Intermediate
30 min

Perform step-down conversion of the applied DC input with MAX20010C and PIC18F47K40

Sleek power transformation

Buck 23 Click with EasyPIC v8

Published Aug 01, 2023

Click board™

Buck 23 Click

Dev Board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F47K40

From handheld devices to renewable energy installations, this buck converter empowers modern engineering with its seamless voltage transformation, driving progress in various industries

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Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Buck 23 Click is based on the MAX20010C, a high-efficiency, synchronous step-down converter from Analog Devices, providing interface-configurable output voltage range from 0.5V to 1.58V. The MAX20010C offers a factory-preset output voltage of 1V and supports dynamic voltage adjustment with programmable slew rates. Other features include programmable soft-start, overcurrent, and overtemperature protections. The wide input/output voltage range, ±2% output voltage accuracy, and the ability to provide up to 6A load current make this Click board™ an ideal solution for on-board point-of-load and post-regulation applications. The MAX20010C features a synchronization input, marked as SYN and routed to the PWM pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, that

puts the converter either in skip mode or forced-PWM mode of operation. In PWM mode, the converter switches at a constant frequency with variable on-time. In skip mode, the converter’s switching frequency is load-dependent until the output load reaches a certain threshold. This Click board™ communicates with MCU using the standard I2C 2-Wire interface to read data and configure settings. Also, the MAX20010C allows choosing its I2C slave address using the SMD jumper labeled ADDR SEL. Besides, it also possesses a power-good function and a device-enable feature. The power-good feature is routed to the red LED marked as PGOOD and PG pin of the mikroBUS™ socket, indicating that the output reached regulation, while the EN pin serves

for power ON/OFF purposes optimizing power consumption (converter operation permission). This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, it is allowed for both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs to use the communication lines properly. Additionally, there is a possibility for the MAX20010C power supply selection via jumper labeled as VDD SEL to supply the MAX20010C from an external power supply terminal in the range from 3V to 5.5V or with mikroBUS™ power rails. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library containing easy-to-use functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

Buck 23 Click hardware overview 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

PIC18F47K40

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

40

RAM (Bytes)

3728

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

NC
NC
AN
Enable
RE1
RST
NC
NC
CS
NC
NC
SCK
NC
NC
MISO
NC
NC
MOSI
Power Supply
3.3V
3.3V
Ground
GND
GND
Synchronization
RC0
PWM
Power Good Indicator
RB0
INT
NC
NC
TX
NC
NC
RX
I2C Clock
RC3
SCL
I2C Data
RC4
SDA
Power Supply
5V
5V
Ground
GND
GND
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Take a closer look

Schematic

Buck 23 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

After pressing the "FLASH" button on the left-side panel, it is necessary to open the UART terminal to display the achieved results. By clicking on the Tools icon in the right-hand panel, multiple different functions are displayed, among which is the UART Terminal. Click on the offered "UART Terminal" icon.

UART Application Output Step 1

Once the UART terminal is opened, the window takes on a new form. At the top of the tab are two buttons, one for adjusting the parameters of the UART terminal and the other for connecting the UART terminal. The tab's lower part is reserved for displaying the achieved results. Before connecting, the terminal has a Disconnected status, indicating that the terminal is not yet active. Before connecting, it is necessary to check the set parameters of the UART terminal. Click on the "OPTIONS" button.

UART Application Output Step 2

In the newly opened UART Terminal Options field, we check if the terminal settings are correct, such as the set port and the Baud rate of UART communication. If the data is not displayed properly, it is possible that the Baud rate value is not set correctly and needs to be adjusted to 115200. If all the parameters are set correctly, click on "CONFIGURE".

UART Application Output Step 3

The next step is to click on the "CONNECT" button, after which the terminal status changes from Disconnected to Connected in green, and the data is displayed in the Received data field.

UART Application Output Step 4

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Buck 23 Click driver.

Key functions:

  • buck23_set_vstep - This function sets the voltage output step to 10mV or 12.5mV

  • buck23_set_vout - This function sets the voltage output

  • buck23_get_pg_pin - This function returns the PG (power good) pin logic state

Open Source

Code example

This example can be found in NECTO Studio. Feel free to download the code, or you can copy the code below.

/*!
 * @file main.c
 * @brief Buck 23 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Buck 23 click by changing the output voltage.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes the driver and performs the device default configuration.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * Changes the output voltage once per second and displays on the USB UART the currently set
 * voltage output value as well as its range and resolution. It also checks and displays the status
 * register content and the power good pin indication.
 *
 * @author Stefan Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "buck23.h"

static buck23_t buck23;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    buck23_cfg_t buck23_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.
    buck23_cfg_setup( &buck23_cfg );
    BUCK23_MAP_MIKROBUS( buck23_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == buck23_init( &buck23, &buck23_cfg ) ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( BUCK23_ERROR == buck23_default_cfg ( &buck23 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    uint16_t vout_mv;
    uint8_t status;
    if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_set_vstep ( &buck23, BUCK23_VSTEP_10 ) )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------------------------------------\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " VOUT resolution: 10mV\r\n VOUT range: 500mV to 1270mV\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------------------------------------" );
    }
    for ( vout_mv = BUCK23_VOUT_MIN_VSTEP_10; vout_mv <= BUCK23_VOUT_MAX_VSTEP_10; vout_mv += 50 )
    {
        if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_read_register ( &buck23, BUCK23_REG_STATUS, &status ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n STATUS: 0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) status );
        }
        if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_set_vout ( &buck23, vout_mv ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, " VOUT: %u mV\r\n", vout_mv );
        }
        if ( !buck23_get_pg_pin ( &buck23 ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, " ERROR: No power good\r\n" );
            log_printf ( &logger, " Restarting device\r\n" );
            buck23_restart_device ( &buck23 );
            vout_mv -= 50;
        }
        Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    }
    if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_set_vstep ( &buck23, BUCK23_VSTEP_12_5 ) )
    {
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------------------------------------\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " VOUT resolution: 12.5mV\r\n VOUT range: 625mV to 1587.5mV\r\n" );
        log_printf ( &logger, " ------------------------------------" );
    }
    for ( vout_mv = BUCK23_VOUT_MIN_VSTEP_12_5; vout_mv <= BUCK23_VOUT_MAX_VSTEP_12_5; vout_mv += 50 )
    {
        if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_read_register ( &buck23, BUCK23_REG_STATUS, &status ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, "\r\n STATUS: 0x%.2X\r\n", ( uint16_t ) status );
        }
        if ( BUCK23_OK == buck23_set_vout ( &buck23, vout_mv ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, " VOUT: %u mV\r\n", vout_mv );
        }
        if ( !buck23_get_pg_pin ( &buck23 ) )
        {
            log_printf ( &logger, " ERROR: No power good\r\n" );
            log_printf ( &logger, " Restarting device\r\n" );
            buck23_restart_device ( &buck23 );
            vout_mv -= 50;
        }
        Delay_ms ( 1000 );
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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

Additional Support

Resources