Intermediate
30 min

Achieve precise RF signal management with MASWSS0115 and PIC18F4682

Transforming the RF landscape

RF Switch Click with EasyPIC v8

Published Nov 01, 2023

Click board™

RF Switch Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F4682

Our RF switch solution empowers engineers with a versatile tool for selecting and routing RF signals, enhancing system flexibility and signal quality

A

A

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

RF Switch Click is based on the MASWSS0115, a GaAs PHEMT MMIC single-pole, double-throw (SPDT) switch from Macom in a low cost, lead-free SC-70 (SOT-363) surface mount plastic package. The MASWSS0115 is ideally suited for applications where a very small size and low cost are required. Typical applications are dual-band systems that require switching between small signal components such as filter banks, single-band LNAs, converters, etc. This part can be used for low power, low loss requirements in all systems operating up to 3 GHz, including PCS, GSM, DCS, Bluetooth, and other receive chain applications.

The MASWSS0115 is fabricated using a 0.5 micron gate length GaAs PHEMT process. The process features full passivation for performance and reliability. Featured chip MASWSS0115 provides signal switching of 50MHz to up to 3GHz with an insertion loss of 0.3 dB at 2.4 GHz and power consumption of 5 µA at +2.3V. Ultra High-Speed CMOS inverter labeled as NC7WZ14 is used for driving and controlling an RF switch with the typical switching time of 3,2 ns. Additionally, a load switch TPS22943 can enable or disable the RF switch by electrically detaching the power supply. RF Switch click uses the 5V to supply the

switch driver while 3.3V microcontroller can be used to communicate with the control circuitry. Two LEDs (RF1 and RF2) indicate the current active RF port as a visual representation of a state of the switch. Since RF1 is complementary to RF2, the switching can be achieved with only one GPIO pin. The RFC is an input of the switch with the possibility of redirecting the RF signal to RF1 or RF2 port. Besides switching SEL pin, the pin labeled as ON is used for power control. All of the switch ports are accessible on the connectors located on top of the click board with the addition of miniature coaxial connectors for both RF ports.

RF Switch Click top side image
RF Switch Click bottom side image

Features overview

Development board

EasyPIC v8 is a development board specially designed for the needs of rapid development of embedded applications. It supports many high pin count 8-bit PIC microcontrollers from Microchip, regardless of their number of pins, and a broad set of unique functions, such as the first-ever embedded debugger/programmer. The development board is well organized and designed so that the end-user has all the necessary elements, such as switches, buttons, indicators, connectors, and others, in one place. Thanks to innovative manufacturing technology, EasyPIC v8 provides a fluid and immersive working experience, allowing access anywhere and under any

circumstances at any time. Each part of the EasyPIC v8 development board contains the components necessary for the most efficient operation of the same board. In addition to the advanced integrated CODEGRIP programmer/debugger module, which offers many valuable programming/debugging options and seamless integration with the Mikroe software environment, the board also includes a clean and regulated power supply module for the development board. It can use a wide range of external power sources, including a battery, an external 12V power supply, and a power source via the USB Type-C (USB-C) connector.

Communication options such as USB-UART, USB DEVICE, and CAN are also included, including the well-established mikroBUS™ standard, two display options (graphical and character-based LCD), and several different DIP sockets. These sockets cover a wide range of 8-bit PIC MCUs, from the smallest PIC MCU devices with only eight up to forty pins. EasyPIC v8 is an integral part of the Mikroe ecosystem for rapid development. Natively supported by Mikroe software tools, it covers many aspects of prototyping and development thanks to a considerable number of different Click boards™ (over a thousand boards), the number of which is growing every day.

EasyPIC v8 horizontal image

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

PIC18F4682

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

80

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

40

RAM (Bytes)

3328

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
NC
NC
RST
Power On
RE0
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
NC
NC
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Port Selection
RC0
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

RF Switch Click Schematic schematic

Step by step

Project assembly

EasyPIC v8 front image hardware assembly

Start by selecting your development board and Click board™. Begin with the EasyPIC v8 as your development board.

EasyPIC v8 front image hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly
MCU DIP 40 hardware assembly
GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly
EasyPIC v8 Access DIPMB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly
Necto image step 2 hardware assembly
Necto image step 3 hardware assembly
Necto image step 4 hardware assembly
NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly
NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly
Necto image step 6 hardware assembly
Necto DIP image step 7 hardware assembly
Necto image step 8 hardware assembly
Necto image step 9 hardware assembly
Necto image step 10 hardware assembly
Necto PreFlash Image 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 RF Switch Click driver.

Key functions:

  • rfswitch_power_on - RF Switch power on function

  • rfswitch_switch_channel - RF Switch switch channel function

  • rfswitch_select_channel - RF Switch select channel 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 main.c
 * @brief RF Switch Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This is an example that demonstrates the use of the RF Switch Click board.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initialization driver enable's - GPIO, also write log and powers on device.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Waiting for valid user input and executes functions based on set of valid commands.
 * Results are being sent to the Usart Terminal where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @author Stefan Ilic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "rfswitch.h"

static rfswitch_t rfswitch;   /**< RF Switch Click driver object. */
static log_t logger;    /**< Logger object. */

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    rfswitch_cfg_t rfswitch_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.
    rfswitch_cfg_setup( &rfswitch_cfg );
    RFSWITCH_MAP_MIKROBUS( rfswitch_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( DIGITAL_OUT_UNSUPPORTED_PIN == rfswitch_init( &rfswitch, &rfswitch_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "   Powering device on   \r\n" );
    rfswitch_power_on( &rfswitch );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "   Select option to     \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "    select channel      \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " 1. Channel 1 selected  \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " 2. Channel 2 selected  \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, " 3. Switching channel   \r\n" );
    log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    uint8_t tx_buf;
    if ( log_read( &logger, &tx_buf, 1 ) ) {
        switch ( tx_buf ) {
            case '1' : {
                rfswitch_select_channel( &rfswitch, RFSWITCH_SELECT_CHANNEL_1 );
                log_printf( &logger, " Switching to RF port 1 \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case '2' : {
                rfswitch_select_channel( &rfswitch, RFSWITCH_SELECT_CHANNEL_2 );
                log_printf( &logger, " Switching to RF port 2 \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            case '3' : {
                rfswitch_switch_channel( &rfswitch );
                log_printf( &logger, "   Switching RF port    \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
                break;
            }
            default : {
                log_printf( &logger, "   Select option to     \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "    select channel      \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, " 1. Channel 1 selected  \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, " 2. Channel 2 selected  \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, " 3. Switching channel   \r\n" );
                log_printf( &logger, "------------------------\r\n" );
            }
        }
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources

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