Upgrade current measurements to unprecedented levels of accuracy with MCS1806 and PIC18F45K40

Hall effect innovation for seamless AC/DC current detection

Published Nov 15, 2023

Click board™

Hall Current 18 Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F45K40

Step into a new era of current measurement reliability with our Hall effect sensors, designed to meet the demands of modern industries by providing non-intrusive, high-precision monitoring for both AC and DC currents.

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Hall Current 18 Click is based on the MCS1806, an isolated Hall-effect current sensor from MPS. Its primary conductor has low resistance and allows current to flow close to the high-accuracy Hall-effect sensors. The current generates a magnetic field that is sensed at two different points by the integrated Hall-effect transducers. The difference in the magnetic field between those two points is converted into a voltage proportional to the applied current. As a low stable offset, a spinning current technique is used. The MCS1806 outputs an analog signal, which on this board™ can be read in a digital form. For that purpose, Hall Current 18 Click features the MCP3221, a successive

approximation A/D converter with a 12-bit resolution from Microchip. The onboard OUT SEL jumper allows you to choose between the analog and digital output of the sensor. The MCP3221 is selected by default. This Click board™ should be connected in series with the load. Two onboard terminal connectors measure the current, one terminal block for the positive and the other for the negative current input. Hall Current 18 Click can use an analog output to allow the host MCU to read the data as analog values. In addition, over the MCP3221 and standard 2-Wire I2C interface, it can allow the host MCU to read data in a digital form and 12-bit resolution. Data can be transferred at

rates of up to 100kbit/s in the Standard and 400kbit/s in the Fast Mode. Also, maximum sample rates of 22.3kSPS with the MCP3221 are possible in a Continuous-Conversion Mode with a clock rate of 400kHz. This Click board™ can operate with either 3.3V or 5V logic voltage levels selected via the VCC SEL jumper. This way, both 3.3V and 5V capable MCUs can use the communication lines properly. Also, this 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.

Hall Current 18 Click hardware overview image

Hall Current 18 Click Current Warning 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.

Microcontroller Overview

MCU Card / MCU

Architecture

PIC

MCU Memory (KB)

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

RAM (Bytes)

2048

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Analog Output

RA2

RST

ID COMM

RE0

SCK

MISO

MOSI

Power Supply

3.3V

Ground

GND

PWM

INT

I2C Clock

RC3

SCL

I2C Data

RC4

SDA

Power Supply

Ground

GND

Take a closer look

Click board™ Schematic

Hall Current 18 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.

NECTO Output Selection Step Image hardware assembly

In the advanced settings, pay special attention to the Redirect standard output field. By default, it is set to Application output as the method of displaying final results. To show results via a UART terminal, select the “UART” option in that field and click the “SAVE” button. You will be returned to the Compiler field, and now you can move on to the next step by pressing the “NEXT” button.

GNSS2 Click front image hardware assembly

GNSS2 Click complete accessories setup image hardware assembly

EasyPIC v8 Access DIPMB 1 - upright/background hardware assembly

NECTO Compiler Selection Step Image hardware assembly

Necto DIP image step 7 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 Hall Current 18 Click driver.

Key functions:

hallcurrent18_read_current - Hall Current 18 read current function.
hallcurrent18_read_voltage - Hall Current 18 read voltage level function.
allcurrent18_read_raw_adc - Hall Current 18 read raw ADC value 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 Hall Current 18 Click Example.
 *
 * # Description
 * This example demonstrates the use of Hall Current 18 click board™ 
 * by reading and displaying the current measurements.
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * The initialization of SPI module and log UART.
 * After driver initialization, the app sets the default configuration
 * and set the zero voltage reference.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * The demo application reads the current measurements [A] and displays the results.
 * Results are being sent to the UART Terminal, where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "hallcurrent18.h"

static hallcurrent18_t hallcurrent18;   /**< Hall Current 18 Click driver object. */
static log_t logger;    /**< Logger object. */

void application_init ( void )
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;  /**< Logger config object. */
    hallcurrent18_cfg_t hallcurrent18_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.
    hallcurrent18_cfg_setup( &hallcurrent18_cfg );
    HALLCURRENT18_MAP_MIKROBUS( hallcurrent18_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = hallcurrent18_init( &hallcurrent18, &hallcurrent18_cfg );
    if ( ( ADC_ERROR == init_flag ) || ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Communication init." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    if ( HALLCURRENT18_ERROR == hallcurrent18_default_cfg ( &hallcurrent18 ) )
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Default configuration." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    Delay_ms( 100 );
    
    log_printf( &logger, " Turn off the load current in the following 5 sec.\r\n" );
    Delay_ms( 5000 );
    if ( HALLCURRENT18_OK == hallcurrent18_set_zero_ref( &hallcurrent18 ) )
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Process complete!\r\n");
    }
    else
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Zero reference." );
        for ( ; ; );
    }
    
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    Delay_ms( 100 );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    float current = 0;
    if ( HALLCURRENT18_OK == hallcurrent18_read_current ( &hallcurrent18, &current ) ) 
    {
        log_printf( &logger, " Current : %.2f [A]\r\n", current );
        Delay_ms( 1000 );
    }
}

void main ( void ) 
{
    application_init( );

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

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