530 and PIC32MZ2048EFH100
Sync your power needs
Published Aug 01, 2023
Click board™
Buck 13 Click
Dev. board
Flip&Click PIC32MZ
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
PIC32MZ2048EFH100
Ensure your electronics receive the necessary power, minimizing waste and enhancing performance
A
A
Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Buck 13 Click is based on the MPM3530, a 55V 3A ultra-low profile DC-to-DC power module by Monolithic Power Systems (MPS). This IC is a valley current mode controlled power module, meaning that it responds faster than the traditional peak current mode control, thus, a better response to transients. This IC requires minimal external components, making the whole device robust and easy to work with. The feedback voltage on the FB pin determines the output voltage. Therefore, Buck 13 click has a fixed voltage divider calculated to ensure stable, the most frequently used, 3.3V output. The MPM3530 operates at a high switching frequency of 520 kHz, which allows a good compromise between the efficiency and the device's size, with no external coil needed and a minimal number of other external components. This Click board™ also uses the MCP3001, a 10-bit A/D converter (ADC) which uses the SPI interface from Microchip. It allows monitoring of the
output voltage over the SPI interface. This ADC is powered by the +5V mikroBUS™ power rail. The same voltage is also used to supply the MCP1541 voltage reference. That way, the stable 4.096V reference voltage is obtained to ensure precise output voltage measurement. The Click board™ itself requires an external power supply to be connected at the input terminal, labeled as VIN. The VOUT terminal provides the connected load with the regulated 3.3V voltage. The over-current protection is based on cycle-by-cycle limiting of the inductor current. If the output voltage starts to drop during the current limiting interval, causing the FB voltage to drop under 50% of the internal reference, the device enters the hiccup mode, shutting down the output. After a fixed period, the device will try to re-enable the output. If the short-circuit condition still exists, it will shut down the output again, repeating the whole process until the short-circuit condition disappears. The hiccup
mode greatly reduces the short-circuit current, protecting the device when the output is shorted to ground. Thanks to its ability to work with the high-duty cycle of the internal switching PWM signal, the MPM3530 requires the input voltage to be only about 0.7V above the output voltage to maintain the regulation. However, if the input voltage drops under 3.5V, the device cannot operate properly. Therefore, the under-voltage protection shuts down the device as a protection measure. The under-voltage protection is disabled once the input voltage exceeds 3.9V. This small hysteresis of 0.4V prevents erratic behavior in border cases. As mentioned before, the voltage of the power supply at the input terminal should stay within the range between 4V and 55V. However, the voltage at the input should be approximately 5.7V to 6V, at least, to provide good regulation at the output.
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.
Microcontroller Overview
MCU Card / MCU
Architecture
PIC32
MCU Memory (KB)
2048
Silicon Vendor
Microchip
Pin count
100
RAM (Bytes)
524288
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 Flip&Click PIC32MZ 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 Buck 13 Click driver.
Key functions:
buck13_enable- Enables the Buck 13 outputbuck13_get_adc- Gets the ADC values from the modulebuck13_get_voltage- Gets the output voltage
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 Buck13 Click example
*
* # Description
* This example switches the output of the Buck13 and logs the output voltage
* on the Vout terminal.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initializes SPI serial interface and turns OFF the Buck 13 output as default state.
*
* ## Application Task
* Displays the output voltage every 2 seconds.
*
* *note:*
* Input voltage range must be from 6.5 to 50V.
* Output voltage is about 3.3V.
* Current limit is 3A.
*
* \author Petar Suknjaja
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "buck13.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static buck13_t buck13;
static log_t logger;
static uint16_t out_voltage;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
buck13_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.
buck13_cfg_setup( &cfg );
BUCK13_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
buck13_default_cfg ( &buck13 );
buck13_init( &buck13, &cfg );
log_info( &logger, "Buck 13 is enabled now" );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
// Task implementation.
buck13_enable( &buck13, BUCK13_ENABLE );
out_voltage = buck13_get_voltage( &buck13 );
log_printf( &logger, "Vout = %d mV\r\n", out_voltage );
Delay_ms( 2000 );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
