Beginner
10 min

Track indoor air conditions with ENS161 and PIC32MZ2048EFM100

Digital metal-oxide multi-gas sensing solution

Air Quality 11 Click with Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF

Published May 02, 2024

Click board™

Air Quality 11 Click

Dev. board

Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC32MZ2048EFM100

Monitor and analyze the air you breathe indoors by detecting a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

A

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Air Quality 11 Click is based on the ENS161, a multi-gas sensor from ScioSense based on metal oxide (MOX) technology. It features four sensor elements that support both isothermal and low-power modes. This advanced sensor offers a unique capability of independently controlling the hotplate to detect a wide range of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like ethanol, toluene, hydrogen, and oxidizing gases with enhanced sensitivity. Equipped with intelligent on-chip algorithms, the ENS161 processes raw sensor data to calculate various air quality metrics, such as TVOC- and CO2-equivalents and different air quality indices, and performs compensations for humidity and temperature. A key feature of the ENS161 is its TrueVOC® air quality detection, which adheres to global Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) standards. It measures equivalent CO2 (eCO2) from 0 to 65,000 ppb, meeting HVAC requirements,

and equivalent Total Volatile Organic Compounds (eTVOC) ranging from 400 to 65,000 ppm CO2-equivalent. Additionally, it supports both the German Federal Environmental Agency's (UBA) Air Quality Index (AQI-U) from 1 to 5 and a relative Air Quality Index (AQI-S) from 0 to 500. This solution finds applications in IoT devices, wearables, energy-sensitive building automation, HVAC systems, home appliances, and more. This Click board™ allows for flexible communication options, supporting both I2C and SPI interfaces. These interfaces enable communication speeds up to 1MHz for I2C and 10MHz for SPI. Users can select their preferred communication protocol by adjusting the SMD jumpers in the COMM SEL section. The jumpers must be aligned on the same side to avoid potential issues. An additional SMD jumper, labeled ADDR SEL, enables the adjustment of the I2C slave address. The ENS161 sensor operates using

a 3.3V supply from the mikroBUS™ socket for its logic-level side and uses a 1.8V as a main power supply, which is converted from the 3.3V mikroBUS™ power rail through an AP2112 CMOS LDO regulator. This LDO is enabled via the EN pin from the mikroBUS™ socket, which can also function as a global enable for the entire device. Besides the communication pins for SPI and I2C, the ENS161 also uses an interrupt (INT) pin to alert the host MCU when new output data is available. 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.

Air Quality 11 Click hardware overview image

Features overview

Development board

Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF development board is a fully integrated 32-bit development platform featuring the high-performance PIC32MZ EF Series (PIC32MZ2048EFM) that has a 2MB Flash, 512KB RAM, integrated FPU, Crypto accelerator, and excellent connectivity options. It includes an integrated programmer and debugger, requiring no additional hardware. Users can expand

functionality through MIKROE mikroBUS™ Click™ adapter boards, add Ethernet connectivity with the Microchip PHY daughter board, add WiFi connectivity capability using the Microchip expansions boards, and add audio input and output capability with Microchip audio daughter boards. These boards are fully integrated into PIC32’s powerful software framework, MPLAB Harmony,

which provides a flexible and modular interface to application development a rich set of inter-operable software stacks (TCP-IP, USB), and easy-to-use features. The Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF development board offers expansion capabilities making it an excellent choice for a rapid prototyping board in Connectivity, IOT, and general-purpose applications.

Curiosity PIC32MZ EF double side 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
ID SEL
RA9
RST
SPI Select / ID COMM
RPD4
CS
SPI Clock
RPD1
SCK
SPI Data OUT
RPD14
MISO
SPI Data IN
RPD3
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Device Enable
RPE8
PWM
Interrupt
RF13
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
RPA14
SCL
I2C Data
RPA15
SDA
NC
NC
5V
Ground
GND
GND
1

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Air Quality 11 Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

Curiosity PIC32MZ EF front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF as your development board.

Curiosity PIC32MZ EF front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
Prog-cut hardware assembly
Board mapper by product7 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
Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF 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 Air Quality 11 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • airquality11_get_aqi_uba - This function reads the calculated Air Quality Index according to the UBA.

  • airquality11_get_tvoc - This function reads the calculated equivalent TVOC concentration in ppb.

  • airquality11_get_aqi_s - This function reads the calculated relative Air Quality Index proprietary to ScioSense.

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 Air Quality 11 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of the Air Quality 11 Click board 
 * by reading and displaying the calculated Air Quality Index according to the UBA and ScioSense, 
 * and equivalent TVOC and CO2 concentration.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * The initialization of I2C and SPI module and log UART.
 * After driver initialization, the app sets the default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * The demo application displays the Air Quality Index of the UBA information,
 * concentration of the TVOC and CO2 and Air Quality Index according to ScioSense.
 * Results are being sent to the UART Terminal, where you can track their changes.
 *
 * ## Additional Function
 * - static void airquality11_display_aqi_uba ( void )
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "airquality11.h"

static airquality11_t airquality11;
static log_t logger;

/**
 * @brief Air Quality 11 display AQI-UBA function.
 * @details This function parses the Air Quality Index per UBA (AQI-UBA) value 
 * and displays it on the USB UART.
 * @param[in] aqi_uba : AQI-UBA value.
 * @return None.
 * @note None.
 */
void airquality11_display_aqi_uba ( uint8_t aqi_uba );

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    airquality11_cfg_t airquality11_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.
    airquality11_cfg_setup( &airquality11_cfg );
    AIRQUALITY11_MAP_MIKROBUS( airquality11_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = airquality11_init( &airquality11, &airquality11_cfg );
    if ( ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) || ( SPI_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( AIRQUALITY11_ERROR == airquality11_default_cfg ( &airquality11 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }

    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, "---------------------------\r\n " );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
}

void application_task ( void )
{
    uint8_t aqi_uba = 0;
    uint16_t aq_data = 0;

    if ( AIRQUALITY11_OK == airquality11_get_aqi_uba( &airquality11, &aqi_uba ) )
    {
        airquality11_display_aqi_uba( aqi_uba );
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
    }

    if ( AIRQUALITY11_OK == airquality11_get_tvoc( &airquality11, &aq_data ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " TVOC: %u [ppb]\r\n", aq_data );
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
    }

    if ( AIRQUALITY11_OK == airquality11_get_co2( &airquality11, &aq_data ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " ECO2: %u [ppm]\r\n", aq_data );
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
    }

    if ( AIRQUALITY11_OK == airquality11_get_aqi_s( &airquality11, &aq_data ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " AQIS: %u [idx]\r\n", aq_data );
        Delay_ms ( 100 );
    }
    
    log_printf( &logger, "---------------------------\r\n " );
    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;
}

void airquality11_display_aqi_uba ( uint8_t aqi_uba )
{
    switch ( aqi_uba )
    {
        case AIRQUALITY11_AQI_UBA_EXELLENT:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Exellent\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Hygienic Rating: No objections\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Recommendation: Target\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Exposure Limit: No limit\r\n" );
            break;
        }
        case AIRQUALITY11_AQI_UBA_GOOD:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Good\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Hygienic Rating: No relevant objections\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Recommendation: Sufficient ventilation\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Exposure Limit: No limit\r\n" );
            break;
        }
        case AIRQUALITY11_AQI_UBA_MODERATE:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Moderate\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Hygienic Rating: Some objections\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Recommendation: Increased ventilation - Search for sources\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Exposure Limit: < 12 months\r\n" );
            break;
        }
        case AIRQUALITY11_AQI_UBA_POOR:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Poor\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Hygienic Rating: Major objections\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Recommendation: Intensified ventilation - Search for sources\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Exposure Limit: < 1 month\r\n" );
            break;
        }
        case AIRQUALITY11_AQI_UBA_UNHEALTHY:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Unhealthy\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Hygienic Rating: Situation not acceptable\r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Recommendation: Use only if unavoidable - Intensified ventilation recommended \r\n" );
            log_printf( &logger, " Exposure Limit: hours\r\n" );
            break;
        }
        default:
        {
            log_printf( &logger, " AQI-UBA Rating: Unknown\r\n" );
            break;
        }
    }
    log_printf( &logger, "- - - - - - - - - - - - - -\r\n " );
}

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

Additional Support

Resources

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