Optimize DC load management for efficiency with G6D-ASI and PIC32MZ2048EFM100
Say goodbye to clicks and clacks
Published Oct 18, 2023
Click board™
FLICKER Click
Dev. board
Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF
Compiler
NECTO Studio
MCU
PIC32MZ2048EFM100
Switch to a world of convenience and reliability with our power PCB relay – the smart choice for your electrical control needs
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Hardware Overview
How does it work?
Flicker Click is based on the G6D-ASI, a power PCB relay from OMRON. It has a long service life with up to 300.000 operations at maximum rated loads. Its contact resistance is 100mΩ, with 5ms of release time, and it is designed to withstand 500VDC. Its coil is powered by 5V from the mikroBUS™ socket. The load can be connected to the relay over the onboard screw terminal and isolated from the board. Remember not to touch the board while the external power supply is on; the Flicker Click has exposed pins/pads. Thanks to
the onboard NE556, a dual precision timer from Texas Instruments, and two onboard 500K potentiometers, you can easily set the on/off periods. You will need a fine screwdriver to set the desired position of the potentiometers. A stopwatch can measure the ON/OFF periods if you need precise time. This way, you can set different or the same periods for both on and off states. The onboard LED stands for the visual presentation of the status of the relay. The Flicker Click uses a FON pin of the mikroBUS™ socket to communicate
with the host MCU. Over this pin, you can turn the NE556 ON and OFF. This Click board™ can be operated only with a 5V 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
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.
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 Curiosity PIC32 MZ EF 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 FLICKER Click driver.
Key functions:
flicker_engage- Flicker engage 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 Flicker Click example
*
* # Description
* This application simple solution if you need to turn a device on and off at specific time intervals.
*
* The demo application is composed of two sections :
*
* ## Application Init
* Initialization driver enables GPIO and also starts write log.
*
* ## Application Task
* This example demonstrates capabilities of Flicker Click board.
*
* \author MikroE Team
*
*/
// ------------------------------------------------------------------- INCLUDES
#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "flicker.h"
// ------------------------------------------------------------------ VARIABLES
static flicker_t flicker;
static log_t logger;
// ------------------------------------------------------ APPLICATION FUNCTIONS
void application_init ( void )
{
log_cfg_t log_cfg;
flicker_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.
flicker_cfg_setup( &cfg );
FLICKER_MAP_MIKROBUS( cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
flicker_init( &flicker, &cfg );
}
void application_task ( void )
{
// Task implementation.
log_printf( &logger, " *Flicker on!* \r\n" );
Delay_ms( 500 );
flicker_engage( &flicker );
}
void main ( void )
{
application_init( );
for ( ; ; )
{
application_task( );
}
}
// ------------------------------------------------------------------------ END
