Gain a clear view of AC or DC current profiles using TMCS1108A2U and PIC18F47K40

Efficiency amplified through advanced current sensing

Published Aug 12, 2023

Click board™

Hall Current 11 Click

Dev. board

EasyPIC v8

Compiler

NECTO Studio

MCU

PIC18F47K40

Elevate your engineering projects with our Hall-effect current sensing solution, delivering accurate and actionable current data for effective system design, optimization, and maintenance

Hardware Overview

How does it work?

Hall Current 11 Click is based on the TMCS1108A2U, a precision Hall-effect current sensor featuring a 100V functional isolation working voltage, <3% full-scale error across temperature, and both unidirectional and bidirectional current sensing from Texas Instruments. The input current flows through a 1.8mΩ resistance conductor between the isolated input current pins, minimizing power loss and thermal dissipation. The magnetic field generated by the input current is sensed by a Hall sensor and amplified by a precision integrated signal chain. The TMCS1108A2U can be used for both AC and DC current measurements with a bandwidth of 80kHz. The TMCS1108A2U is optimized for high accuracy and temperature stability, with both offset and sensitivity compensated across the entire operating

temperature range. Based on the selected logic voltage VCC, the TMCS1108A2U allows the user to measure current in two appropriate ranges, where after that, can process the output signal in analog or digital form. With the selected logic voltage of 3.3V, it is possible to measure the current from -2.8A to 27.7A, while with the chosen 5V, it is possible to measure it in the range from -4.5A to 43A. The analog output signal of the TMCS1108A2U can be converted to a digital value using MCP3221, a successive approximation A/D converter with a 12-bit resolution from Microchip using a 2-wire I2C compatible interface, or can be sent directly to an analog pin of the mikroBUS™ socket labeled as AN. Selection can be performed by onboard SMD jumper labeled ADC SEL to an appropriate position marked as AN and I2C.

The MCP3221 provides one single-ended input with low power consumption, a low maximum conversion current, and a Standby current of 250μA and 1μA, respectively. Data can be transferred at 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 11 Click hardware overview image

Hall Current 11 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)

128

Silicon Vendor

Microchip

Pin count

RAM (Bytes)

3728

Used MCU Pins

mikroBUS™ mapper

Analog Signal

RA2

RST

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 11 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

Software Support

Library Description

This library contains API for Hall Current 11 Click driver.

Key functions:

hallcurrent11_get_adc - Hall Current 11 ADC reading function
hallcurrent11_get_adc_voltage - Hall Current 11 get ADC voltage function
hallcurrent11_get_current - Hall Current 11 get current 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 HallCurrent11 Click example
 *
 * # Description
 * This library contains API for Hall Current 11 Click driver.
 * The demo application reads ADC value and current ( A ).
 *
 * The demo application is composed of two sections :
 *
 * ## Application Init
 * Initializes I2C driver and log UART.
 * After driver initialization the app set default settings.
 *
 * ## Application Task
 * This is an example that demonstrates the use of the Hall Current 11 Click board™.
 * In this example, we read and display the ADC values and current ( A ) data.
 * Results are being sent to the Usart Terminal where you can track their changes.
 *
 * @author Nenad Filipovic
 *
 */

#include "board.h"
#include "log.h"
#include "hallcurrent11.h"

static hallcurrent11_t hallcurrent11;
static log_t logger;

void application_init ( void ) 
{
    log_cfg_t log_cfg;                      /**< Logger config object. */
    hallcurrent11_cfg_t hallcurrent11_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.
    hallcurrent11_cfg_setup( &hallcurrent11_cfg );
    HALLCURRENT11_MAP_MIKROBUS( hallcurrent11_cfg, MIKROBUS_1 );
    err_t init_flag = hallcurrent11_init( &hallcurrent11, &hallcurrent11_cfg );
    if ( I2C_MASTER_ERROR == init_flag ) 
    {
        log_error( &logger, " Application Init Error. " );
        log_info( &logger, " Please, run program again... " );

        for ( ; ; );
    }

    hallcurrent11_default_cfg ( &hallcurrent11 );
    log_info( &logger, " Application Task " );
    log_printf( &logger, "--------------------------\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );
}

void application_task ( void ) 
{
    static uint16_t adc_data;
    static float current;
    
    hallcurrent11_get_adc( &hallcurrent11, &adc_data );
    log_printf( &logger, " ADC Value   : %d \r\n", adc_data );
    log_printf( &logger, "- - - - - - - - - - -  - -\r\n" );
    Delay_ms ( 100 );

    hallcurrent11_get_current ( &hallcurrent11, &current );
    log_printf( &logger, " Current     : %.3f A \r\n", current );
    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;
}

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